Seal Peek-a-Boo

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi folks another great seal image from Helgoland.
Same location as the last Harbor Seal image.This little chap was playing a game with me, i was fairly down in the sand and he was approaching from the sea side but was too afraid to move fully onto the sand bank where i was lying .So he was looking at different times and looking at different levels how high he/she would lift the head to see what this funny guy with the long glass is doing there on their beach .Finally i hoped that the seal would lift the head as far as this image shows.
I like the layering in the image and just detail and sharpness in the subject , the rest is just "natural Bokeh" of the long lens.

Canon EOS 1Dx
EF 500 IS L
Tripod

F 8 ; Iso 1000 ; 1/1000 sec

Cropped for comp, i would like to leave the crop as is , normally too wide , but i really like the blurring and wide view on this one.

Processed in PhotoNinja and PS CC

C&C welcome , as always.

Cheers Andreas

[Neil Burton]

Comp is fine for me, centered works well and the lines work in a landscape format.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Can it get any better than this, Andreas? I have another title for you: " Conversations with a Seal". Love your seal images, wonder what's next?

Looks like you are having fun, and obviously I am looking forward to more

No crits, picture perfect for me

[Nancy Bell]

Wonderfully simple and yet captivating image! That stare is priceless! I like the symmetry of the eyes, whiskers, muzzle, etc. with this head-on view and no details in the foreground or background. The soft blurred colors nicely surround the seal and allow all attention to him.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, clean, simple, very nice indeed. Have you any in portrait format or where the seal is off centre, but in a landscape format?

TFS
Steve

[Steve Kaluski]

Andreas, how about softening the sand bank so there isn't so much of a hard edge, you could also give it a small % of Luminosity just to add some colour, but that is just a personal touch, WDYT?

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Andreas - simple yet very effective. I like this one a lot, perhaps a new favorite in the series. I like what Steve has done but it takes it in a different direction. I might have to have them side by side for a while to decide which version I like better.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

OOPS ! where is the copyright sign coming from ? Magic took place .

Thanks boys and girls for looking and commenting.

Steve i have just two frames of this chap in that position , centered and fairly small in the frame .So i have all options for cropping . I had about 5 min with this guy , dropping and lifting his head , sometimes i only saw the top of the head .When i lifted my head to see where he is , he just disappeared behind the sandbank .
Finally he came as close as in this frame.He disappeared again and i tried to get closer………. with the result i got up too high and the seal splashed back into the ocean……… they are more skittish than the Grey Seals .

Regarding your RP , i actually prefer my natural Bokeh/Blur .Yours is looking too even and artificial , and i feel the edge in OP is soft enough . But your edit wit the slight Multiply? layer is working good . Thanks for your effort and thoughts.

Cheers Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

Such a quirky shot, Andreas. I love the pastel colours, inquisitive look and the soft feel here.
Steve has brought out a sliver more depth but I too prefer your sand blur in OP.

[Andrew Robinson]

As has been said, no nits, just a lovely image.

Andrew

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks Morkel and Andrew for your comments , feels good such great positive feedback for my work .

Andreas

[edwardselfe]

Perfect - very cool image. i don't mind the sand bar either way.
Ed