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Thread: Squirrel alert!

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    Default Squirrel alert!

    Sat in a hide with little too lok at on the river, I saw this guy in a clearing to the side. There is a bank that tops out on a level with one of the windows which offered a really effective ground-level view.

    After a good scritch, he stopped and heard something that made him look right at me.

    Name:  Who are you looking at-.jpg
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    Canon 7D
    100-400L
    ISO 800, f5.6 1/125 sec
    About a third taken off the top and half off the left.

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    Hi Mike, I like the details and the straight on look. Just wondering if there is a color cast on the chest. Did you do quite a bit of NR on the BG and the tai? I'd wish to have the tail not so much out of focus, but recognize that at f5.6 and very close, your DOF is limited. Loi

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    Hi Loi. This was in a heavily wooded area so there is a green cast from the foliage so I had taken it as it was - I managed to find a mid-grey ont he fur that seems to have provided a good reference to correct it. In posting to the site, the noise seems to have become a bit more pronounced than in the original so I have reduced the output 'for screen' sharpening in LR and hopefully it comes out better.
    I would have liked more DOF but the shutter speed was already 1/125 and for a twitchy animal like this guy was, and ISO800 was as far as I wanted to go. It is a shame but I guess you can;t fight mother nature nor the laws of physics!

    Name:  Who are you looking at-.jpg
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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Hi Mike - a really effective eye level view of the squirrel, and I like the alert pose.
    Colour wise I prefer your repost, but there's a cyan tinge to the fur and shadowed areas that I pick up on with both versions - easy to tone down with tools like colour balance or even selective saturation. The image is quite gritty but having shot with the old 7D in low light conditions I can sympathise, anything over ISO-400 was gritty to begin with.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Hi Mike -- nice angle , it get your subject to a different level !! Agree with the cyan cast it is quite evident . I also found that OOF grass blade in the foreground a bit distracting , i would have cloned it out but its acceptability varies from person to person ! TFS !

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Mike - Great head on look at the squirrel. I also immediately saw the cyan cast and there's some blue coming through on the body as well. It's still there in the rp. An easy fix in a hue/saturation layer. I find with the original 7D, the most important thing is to get the exposure right. Looks like you had dark conditions with your settings and +1 of EC. The grittiness can also be exacerbated by applying clarity in the conversion, so a light touch there might help (not more than 15 points of clarity added).

    It would be great to get your thoughts on other people's images too. We recommend posting on at least 3-5 other Wildlife images each time you post one of your own. It's the best way for us to all learn from each other and fosters a sense of community.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Thank you all fopr your comments - I will tackle the cyan cast and see how it goes.

    Hi Rachel - I am trying to comment on posts as I realise it is the best way to contribute to the forum but the quality is so high I am trying to avoid the 'nice post' trap !!

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Mike - the easiest way to make comments and avoid the "nice shot" type comment is to tell us what you like or don't like about an image. Critiques don't have to be technical in nature. I've found that learning how to critique has really improved my images by making me think more about my decisions in the field and in pp.

    Rachel

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hello Mike,

    I think this is one fun image, and please notice I am avoiding the cliche "nice shot", LOL...

    The look this alert little fellow gave you made me smile, very cute pose and you probably had only a few seconds to capture it, so great work in the field:)

    The crop works for me, although I took the liberty to "borrow" your image and attempted a less square one, but not sure you'll like it. Not sure I like it either, but always worth playing around. While I was toying around with the comp I did attempt to remove some of the colour casts, would be a lot easier for you to do so working with the RAW file but here it is, WDYT?

    Really not bad for 1/125s and the face is nice and sharp, I did some NR in the BG but just a brief attempt and did not work too carefully. I just feel you could bring this up a notch with some more PP work, this fellow is really cute and deserves a revisit. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing, looking forward to more from you, thank you so much for sharing

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Thank you Gabriela - I have not had chance to play with the image last weekend but your post gives something to aim for. I think the tighter crop on the right works well to reduce the visual impact of that troublesome stalk and the colour balance is not hugely different on my screen but makes a signifcant difference.

    I'm glad it made you smile.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you Mike:) Still smiling every time I look again

    I battle to revisit some of my images myself, due to lack of time. Sometimes I just feel there are so many others waiting to be processed...No need to go back to this one unless you really want to, I just think it's quite precious:)

    In terms of colour my screen shows quite a substantial change; perhaps calibrating the monitor is an option? Try viewing both images side by side, if you have a chance.

    Let us see some more please, if you have. I'll definitely keep an eye on your posts, and especially if you have some more of those cute little squirrels:)

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Lifetime Member Ákos Lumnitzer's Avatar
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    Rachel's comment in pane 8 is perfect. To learn to critique is a great way to improve one's own work in the field. Everyone is a little unsure at first, but in time, after looking at lots and lots of images, you'll start seeing what looks good, what doesn't look so good. You'll be more comfortable commenting and also will be able to use the learned visual things in your own image making. You'll also become more comfortable about breaking some of the basic compositional rules etc. It's just time and being in the field to put into practice what's learned.

    I love this low-level image. I cannot comment on the 7D IQ as I think I used one once. Agree about the little OOF grass in the LRC.
    Gabriela's repost is an improvement.
    Well done Mike!

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