Cute as a button

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Most of our native wildlife Down Under are nocturnal. It was my very, very first night time photographic outing in a NW Sydney National Park that got me this image. I was blown away to see such gorgeous little marsupial down at eye level just watching me about a meter and a half away. I didn't hesitate to shoot a few frames and this one made it into a calendar and also Christmas cards a few years ago for a wildlife rescue organisation.

The critter is a sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), one of several species of marsupial gliders I can find in the Sydney region. Not bad for a big city I say.
Their presence at night is often given away by their yapping calls, which sound like some ankle biting little dog going crook. Also, sadly, they are a favourite prey item
for the Powerful and Sooty Owl, both of which inhabit the same ecological niche.

Taken with my first DSLR

Canon EOS 30D
300mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4X
ISO400, f/16, 1/160th
manual mode and 430EX II flash set to -1.

Full frame image, just retouched a sliver of the bark where a needle from the casuarina tree rand down the entire frame. Bummer…..

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Akos, certain cute and nice to see something from 'Down Under' a rarity indeed!

Nice pose and cracking detail, very well executed. I wonder if darkening the background may help and add some more pop & separation??? Just a thought.

TFS
Steve

[haseeb badar]

Hi Akos -- Lovely details and a cute guy it appears ! very well processed , also the twinkle in its eyes due to the flash or whatever provides a nice effect . TFS !

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Hi Akos, thanks for sharing this wonderful image. I like the cute lil fellow with large ears, big eyes and sharp claws. Nice techs and PP work. Well done mate.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Akos - Much more interesting than our big city wildlife. Nice detail. I'm not a huge fan of the flashed look but it seems to have supplied even lighting here. If it were mine I would crop in from the rhs to remove the sliver and have all trunk as the border.

TFS,
Rachel

[BenBotha]

Interesting subject, well handled. I agree with Nancy's comment about the crop.
Ben

[Andre Pretorius]

Hi Akos

He/she is very cute! Hope they do not bite ankles..

Steve's idea with the BG and Rachel's crop might take this up a notch.
Good detail and well exposed on critter!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Haseeb, the starburst is from the aperture blades inside the lens. It happens when you close them right down.

I wish I could photograph these and other possums etc in the day, but as nature intended, they mostly spend the day holed up in a tree hollow out of sight. So the only time they're active is after dark. Therefore; only a flash can get photos. Any image of one in the daytime will instantly arouse my suspicion and I'd be questioning whether the animals' welfare was taken into account for the sake of a daytime shot.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Akos very cute subject , and a stunning output with that old piece of kit .
Agree with the comments above regarding the flashy look, b ut also understand that you have to use the flash .
Darkening the BG and tree would help from my POV .

TFS Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

Very cute, and great to see some wildlife from Down Under indeed.
I like Steve's suggestion for the BG...

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Akos,

I am very late here but would like to add my congratulations for this wonderful capture, what a delightful little fellow!

All I wish for is a big screen right now to view this image properly, will be able to do so very soon and looking forward to take another look at this Sugar Glider's cute pink nose and those beautiful eyes.

Are those its little teeth, below the nose?

Lovely detail and well exposed, lovely colours, well captured and processed

Kind regards,

[Joseph Przybyla]

Cracking image Akos, thank you for sharing. Also I loved reading your natural history...

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Are those its little teeth, below the nose?

They sure are! Those teeth chew through bark to get at the sap inside the tree trunks.


Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.