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Thread: Bank Vole : Myodes glarolus (unknowingly baited)

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    Icon1 Bank Vole : Myodes glarolus (unknowingly baited)

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    Let me qualify unknowingly baited. shot is literally my front doorstep I'm sat on it HH!!. I couldn't work out why the birds were dropping sunflower seeds in the middle of our lawn. Later,I was instructed that my darling feeds the mice,so she can see them when doing chores. Declaration complete

    I'm pretty sure this is as described,it certainly isn't the short tailed vole I posted here,much smaller and longer tail.

    1Div
    300f 2.8 1.4 extiii

    1/1600
    f/4
    iso 2500

    This is the north side of our house so even though the time is 1pm or there abouts really i'm shooting in deep shade and relying on ambient light to help with my shutter speed. This is around a 75% of full frame cropped for comp really as I'm on center point due to their speed. Such a shame ,I'm so rich I have this on my doorstep and even that one day put asisde for them got clobbered,but what a joy to have these gems right here though even if I don't always get to see them.

    thanks so much for the thought provoking comments on my ercent posts,and as always the depth of kindness and help

    Take care

    Stu

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Stu - There's a cuteness factor here. Again the techs and pp look better with nice sharpness. If you were using a pp program that allowed localized adjustments (I don't think you are) then I would suggest toning down some of the brighter blades of grass and perhaps darkening the greens.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Stu, each image is an improvement on the previous one, so well done.

    Knowing that you are limited to just DPP I think looking at alternative crops may be an option to deal with Highlights or distracting elements. Not ideal by any shape or form, but... Techs look far better and so the image also has improved. If this is a regular site, then I might suggest you try something, albeit a set up.

    Heres a thought, but there maybe other crops available.

    TFS
    Steve

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    Hi Stu ,I like Steve's crop,very well captured with the little Vole looking nice and sharp,love those beady looking eyes and cute face.Well caught mate.

    Keith.

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    Hi Stu -- Nice work with the cute little character ! I agree with the above . great going .

    TFS !

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    Hi all,thank you so much for your thoughts,and as always their constructive nature,on this and previous images. Whether they are towards an image that appeals or no they are always incredibly useful to me.

    Regarding IQ ,I think that my combo really excells when I'm very close,I rarely seem to have the same problems with IQ with close proximity,so feel in many ways that although this is not chronolgical to recent posts,taken back in Aug,that is the reason IQ is better in this case rather than my personal progression. that said it's fabulous for me that in this case something I feel and see as sharp actually is

    Rachel I do have a colour pallette,you are right all is global,but I see what you mean on the greens and feel I can improve things,I'll have a try later,I may well be able to improve the highlights aswell, Great points mate thank you.

    Keith, cheers buddy I had you with me shooting this, they are so cute aren't they, your mice images gave much inspiration. Thanks buddy very kind. Keith, in my words to Steve that will follow,if you have time could you add your thoughts on very close shooting and DOF for mice,please?

    Steve,cheers for the crop utterly understood !! I think I could have edited better Steve even with what I have which is limiting,I feel I can improve this image in DPP with the comments so kindly given. Steve I spent a few hours that day with them which even though interupted led to me shooting at min focus distance,they were very tolerant with time.

    I did make a little set up with some lovely old weathered oak,but they seem to pretty much vanish soon after this shoot. I'm sure they are still here,but maybe they stock up with either food making a cache or simply build weight at this time,i'm unsure. This happened last year aswell in late summer. But the chances never came again despite my efforts,sadly. This was a real joy Steve I'd love to have built on it.

    Steve regarding the techs this is what you have taught me push that iso keep the shutter up,that is my standard methodology now, sure,i've shown a couple of deviations from this of late,but have my reasons for those explorations. Don't worry I understand exactly where you are guiding me mate and why!!

    Steve,( Keith this is where if you could i'd also like your thoughts)as the shoot progressed,I got ever closer, ending with me right on the 300's min focal distance,ie 2.5m. This raised an issue for me, I failed to deal with at the time.ie DOF. Steve in this image the BKG is busy my little mate is in focus in the head and I'm happy with the fall off caused by the shallow DOF. He's a bit further away and I'm fairly happy with my choices. But later, when we were closer, I needed to address the DOF by raising the f. could you give me a rough ball park of where I should have gone please.

    This was pure inexperience Steve and something I must look into I have simply no experience at shooting so close with this lens and frankly something I'd not really thought would ever happen,so have been found utterly wanting when my chance came. I'm going to set up a little furry toy and shoot **** close to get my head around this,but it would be nice to have a rough starting point based on your (and Keith's) actual experiences. Being so pressed, I to my shame still haven't adressed this. I've been brought down to earth a bit when I went back to study these frames as those that follow could have been so much better if this school boy error had of been assimilated prior to me making these images.

    In many ways this was a VERY tough lesson as my hoped for second chances never came. A good lesson ,but a hard one guys. I know I'll always make this kind off gaff while things are as they are,but felt it worth raising this when posting this image as there is such an incredible depth of knowledge to draw on here. I hope this isn't offtopic too much Steve it is utterly relevent to the subject,although maybe not so much to this exact frame.

    Haseeb as ever thank you for your thoughts gorgeous aren't they

    Thanks again everyone

    have a wonderful weekend

    take care

    Stu

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Stu you are getting there no doubt about it. I suppose the only way you can address adjusting the brighter intrusive elements would be using other than DPP.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan Ashton View Post
    Stu you are getting there no doubt about it. I suppose the only way you can address adjusting the brighter intrusive elements would be using other than DPP.
    Cheers Jon ,very kind,being the realist I am I suspect to go up and down a bit,but with great help and as much as I can muster effort wise hopefully we'll win.
    Re the first post,maybe there was more to be had, Jon, in DPP ?

    I've kept the crop the same purely to try and make it easier for me to assimilate whether I have improved things. I realise later I might be able to take things further,but always worth exploring what can be had now with my given tools i've pulled the highlights back ,(should have done this first time no excuses) and explored the colour palette in an effort to tame the greens a little. thoughts please?Name:  _70F8008.JPG
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    Thanks again Jon not only for this but the other stuff too

    take care

    Stu

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    Stu a bit simple I know and certainly not scientific, but if your Mouse is coming to a certain spot use something like a match box or a tube that is something like the size of your mouse and perhaps even mark it from back to front ,then photograph it and see what is in focus,if I,m telling you how to suck eggs then please ignore this, but if it's of help and I can do anymore please contact me.

    Keith

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    if it's of help and I can do anymore please contact me.
    Stu, Keith has a wealth of knowledge, I would take him up on his kind offer, however I'm sure you two can learn a lot from each other.

    Great to see 'exchanges' going on guys, thanks.

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    *+
    QUOTE=keith mitchell;1140934]Stu a bit simple I know and certainly not scientific, but if your Mouse is coming to a certain spot use something like a match box or a tube that is something like the size of your mouse and perhaps even mark it from back to front ,then photograph it and see what is in focus,if I,m telling you how to suck eggs then please ignore this, but if it's of help and I can do anymore please contact me.

    Keith[/QUOTE]

    Keith, great stuff,thank you so much I'll steal that if you don't mind. Mate I'll shoot you a pm initially if that's ok bare with me buddy. It's such a shame I never got to follow this up,but I need to be armed if this very close senario with someone so small comes again.
    bless ya mate .
    Steve I just wish I was closer to Keith, it's not only his photographic skills ,but he's such a great naturalist


    Oh guys one last thing edit any better ?I know it's only marginal because I'm confined to dpp but worth knowing your thoughts
    take care both

    Stu

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Stu I like both versions but I think the second is perhaps a little better. I see a little magenta in the fur - was that there?
    You can do a lot in DPP - are you also using the curves, sometimes this can land you in a mess, others it is good.

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    Thanks Jon,it is only a minor improvement I feel the magenta (I am pretty sure I am seeing what you see) is a very tough call. Jon. They are a little on the red side of brown,but not like a wood mouse for example. I am pretty happy with the vole's colour Jon,but there will always be a question mark over what exactly I see at this time.

    I have played a bit with the curves in the past Jon, not often though. I am aware of them where they are in dpp,but not quite so much on exactly how to utilize them to my best advantage as of yet Jon.
    I'll reread Diane's ( I think it was Diane) tutorial ,its relevent to PS if I recollect correctly ,but might be able to grab something of relevance,he he then I'll bombard you with questions.
    Thanks Jon,

    take care

    Stu

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