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Thread: A Scottish 'Red'

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Default A Scottish 'Red'

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    Thought I would throw another Red into the mix, but this time from Scotland. A frame on to one I had posted quite a while ago.

    Steve

    Subject: Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) posing
    Location: Scotland
    Camera: Canon 1DX MKI
    Lens: 500f/4 MKII Gitzo tripod/Wimberley Gimbal MKII
    Exposure: 1/500s at f/5.6 ISO2500
    Original format: Portrait, slight crop from top, almost FF width
    Processed via: LRCC & PSCC2017

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    Beautiful image with nice subject & 'perch' with great bokeh. The colours are superb and the feeding behavior is a nice bonus. Wish the tail wasn't covered by the foliage but no deal breaker.

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Nice details and colours on the squirrel, but I'm guessing this was from a baited setup with the pose and 'perch', in which I would have preferred you to have been a couple of inches higher to lose some of the foreground mush from the bottom of the frame. I like the thinking with the green framing but unfortunately it doesn't work for me on this shot.

    Mike

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    A very cooperative squirrel to climb onto such a nice piece of weathered wood. Lovely image, wonderful rendering of the fur, the color palette and background adds much to the image. Thank you for sharing, Steve.
    Joe Przybyla

    "Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams

    www.amazinglight.smugmug.com

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    I'm guessing this was from a baited setup with the pose and 'perch'
    What site isn't these days Mike, as you can clearly see the Hazel nut .

    wonderful rendering of the fur, the color palette and background adds much to the image.
    Glad you liked it Joe.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Steve - This is a lovely shot of the Scottish Red. The eating pose works, nice detail and colors.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Hi Steve -- This is a fantastic frame , lovely IQ, colours , details and sharpness . Lovely perch as well . Your images are so nicely done as always , enjoyed viewing this . A bit more ss would have been quite safe ?

    TFS !

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    Beautiful composition of a beautiful squirrel.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    A bit more ss would have been quite safe ?
    Hi Haseeb, the conditions portrayed here hide the fact that this is set in dense forest and at 'key' times the sun does break through, so with the 500f/4 MKII mounted on my Gitzo tripod/Wimberley Gimbal MKII all is good at 1/500 . Saying that, I might have changed if I had the MK2's then, as they are now set-up slightly differently now, compared to the MKI.

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    I lke the shot Steve, lovely colours and very "clean". The tree stump isn't over exposed by any means but it does appear quite dominant, I wonder what it would look like if you toned it down a cog or two?

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    lovely colours and very "clean".
    Jon, this is what I was saying about thinking about BKG's when you shoot or put hides up in your case for the Bears, they needed to do it with a Photographer I feel. Someone I know is running a Bear workshop next year, looked at the hides and some shots, grave reservations I'm afraid re BKG's, but pleased if I'm wrong.


    I wonder what it would look like if you toned it down a cog or two?
    Already done Sir.

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    Nice detail and background here. The tail being cut off is the only thing i do not like.

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Steve overall stunning IQ ...as expected
    Always love to look at your postings from the pure technical side , would call this a reference image when it comes to that theme.
    Lovely pose of the squirrel and i do like the FG mush as an entry point to the frame. DOF and soft BG are top notch .
    From the aesthetic POV i do find two elements not ideal which might have been possibly avoidable ....? As this was taken at a set up ...?
    The stump is too dominating in form and tone as the viewer might be irritated by the brightness and the eye jumps onto the stump , second would be the crop / position of the squirrel being well to the right in the frame . But i have no idea how to make this better ........so this might have been the best option .

    TFS Andreas

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    Beautiful colour and detail in the fur, plus a cute posture. The Bg makes the subject stand out and its very pleasing to the eye.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Dear Steve,

    She is so pretty!!!

    A clean image with great IQ as expected from you. Colours are superb, lovely detail, BG is stunning.

    You have captured the moment and with it the beauty of the subject. She is indeed the epitome of cuteness...the way she holds her little morsel, paws together - awww...simply irresistible

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hmm that's a stonker of an image Steve,

    I've gone back and forth thinking about what Mike said a good while ,I can't make my mind up it's where that fern frond would lie that is crucial for me. I like the the hows of the set up, I like, the colour and form of stump and that bkg is killer . Love it mate,nuff said.

    I want a bit more tail just a smidgen left on the framing for me. Colours gorgeous what kind of light/weather Steve?

    Pose fabulous,very very nice Steve

    stu

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    OK folks will try and answer of of the points.

    - This is an image that is from a 'second' edit, as the best was posted some time ago with the subject in a far better position & pose, I just wanted to share a different Red.
    - The DoF for me is spot on, with the focus purely on the head with the rest tailing off into the soft, muted background, that is what I wanted so you retained a bokeh FG & BKG isolating the subject. Any more DoF would still not be enough for more 'clarity/detail' or to retain more of the subject. As the tail was going behind the subject, partially hidden and out of the DoF range this isn't an issue, as the capture is purely about the subjects head, the tail just blend nicely into the environment, along with the fern.
    - No excuses, but this was taken only after a few months with the 1DX when it very firstly came out, so like many of us, I was testing the waters on ISO. If I knew then what I know now, I might have pushed things a tad more, but in all honesty I'm happy with the techs as presented.
    - The 'prop' is so old and probably qualifies for celeb status from the amount of shots taken here by so many folk, even a TV series was shot with my very good friend Neil with this in situ. Agree Andreas about the brightness of the prop, a trade off I'm afraid to get light on the subject. I placed the subject specifically off-set in frame, partly from my previous background, but mainly for usage, with plenty of space to the left and above.

    She is indeed the epitome of cuteness
    He was Gabriela


    Colours gorgeous what kind of light/weather Steve?
    Early morning in September Stu to get the light. Prefer January to get the ear tuffs, but if snow falls you are stuffed on the location in getting around, but would love to photograph them in the Winter as they are photogenic against a white backdrop.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Oh I see
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Hi Steve,the colours and the detail on the Squirrel look spot on to me,I,m fine with the loss of the end of the tail being lost on the vegetation(I do like the fern} rather than being out of the frame if you get my meaning,would have been even nicer with ear tufts so you will have to return in the winter for that,that bg's lovely ,nice job Steve.

    Keith.

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