Red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 1DX Canon 100-400 L IS.
Auto ISO 4000, 1/800 sec, f7.1
taken from a hide in the Finland taiga.

[keith mitchell]

Lot's of colour variations in these Squirrels Jon this one is really grey ,looks like a female feeding young,is that possible when you where there?very much like the alert pose with the ear tufts bent in the wind,branch is a bit dominant but that it is the one she choose ,very nicely caught.
Keith.

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Hi Jon, a beautiful animal with great pose & super colours & details. The BG is sweet & though the branch is big I don't mind it. Only a bit more space below & less above would have been nicer. Well done.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Jon, the diagonal branch works and the inquisitive look/pose makes it, along with those tuffs. Agree with Sanjeev more below, but again you made have constraining factors from the hide? I would crop a bit tighter because of the tightness at the foot. I feel you could also tone own the more brighter 'fungi/knots' on the Silver Birch and so gain some more detail. We have already had a chat about the NR and as both Keith & Sanjeev have not commented perhaps it's OK, I still think it's a little strong but you now have a comparison to make the judgement call. Personally as I said, to have a bit of noise in an image like this I think is OK rather than a very smooth backdrop, but again all person preferences. Can't make up my mind if it's a little too yellow coming through both in the whites and reddish bark and also the greens, however just my take .

TFS
Steve

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the feedback Keith Sanjeev Steve, on reflection it could be a little better, so baring in mind your comments:

[Stuart Philpott]

Hi Jon,I like the repost would also have preferred a bit more at base.These details on framing ,almost nuances especially when framing an image with no intention to crop,fixate me at the moment Jon nailing it is no easy thing!!!!

Like Keith, Jon,(and I'm not terribly aware of reds) i'm deeply struck by the colour variation in this population,quite fascinating.Is it in the moult mate?

Love those ear tufts so pushed forwards, the raised front leg bkg that compliments subject colour and that focused stare lovely to view as always

take care

stu

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Jon - I always like seeing these cheeky rascals and the tufts on this one are nice. I do find the perch a little dominant and agree about a bit more room below. To me, it looks like you have lost a tiny bit of the detail in the whites in the rp (look at the right foreleg). I wonder if going for a vertical comp in the field might have helped with the comp. Keep them coming.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Jon indeed a cute encounter and i do also like the diagonal stump .
The pose and specially the lifted left front leg is just gorgeous .
Overall i think the image could have a cooler WB ....for my taste .Even the RP is a bit too much on the warm side , but you have been there and you should know and like the colors .
I do agree with Rachel regarding the RP you have lost detail and not only in the white fur ...look at the forehead and compare with the OP , wonder what you have done ?
I think you can go even deeper in the lichens and brighter spots on the stump .

TFS Andreas