On the last afternoon Malcolm, Phil & myself decided to have a wonder to find some 'Reds' in a forest close by before we went 'stir crazy' editing/deleting all the shots taken whilst in Norway. Jokingly folk said the local forest was dark due to the close proximity of the trees to one another, with little, if any, light getting through the canopy, how true - a touch would have helped, however...
These 'reds' are much redder than our ones and in the next 4-6 weeks will have changed into pure black squirrels with lovely ear tuffs to boot. Enticed by a trail of hazelnuts we left out, these guys took their time, only to be plagued by three local Jays who were not frightened of anything and were only thinking of filling their beaks with the nuts.
Thanks to those who commented on the previous image.
Steve
Subject: Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
Location: Norway
Camera: Canon 1DX MKII
Lens: 500f/4 MKII with 1.4x MKIII HH
Exposure: 1/800s at f/5.6 ISO6400
Original format: Portrait, almost FF width, slight crop from the top
Processed via: LRCC & PSCC2017
Hi Steve a sweet Red One .
A classy pose you captured and the overall detail and color / tone combo is good as it can be . Stunning IQ as expected . Two things are a bit distracting but bet you could not make them better , the FG does look messy and the bright spots on the rotten stump .I think the bright spots could be addressed ...with your skills .
Just wondering what kind of " perch " this was ...? A lower POV would have been better , well if possible .
The squirrel itself does look stunning , and you managed a nice exposure in the dark forest . Surprised about your settings
Two things are a bit distracting but bet you could not make them better , the FG does look messy and the bright spots on the rotten stump .I think the bright spots could be addressed ...with your skills
Correct, not the greatest of locations to say the least and zero chance of any gardening to improve both the FG and logs. The brights spots were a pain and if you push it too much you easily spot signs of 'tinkering', sometimes it's best to leave things alone.
The squirrel itself does look stunning , and you managed a nice exposure in the dark forest .
Thanks, perhaps darker than your Marmots, but just simple ETTR to maximise the data.
Sumptuous tones and colour on that little squirrel - not to mention gorgeous detail. That bright background log is a little distracting but you have tried playing with it without success from the sound of things. The only thing that feels odd to me in this one is the composition, especially the 'topsy turvy' nature of the open air bottom and vegetated top half. I does seem weird and distracting to me and wonder it would be worth trying a few more options here.
The only thing that feels odd to me in this one is the composition, especially the 'topsy turvy' nature of the open air bottom and vegetated top half.
The issue is that the subject is on a 'nursing' log/tree with all the spindles and fine branches coming off it, creating the 'clutter' I think Glen, sadly can't see another option.
Hi Steve -- Beauty of a subject , liked the details and IQ . The settings are not that bad , but a lover POV would have been far better, but i am sure you would have gone for it had that been an option. At the risk of repeating the previously mentioned comment, I feel ss is on a very lower side considering that you were HH with a TC .
The issue is that the subject is on a 'nursing' log/tree with all the spindles and fine branches coming off it, creating the 'clutter' I think Glen, sadly can't see another option.
I was thinking changing the composition to make that element less obvious. But just a thought and I wasn't sure how best to recompose.
Surprised about your SS. You must be a magician ....if you can shoot F4 with this kit
Hi Andreas & Haseeb with good control you can do it, but not always advisable, the RAW is sharp which is critical and for me that is all that matters. With f/5.6 I'm right on the edge, removing the 1.4 and dropping to f/4 would have increased my DoF fractionally, but also increased SS, however then I would need to crop, all a trade off. No need I felt to have more SS here, just good control.
I was thinking changing the composition to make that element less obvious.
Glenn, it's a tad crude, but perhaps something along these lines at the foot?
I had wondered about making that part less obvious and you are obviously thinking the same. I'm not sure it helps a lot though. On balance, it may be impractical to do anything about this. The only reason I raised it in the first place was that it just felt odd to me and drew my attention and thoughts away from the squirrel. Maybe it doesn't do that for others though.
A very good evening to you, and my apologies for coming in so late. Superb colours and tonality, subject is super cute. Indeed a busy environment but nothing you could do about it. At first I wondered whether taking off a tad from the bottom would make a difference but when I tried it was not happy with the outcome. So it's the OP for me, the blur in the RP seems a bit unnatural but I guess it was quickly done for demo purposes. Love the pose from the squirrel and those little paws with cute little toes just adorable. Beautiful detail and the eye stands out so nicely. Squirrel looks so tiny... could it fit in the palm of my hand?
Have a lovely evening, thank you so much for sharing,
A Norwegian 'Red' squirrel
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Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski
