Whistler

Gallery: WildlifePosted October 1, 2010899 views5 comments

While hiking at Mount Rainier I heard some whistling a few times that I thought was other hikers somehow signalling to each other for some reason. It was only after actually seeing one of these marmots climb on a rock and whistle that I realized what it was. This one and another seemed pretty tame - used to hikers I guess - and this one stuck around for a while.

I liked this wider shot as a more environmental take rather than a portrait. I was able to get in pretty close with a short-ish lens and get a few different shots like this.

Thanks for looking!

Olympus E-520
Zuiko 12-60 @ 32 mm
f/9.0
1/125s
ISO 100
Handheld
PS CS4 for RAW conversion, slight mods, web prep

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on October 1, 2010 at 7:11 PM

You've got a cute fat marmot there ! My initial reaction was to suggest cropping a bit of the foreground (just above the copyright sign). Still like it as it is. The surrounding vegetation looks cool !

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 1, 2010 at 11:23 PM

Like the image, nicely shows the habitat of the marmot. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on October 2, 2010 at 8:31 AM

David, this is a solid composition with the marmot well placed in the frame at the intersection of thirds. Exposure looks fine as well. I am interested in the two small patches of apparent white snow, giving this a sense of altitude to go with those blooms and the marmot. My wish would be for him and the flowers to be a little larger in the frame, just to better appreciate them as subjects, because I suspect without them you would not have posted this as a pure landscape. A head turn to provide a catchlight in the eye would have been nice as well.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on October 2, 2010 at 3:08 PM

One truly must see the larger version to appreciate this image. I love the curious look on the marmots face and the blue flowers. The clouds sneeking over the mountain are a nice touch too.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on October 3, 2010 at 1:04 PM

Pretty cool animalscape David. The composition is excellent with the placement of the subject and the inclusion of some sky. I agree that the larger version does this much more justice (as is the case with most animalscapes). I would only suggest to tone down the brightness of the sky a bit.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments