Gray Fox w/ REPOST

Interesting pattern in the fox fur. I never saw one like this. But noe that i looke better: how long is that tail? it seems to be longer that the whole body.

Compositionally i think it is too centered but i also thing that if you wanted to keep all the tail into the frame, and if it is FF, you have very few other chances. The left coming branch is a disturbance element, IMO.

cheers, Luca

Very cute - the colors of the rock are quite nice and the long tail is wonderfully showcased here. Detail seems a little on the light size but overall it's good

Hey Guy...I keep forgetting to call you about the den I know of. I will do that tonight. As soon as I saw the thumbnail, I figured this was the Gray Fox at Roxborough. i have never seen him, just hear about him. I like the colors 9especially the mossy rock) and how that contrasts with the cool looking fox coat.

I like the focused pose and those wonderful lychen, as well as the warm tones of the rocks. I don't mind the centered composition very much, although going lower would have hidden the tail completely and it would then have been less problematic to crop more from the right. But like I said, I don't mind the placement here so much. I do find the bits of green very distracting, not only the incoming branch. I would try to remove it by either cropping or using Content Aware Fill in PS. Losing those greens will greatly improve this shot. And while you're in PS anyway, I would also try to selectively brighten the head and eyes a bit, as this is the most important part of the animal but as it is also the part with least detail. Hope that makes sense.

Hi Guy,

Really beautiful coloration on the fox - as you said you don't see many of these posted in this gallery...so quite the find (and posting). Funny...I have much weaker reaction to the leaves than you do - they don't bother me much. I understand how that tail drove the composition - I think Marsel offered a good solution re: the slightly lower angle to "naturally" remove the tail from the equation, tho' I have no idea if this was possible in the field. As the others have mentioned, the lichens add nice colour and interest to this shot.

Cheers...thanks for sharing this one...

Brad

Beautiful animal. It is identical to our Florida Grey Fox. Really like the rich textures and colors of the bg, Guy. A suiting setting for this fellow.

Nice shot. the rock that it's sitting on is practically a work of art on its own. The pose is nice and that tail is amazingly long. The green leaves don't bother me at all, but I would like to see the face better, maybe a slight burn around the cheeks and eyes.

Never even heard of let alone see a Gray Fox before, which adds greatly to the appeal factor of this image, thanks for sharing Guy :^)

Thank you all for your comments, much appreciated!

Luca - I agree that it looks a bit too centered, that tail really forced the comp. That branch is annoying, nothing I could do about that though.

Luke - A little on the light side is right, with the light I was working with I'm surprised I was able to get this much detail, still not quite enough for my tastes.

Kurt - I got your message, I'll give you a call soon, thanks!

Marsel - I won't bother delving into cloning philosophy right now, but suffice to say that I'm not a fan of removing too many natural elements from shots. That being said, I do agree that the greens and the branch detract from the shot, hopefully I'll have better luck next time. I did selectively brighten the head, as well as darken the tip of the tail - good call.

Wayne - A suiting setting indeed, thanks!

Brad - I tried to get a lower angle on the fox at the time, but tall grass in the fg (once again, my nemesis ) made that impossible.

Mark - Thanks, looks much better to my eye after selectively brightening the head.

Ashley - Thanks for looking!

Sweet gray fox photo Guy!!! Not only is the fox a prize, the habitat is extra-ordinary. The re-post is more pleasing to my eye.

Ken Archer