Snackin'

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 5, 2014663 views6 comments

Hi guys! So, as usual, this image was captured in Waterton

! My brother and dad were photographing prairie dogs and Columbian ground squirrels, so I decided to take a little walk and find something a little different than them. I guess I got lucky, because I soon spotted a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel dashing around one of the bridges. I hopped down beside it to see if he'd give me an angle...nothing! He disappeared into the bushes and popped right back up on a rock even closer to the bridge. I slowly walked around him and quietly found a position on the bridge. Let me tell you, it's not easy to be quiet on a wooden bridge, especially after it's just rained. Nonetheless, he let me get on eye level with him. I was laying down on my stomach and he just sat there eating seeds he had found. I'm sure I got a few stares from people walking by, haha.

You can tell he let me get close, because this is actually almost full frame!

Thank y'all for lookin'!

Nikon D7100
Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/2.8 IF-ED VR lens
ISO 450
1/250sec @ f/4.5
handheld laying on ground

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on September 5, 2014 at 6:58 PM

Very nice angle here, with a lovely complementary background to boot. I think about the only thing you might want is a bit more depth of field to get more of the head sharp, but it's a fine shot regardless.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on September 6, 2014 at 12:23 AM

Cute little guy (or gal) you caught here Jenaya. Superb detail in the fur. You can count the individual shafts of hair. I can almost make out what is reflected in the eye, too. This is an image lots of people will like. A pleasing BG gives all the focus to the critter. As with Max, the only thing I would have changed would be a tad more DOF. To get the head and back in focus. Although I admit that would have been really difficult to determine looking through the viewfinder. Thanks for a nice fun image.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on September 6, 2014 at 9:59 PM

I agree with Peter, a fun photo! Certainly a chubby one, getting ready for winter. Nice close up. Thanks for sharing.

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

Comment posted by David Bogener on September 7, 2014 at 2:09 PM

Very nice image with a clean background. Tight on the top. An alternate compositional choice might be including less belly and a little more space around the head.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on September 7, 2014 at 3:38 PM

I think I can see the photographer and certainly the bridge railing reflected in his eye! Great detail. I agree fully with David about the suggestion for alternate composition/crop.

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

Comment posted by Ajit Huilgol on September 15, 2014 at 1:28 AM

The dof does not bother me at all. In fact, I like it as presented. However, I would like a little more room above the head. Since the bg is uniform, you can still add a little more room in Photoshop quite easily.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 302 Posts, 2055 Comments