In the Spotlight

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 24, 2016123 views5 comments

Hi Everyone! This is one of the baby foxes we photographed this spring on of their very first trips out of their den. It had been cloudy but then the sun came out just before it went behind the mountains at sunset. I had just found a hole in the trees that I could photograph the kit through and couldn't believe it when he turned toward the sunlight for a second.

Thank you for looking and for telling me if there's anything you think would make this better!

NOTE FROM DAD: This is cropped to about 75% of original, and I have already done a fair amount of work in gently bringing down the brightness and saturation of the OOF sunlit pine needles on the left. I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts on overall brightness/contrast as well as any other suggestions. While the file would hold up fine for a more aggressive crop for web use, Josiah wants to enter this into WPY this year and also include it in his print portfolio so I don't actually want to crop the brighter branches completely away (plus Josiah likes shooting through foliage for a natural vignette so this reflects his decisions in the field). Thanks in advance...please view the larger version if you have time!

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Nikon D7100
NikkorAF-S 300mm f/4D IF-ED with TC-14EII teleconverter
ISO 800
1/1000sec @ f/5.6
-0.33 stop exposure compensation
Mounted on Gitzo tripod with Acratech GV2 ballhead

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on January 25, 2016 at 2:00 AM

The most frustrating moments in photography are shots such as this, but sometimes it all works out better than you may think.
This is certainly the case here devil

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 25, 2016 at 9:40 AM

Hi Josiah (and John),

This image is both cute and a real eye-catcher. The light striking the pup is great and definitely makes the image. The fact that the pup appears to be (and may well have been) "hiding" behind the trees/bushes is another bonus and adds a degree of charm to the shot. Whether or not the bright OOF bushes on the left are viewed as a "natural vignette" vs. a visual distraction will be an "eye of the beholder" thing and likely vary between viewers. If the shot were mine I'd experiment reducing the brightness of the sun-illuminated dirt on the right side of the image a little (or a little more if you've already done so) so that the brightest tones in the shot are those on the pups face.

Nicely done and you should be real happy with this shot!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 25, 2016 at 8:36 PM

Love this sneak peak - the only thing i'd say is to tone down the brightness on the left so it matches the rest of the image

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Cordes on January 25, 2016 at 10:28 PM

You already received excellent advice. I will add that I really like the spot light effect. A few of the adjustments suggested will make it even better. Contest winner or not, it is a winner in my mind.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 451 Posts, 3366 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on January 26, 2016 at 5:33 PM

Josiah, you have maximized the possibilities, I think. Comp is excellent, effect of looking int the hole is good, and lighting on the cute face is as good as it could get. I do think the green out of focus area on our left side is unfortunate and will hold this back in competition, but as others mentioned that is a subjective evaluation.

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