Marmot Paradise (Repost)

Gallery: WildlifePosted July 17, 2016219 views6 comments

My primary interest in nature photography is landscapes. However, I do enjoy photographing wildlife when given the opportunity. I recently traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park and was hiking along the Ute Trail when I saw this marmot. Marmots are fun to photograph because they are generally cooperative and will often strike nice poses. I have a handful of images that I was able to capture of this marmot that I am very pleased with. This is the first.

All comments and critiques are welcome.

300 mm f4 + 1.4x Teleconverter (effective focal length of 420 mm)
Cropped from full frame
1/250 sec; f6.3, ISO 400 (to get desired shutter speed)

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on July 17, 2016 at 9:46 PM

Well right off the bat I'd like to say I can't wait to see the other photos you captured of the marmots. This one is just lovely. They are so fun to photograph, and I hope to find some this summer, but unfortunately most of the ones in our area have disappeared after the warm winter we had. cheeky

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on July 19, 2016 at 6:21 PM

Excellent image of the marmot in its habitat, Brian. You captured an excellent pose which goes well with your composition . The lichen covered rock adds a lot to this image.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on July 21, 2016 at 3:08 PM

Brian: Like the way the marmot has posed for you. Its strong tones against the muted tones of the lichen covered rock and the soft background make the marmot stand out. Nicely done. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 22, 2016 at 3:12 PM

Superb detail, Brian, and I like the in-focus foreground rock. For my taste, I think I'd like a bit more room above the marmot as it feels crowded by the top of the frame.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on July 24, 2016 at 9:10 AM

HI Brian,

I agree with the positive aspects of the previous comments - nicely done! My only small nit is that I'm not in love with the crop - as Dennis said I find it a bit tight on top and I do find that there's just a tad too much rock shown on the bottom for my taste. To my eye this shot works as a "natural" 3:2 aspect ratio (rather than going more squarish).

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on July 24, 2016 at 8:40 PM

Thank you all for the helpful comments! I have uploaded an alternate crop with the suggestions from Dennis & Brad. Please let me know what you think about the repost.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments