Early Fox - keep or bin?

I'm a bit unsure about this image - took it about 7.50am today.

I had the dogs in the back of the Jeep, taking out for their usual morning soiree, when this wee man popped into view on the farm track about 30 yards away. I switched the engine off and let the motor coast to a stop and just had time to get the 800mm onto the edge of the door before he started to trot towards me.

The light looked lovely thru the viewfinder but the numbers didn't

I cranked the ISO a bit more than I'd intended and to top that the AF was not focusing properly because of the poor light, and I couldn't manually focus as my left hand was clamping the lens foot to the edge of the door - I rattled of a few shots and he bolted thru the hedge at the noise.

D2Xs+Sig 300-800mm
ISO H0.7
1/250th @ f7.1

I've worked quite hard on this to sharpen it up, ordinarily I wouldn't really have bothered, but I'm so short on fox images so thought I'd have a go.

Can't make my mind up - what do you think

As always thanks for looking folks

This must be the one you told me about this morning. I really like it. As you say the light is lovely and well worth keeping IMHO. The right eye looks a little odd though - not a nit just an observation.

Chris.

Andy,

I'd say keep it. I really like this image. Works for me. As Chris said the right eye looks a bit "wonky" but everything else just well works

Adrian

If you don't want it Andy, i will have it

Works for me also!!

Like the framing, although it would probably work as a vert also.

Fine result, and especially so, due to the panic situation!!

Alan

Definately a keeper, look at all that lovely space for text.

T

keep. however depends whether if you think all that processing renders it unuseable as a sale image, but only you can say that viewing it in big. looks fine from here. lovely image.

Daft question
Alert, great composition, and best of all, it's really atmospheric. Great image.

Mark

It looks a very nice image and one that I would love to have in my files.. You say you have worked hard to to sharpen it up, can you explain further? As it stands this is a great image.... I really like it...

I'd say keep it and never doubt again Lovely light on his face. Deffinately an amazing shot.

Edwin Kats

Fantastic image Andy,looks pin sharp to me,great light too........what is iso H0.7 in canon talk

Regards

ill have it if you dont want it!

Yes definately a keeper and a very nice image to.

Phillip.

Beautiful light, good pose and as Tom says - great space for text. Tristan

Looks pretty good to me Andy - I like how the light only catches the head.

I like it, it looks great at this resolution, so i can only hope its sharp at full. Nice shot andy. I love the dappled light and inquisitive look on the face.

A fox with a squint... a rarity, so keep it Would never thought of composing it like this, but fo rme it really works well Andy, regardless of text space. Looks a bit oversharpened on my work monitor, so maybe your hard work was a little too hard, but no one else has mentioned it so it looks like it's just me I know exactly what you mean when you say about nice lighting and the numbers don't match...quite a downer, but this hasn't spoilt the image in the slghtest. I'd have it

A fox, in the clear, with a clear background, and good light falling in its face.... You're asking to whether to keep it!?!? How easy do you think fox photography is? KEEP IT, its a cracker!

Now thats just fantastic - the stippled light is just so atmospheric, just a really great shot

Mark

I would keep it Andy looks just great.
Most of ours round here seem to get shot so count yourself lucky.

Major.

Completely and utterly a keeper - lighting is great and it's a perfect double-page magazine shot in terms of composition (can't comment on graininess etc for obvious reasons).

Good reaction stuff though, and why that old camera and lens should always be beside you!!



Mark

Thanks for the feedback folks as always

It's only fit for the website as the image has had to have too much done to it - looking at the other frames the camera was focusing about a foot in front of the fox - on nothing - and no matter how much I pumped the AF it wasn't going to budge, and as I said, it was impossible for me to manual focus 'cos I'd run out of hands

Elliott - yes I do, that's why I've got so few

G-man: You'd have a squint too if you trotted round a corner and found yourself face to face with little old me

Barrie: 2/3 over 800 so 1200 - ish

PhilH: A combo of up-rezing, over sharpening, big doses of NR, down rezing, blur BG and 4 applications of thin USM to finish - I might just stick it on my website in the tute section when I get round to it - take it from me Phil, it's one hell of a workflow

Anyway, thanks again folks - you know what it's like sometimes - you can't see the wood for the trees

Hello Andy

Great shot and great light.



Danny

Definately a keeper. Love the way the fox is spotlit by the shaft of sunlight.