Boar in Environment (Sus scrofa)

Just returned from a short family holiday in France. Managed to squeeze one day out to meet up with a generous French photographer who knew where these wild boars were.

Only managed to get a few shots as these guys were so very alert. The dry leaves on the forest floor made it very difficult to stalk. But I had great fun just watching them waddle and play in small mud pools scattered around this very dense forest from a distant.

We also saw a few deer. The light was difficult but there were some openings where the light streamed through.

Slightly larger version HERE.

Thanks for looking.

Des

500mm f5 1/400th iso200 monopod

Des, I really like the enviroment here and the depth of the image thanks to varying levels of oof tree's in the background. I do find the tree to the right of frame a little distracting though as it's so oof and just doesn't fit as well for me. Have you tried cropping down to remove that tree to see what the image looks like then?

I would suggest cropping off the tree trunk on the right, it adds nothing and in my opinion, it detracts from an otherwise excellent shot, also by cropping out the tree trunk you are increasing the emphasis on the boar, without detracting anything from showing the habitat.

An excellent capture, a moment to savour. Well seen and taken.

OK, tree chopped! I have left the larger version untouched for comparison.

Lovely shot, much better with tree chopped I feel. I really like all the lines of the trees in the background, really gives a sense of habitat whilst you still have the boar in full view.

Nice work!

very nice Des and I also much prefer the cropped version.

Matt

Very nice

I also prefer this without the Oof tree, but it struck me how much difference removing it made to the feel of the shot. With it left in, the viewer felt in the wood with the boar and with it left out it feels more like the viewer is looking into the wood from outside.
Nice one all round Des.
Eric

I like the photo and i know how hard these are to capture-1 week in germany and nothing i heard them but they are very shy, and dangerous at close range too!! nice photo des

All The Best
CraigJones
Staffordshire

Well done! And a fantastic background as well. Bet you're pleased with this as I know how shy they can be. She is very orange by the way, maybe the way the sun hits her, but they are usually dark copper coloured. Have you made the shadows a bit too bright?

Edit: Just had another look. I think it looks a lot more natural if you clip the blacks (in levels) to about 19, and move the midtone slider to 0.84. Just my preference.

Agree with the other comments about the tree but its a really good shot either way. To catch the boar in the middle of the leaves in nice light against such a backdrop is fab