Hare portrait + repost

I visited Elmley yesterday to give a field test to the 300mm lens I had just bought. I started on the way back from the car park and found this hare feeding in a small area of uncropped grass. After an hour it finally came out of areas where it was hidden, after it was spooked by a second hare.

It ran towards me, and this was the closest point at which I could take a picture. As it was too close for a full body I have cropped a landscape shot to portrait. Hope you like it.

After these shots were taken it crossed the dyke and came and fed within a couple of feet of my car. I didn't have a lens of low enough magnification to take any more shots! The couple in the next car, Phil and Fran, did get some though. I have always thought of hares as wary. I'll take the wide angle next time.

A great afternoon spending time so close to this creature.

Nikon D200, 300mm f2.8 Nikon, 1/250th @ f5.6, 320 iso

Excellent portrait. Great focus on the eye, the BG in focus enough to give a hint of its environment, IMO.

Great story, pic is a bit big in frame but can fully understand why.

Great detail and lovely eye. Minor nits would be the OOF grasses growing out of his head and blown highlights on the back of the head but perfection is hard/difficult to achieve. I would be delighted to have had a hare come that close to me.

Lovely portrait,really like the lighting,great detail

Nice shot david ,i hope they will become a bit less spooky over the next month or so !!

simon

A very nice detailed portrait David

NIts mentioned.

Lovely close up . Nits covered .

very nice David, was there myself yesterday, though only briefly, had a similar experience to you re. proximity, lighting is particularly nice on this shot

A nice close up the grasses i find a little distracting though

Nicely taken opportunity David.
As I can't get anywhere near the ones on my patch it is useful to know that these animals are obliging elsewhere.

Cheers,
Chris

Great Hare David, been said about the grasses behind it but a great encounter

Paul

Indeed a close encounter, nits already covered, Fran got the shots... I would have had to shoot through the windscreen....

Speak soon

Thanks for your comments. I initially resisted cloning out the bits of grass as being indicative of the habitat, but I must admit it is a better shot for doing so. I had strong sunlight almost behind the animal when the shot was taken, and there is nothing I can do about the blown area on the back of the neck.

Guess I'll just have to try again

David

Very good portrait.
JohnR

I think the edit is much better it still shows its habitat without any distraction

The repost is indeed much better. Very nice and detailed portrait.

Thats Cheating David go with the first one

Its much better than having to mess about with all that stuff

Danny

A fabulous portrait shot David

Very nice portrait, second one is my choice as well.
Rene de Heer

Hi David , a very nice portrait.