And a RP (described below) per @Donna_Callais suggestion to darken the brightest areas along the side:
This was a minute after the first shot I posted yesterday, and processed a little cleaner, although not the most ideal pose. None of the shots were sharp – should have at least raised the ISO to get a better ss. (f/13 is wide open at 800mm.)
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
The only thing I did in raw was a slight move of the Shadows slider to the right. Slight crop top, bottom and left, to 82% of the full frame. In PS, Topaz Denoise then Topaz Sharpen, with a lot of comparison of the different methods. Masked out some oversharpened areas at 50% to reveal the denoise layer below. Did some cleanup of small sticks of vegetation.
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I like both of your coyote images. Maybe the other one is a little better posed. I don’t understand why animals and birds just don’t want to cooperate with us humans. 
I like the soft colors in the background and they blend well with the coyote. Have you tried to add a little more contrast to the coyote to have him stand out more? I think your other shot had more contrast on his/her body. Maybe that would help the L side of him/her to bring out the fur or maybe not being as sharp would bring that out more. I do like the soft colors too.
I sometimes use Topaz Studio 2 to bring out fur, feathers and water. It has 2 Looks I use named a “touch of dramatic” and “furs & feathers”. I thought it would be fun to give Topaz Studio a try on your coyote. I left the opacity a little high so you could see what this Look does and I didn’t do any masking out on the background or coyote, but that can be done in Topaz or PS.
Thanks @Donna_Callais! It’s my karma that the better IQ is for the less desirable pose. I do like your correction – I have that software but have rarely used it – will give it a try!
Well, @Donna_Callais, I thought I had Topaz Studio but don’t find it – wiped out in too many OS upgrades?? But I used my "classic"method of painting a quick mask with a soft brush and using it to make a masked Curves and darkening the darks. Did a little modification of the mask with brushes after the Curves was done and got what I think is a good “burn” in the brightest area. Posted above for comparison to the OP.
That turned out nice, Diane. It added enough burn to give that area a little more texture. The pose of this coyote is cute with that one leg up.
Dang, I missed these! Love this capture - the pose of the coyote is wonderful - simply waiting patiently to pounce on some unsuspecting field mouse.
Driving slow, pulling over frequently with our eyes scanning… really made for a great viewing experience. You were well rewarded!
