Any. My crop on this is intentional to leave space around the ermine running in the snow with his meal.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
This was a really fun shoot. We spotted this ermine a day earlier close by this location in Yellowstone and decided to go back the next day and wait it out. Our wait was rewarded with this ermine (and another) running through the snow, diving into the snow, and bringing up their meals. They would then run to bury the food for later consumption. So cool. Very tough to follow and keep focus locked on the white subject in the snow but worth the effort.
This is about 25% of the original frame. Even with a long lens the ermine was still distant.
Canon 7D Mark II, 500mm f/4 with 1.4x TC
1/1600 @ f/5.6, ISO 1600
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Oh, Keith, this is spectacular. Love that you caught him in the run with his dinner. I can imagine trying to focus lock on a moving white subject in snow, that had to be a challenge. You did a great job. Love that you caught his front feet up in the air, showing the motion nicely.
I just love this B&W frame in color, one really needs to be technically excellent to pull off an image like this and you have been very successful here ! I also liked the hint of yellow in the tail.
Oh, this is a beauty! This is the kind of nature/animal photo I find appealing. It is both aesthetically pleasing and shows a natural activity in a compelling way.
Keith, I like the crop choice. I’m not sure it’s a popular one (the tendency for most is to leave more room above or center the subject), but I think it works well and helps emphasize the stark nature of the environment.
