On Otter Rock

Image Critiques Wildlife Critiques
1

On-Otter-Rock-1
On-Otter-Rock-12000×1125 922 KB

On-Otter-Rock-2
On-Otter-Rock-21500×1001 488 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Yesterday evening I came across two otter cubs fishing in the river. One cub swallowed its fish while swimming, the other kept one for a long time before chewing it up. They swam to a submerged rock where they were joined by their mother. Then they put on a great show of clowning like only otters can. In the first shot, the recumbent mother and one cub are playing a game of “If I put my paw in your mouth, you mustn’t bite me”, while the other cub is toying with its supper. After a few minutes of hijinks together on the small rock, they went through a bit of bonding (mother on the right in shot 2). Then, as the light faded, they dispersed and headed for their holt in the bank just below me.

Specific Feedback

I wish I’d been closer (I was about 50 yards away), but then they might have spotted me. With the light starting to fade, this was as sharp as I could get, hand-held.

Technical Details

D500 + 150-600mm 1/640 (1) and 1/500 (2) f10 ISO 2000

Major cropping - tonalities in LR, Denoise, then local adjustments in PS, incl. Nik Viveza.

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2

Fun capture! I particularly like the 2nd one.

4

Thanks @elizabeth and @Sandy_Richards-Brown. I agree, Sandy, otters can be really aggressive. I once saw one attack a cormorant. They were both going for the same fish underwater, I think. The upshot was the demise of said cormorant. I’ll certainly darken the water in both images; though I rather like the classical pose in the center in the second shot, so may retain that. Glad you like these shots - I rarely get to see fairly close activity like this, so was enchanted by it.

5

@Sandy_Richards-Brown - I finally got round to darkening the water. Both shots clearly benefitted, so many thanks!