Spit Shine

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

Yesterday was so nice that I sat out in the yard with the long lens to see what came by. No shortage of chipmunks around so when I saw this one up on a branch, I walked to about 20 feet of it and took this. The stick is about 6-7 feet off the ground and sometimes is a hotly contested lookout spot. After chasing off a rival, this one had to spruce up a bit. It has a stumpy tail most likely due to a close call with a predator.

Specific Feedback

Yes, it’s just a chippie, but I liked the eye contact and the paw position. Any thoughts for improvement are welcome. No doubt I will get another swing at one on this perch.

Technical Details

Handheld

Lr for the processing including managing the contrast to give some drama to what was a backlit scene in the shade. I also used a mask to slightly desaturate the tree behind as well as reduce the contrast there. A slight blur mask applied. I used the Enhance function to reduce the noise and added some texture, sharpening, clarity & dehaze. Square crop.


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Chipmunks always have photo worthiness and this one was trying to glam itself up for the shot. The post processing helps pull the chippy from the highly patterned BG…Jim

How totally cool!! A priceless pose, wonderful detail and color and you brought out the light perfectly! I would consider a little more taming of the tree, but not a big deal.

“Just” a chippie my a__. I’m green with jealousy as I rarely see any this side of the Sierra, and the only thing comparable near our property is gophers and ground squirrels. (There is a cute variety of ground squirrel in the Sierra, but ours are not.)