For all the Ziesel addicts here another photo of the European ground squirrels. Even they can fail, but the happy end is near - at least for this wild living Zi...
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For all the Ziesel addicts here another photo of the European ground squirrels. Even they can fail, but the happy end is near - at least for this wild living Ziesel - not for the rose hip. So don't worry if some things go wrong - just don't give up! :)
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 4
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
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mioaraandritoiu
December 26, 2015
Congratulations on being a finalist in Photographer of the month contest, Henrik !
The colors in this shot are so calming... It's a little guy, a simple action but the way you focused the camera give such a complexity and detail to the image. I absolutely love it !
The colors in this shot are so calming... It's a little guy, a simple action but the way you focused the camera give such a complexity and detail to the image. I absolutely love it !
oliveralexanderrees
January 15, 2016
So lucky to get this shot! Must have taken a lot of patience! Love it :)
HenrikSpranz
January 22, 2016
I was there for many more than 100 hours last year to get some nice shots - so a little patience is needed :). Thank you!
Dave_B
June 23, 2016
love this one it looks as if the little fella is giving you the plant for taking his photo.
LucyLoo
July 23, 2016
This is the most superb image, utterly enchanting. I really do marvel at your most amazing work and thoroughly enjoy all your most beautiful images. BRILLIANT :-)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken on a meadow near Vienna where these cute little fellows live. I'm an amateur nature photographer, but I'm passionate and try to roam nature every weekend.Time
As the European ground squirrels (Spermophilus) don't get up that early I visit them after macro shooting at sunrise at about 8am to still have usable light.Lighting
Hard light wouldn't get you a good photo here - so morning light or a clouded sky can help a lot so you can still control your exposure and get all the details of the fur, a nice reflection in the eye and a soft overall impactEquipment
This shot was taken with a Canon 5d Mk iii, and old Canon 400/2.8 L USM ii and a bean bag.Inspiration
First of all I really love this members of an endangered species and I try to help them as well, because their habitats sometimes are still in danger and their numbers get less. So I use these pictures as well to get exposure for them and their situation and motivate people to sign petitions to help them. It's a pleasure to watch them and it's very easy to see human like mimics in their faces and they always put a smile on their face. The best shots are when they are interacting with something from their habitat and with a lot of luck you can get a shot like this where one of these usually very nimble guys fumbles and lets the rose hip fall down.Editing
I always do some base processing in Lightroom as I always shoot in RAW format. I adjust the white balance there, equalize the histogram a little, do lens corrections and crop the photo. Exported to Photoshop I use the tonal correction, some dodge&burn techniques, probably do some minor adjustments with Nik Color Efex too like Color Contrast and I use NeatImage for noise reduction and sharpening. I skip the Color Efex part if the photo is meant to be put into an international nature photo competition, because it's not allowed there.In my camera bag
Canon 5d Mkiii, Canon 16-35/4 L IS, Canon 50/1.4, Canon 135/2 L, Canon 180/3.5 L macro, Canon 400/2.8 L IS USM, bean bag, Sirui and Berlebach tripods, reflectors and diffusors, gradient filters, polarization filter.Feedback
In nature photography - especially when doing wild life shots - you need patience, but you need to be on guard to use situations like this for a photo. Practice using your tele lenses in fast action situations. Doing a lot of water ski slalom photos in the past helped a lot to take this photo and don't miss the opportunity. Practicing helps to improve your technical skills, but it's good to also reflect your work frequently. There's always room for improvement and watching other photographers' work helps a lot too - not to copy their work, but to ask yourself what you like in their images and find a way to achieve that or something similar.