Furry flutist
This adorable little guy is Munkster, whom I raised on an eyedropper after a friend discovered him in her horse's feed trough when he was a few weeks old. Here...
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This adorable little guy is Munkster, whom I raised on an eyedropper after a friend discovered him in her horse's feed trough when he was a few weeks old. Here he was chewing on a leaf stem, which perfectly lent itself to a musical replacement.
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Feb, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the floor of my travel trailer. In the original image Munkster was chewing on a leaf stem, which perfectly lent itself to a musical replacement.Time
I shot this photo at 8:21 a.m. on 11/30/15 - the day after my birthday - on which I was immensely pleased with the resulting gift to myself!Lighting
I just used the flash on my camera, in addition to the daylight in the room. Since I couldn’t ask Munkster to hold a pose, I rarely got the chance to set up a shot.Equipment
At the time I just had a little P&S Canon Power-Shot SD 100, which had a fixed lens. It was shot at 6mm, f/8, 1/60 second at ISO 80, at floor level with the built-in flash; no tripod.Inspiration
Munkster was so adorable and photogenic, anything he did would have made an irresistible photo, providing I was fast enough to capture it. Photographing him was the highlight of my life. I also enjoyed conceptualizing and creating composites of him, like this one, in PhotoshopEditing
After deciding to replace his leaf stem with a musical instrument, an internet search eventually yielded an image of a beautiful, inlaid curly-myrtle flute; all it required was some reconstructive modification, which consisted of removing (masking) most of its front section except the mouth piece. I then attached the mouth piece to the body, creating a more proportional instrument and placing the finger holes within easy reach of my tiny musician.In my camera bag
Unfortunately I do not presently own a DSLR, though I do have previous photography experience. As of now, I’m still fantasizing (hopefully not in vain) about the arrival of the Canon 7D Mk 3. Since my passions are wildlife & pets, macro (jumping spiders and insects), and landscapes, my lenses will include the Canon 100-400mm f4-5.6L IS USM (for both reach and close MFD) with a 1.4x TC; Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM; a vintage 28mm manual focus lens to reverse to extension tubes &/or bellows; Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. Other accessories: Focusing rail; Canon Speedlite 600 EX-RT with homemade diffuser; tripod that lowers to ground level; remote shutter release. Wish list: Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM, Canon MP-E f/2.8 1-5x Macro, Canon Mt-24 EX Twin Lite for Macro. Update, 9/320: I finally got a DSLR! Since the Canon 7D Mk3 never materialized, I recently purchased the Canon 90D. My lenses include the Canon 100-400mm f/3-5.6L IS USM, Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM, and Canon 100mm f/2.8Macro IS USM. Accessories: Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, and Vello FreeWave Plus Wireless Remote Shutter Release for Canon.Feedback
Since I was lucky enough to have raised this little guy, I was intimately aware of his personality, endearing behavioral traits and mannerisms, play antics, and favorite treats. If you have raised or adopted a wild creature as a pet, or have tamed some furry backyard visitors and wish to capture a similar photo to Munkster’s, I would suggest the following: • Set up your camera ahead of time, so you’ll be ready for that perfect shot. • Shoot from the animal’s eye level, presenting his perspective rather than yours. • Try to capture his personality; e.g., you might try to encourage his playfulness with a favorite toy, or showcase his food-related eccentricities with some favorite treats with which to stuff his pouches or stash in your underwear drawer ( and probably steal a sock while he’s at it), or enjoy on his favorite perch (in my case, on my head). • Try to either fill the frame with the subject, using a shallow DOF, or take a wider angle shot to include some of the background for context. • If you’re interested in compositing and need some guidance, both Jesus Ramirez (https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/) and Aaron Nace (https://phlearn.com/) provide excellent free (in addition to paid) tutorials on both compositing and Photoshop.
