Fragrance of Spring
A very rare and wild living European ground squirrel seems to enjoy nosing some blossoms.
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A very rare and wild living European ground squirrel seems to enjoy nosing some blossoms.
>>Look for more on http:--facebook.com-fotomat
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>>Look for more on http:--facebook.com-fotomat
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Apr, 2016Views
4928
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Spring Photo Contest 2018
Winner in Squirrels Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Vol 22 Photo Contest
Winner in Favorite Wildlife Shots Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
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adavies
May 05, 2016
Love it! Great capture! Awesome edit! If you haven't done so already, please consider joining my Animal Antics challenge:)
viewbug.com/challenge/animal-antics-epic-or-fail-photo-challenge-by-adavies
viewbug.com/challenge/animal-antics-epic-or-fail-photo-challenge-by-adavies
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HenrikSpranz
May 05, 2016
Thank you and glad you like it - though there's not much edit in there :).
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AWAAphotos
May 22, 2016
Congratulations on your win! I really liked this photo. The squirrel looks so content smelling the flowers. Well done and thank you for entering.
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Jillybean56
June 16, 2016
An amazing shot. What a zen-looking little guy compated to most squirrels!
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Bobwhite
August 04, 2016
Wow this looks like this has just jumped out of a Beatrice Potter book just majical.
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Platinum
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shellymaan
February 24, 2020
I am in awe, this photo has captured the absolute joy of this lovely creature, it's so beautiful....
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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 it seems that the ground squirrel is nosing the blossoms.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 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 filterFeedback
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.
