Chipmunk In Hiding
Found this little guy living in a tree stump in my back yard
Found this little guy living in a tree stump in my back yard
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Apr, 2016Views
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Top Shot Award 22
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stephencoppinger
May 10, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
stephencoppinger
May 10, 2016
All he needs is a tin helmet! Nice bokeh and crisp exposure. Very nice.
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Christopher_Lang
May 12, 2016
Thanks so much! I found out when taking this that I have very little patience for wildlife shots haha
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was actually taken in my back yard. I was sitting outside on my patio when I saw this little guy start peeking his head out from time to time. Fortunately I had my camera outside with me so I got set up in a place where I could try to capture the best possible shot without scaring him away. I learned from this that I don't have the patience to do wildlife photography lol.Time
It was mid afternoon. The start of Spring if I remember correctly. I was glad to finally be out of the house without freezing to death from the recent cold of the North Jersey winter. The sun was high in the sky when I started trying to get the perfect shot of this little guy.Lighting
With the sun directly overhead and a canopy of trees above, it was tough to keep the exposure balanced. As the wind would blow the sun would become fully blocked by the trees and all of a sudden I had an under exposed light meter. Any time this guy popped his head up, I would have to quickly shoot, adjust the shutter speed, and shoot again in hoped of getting a clean crisp shot that was properly exposed.Equipment
I shot this with an older Canon Powershot SX10IS.Inspiration
I was sitting outside enjoying the recently warming weather of early Spring and listening to the sound of nature coming back to life when this little guy just appeared. Anytime I just relax outside I always tend to keep a camera near me. You never know when you're going to be inspired to shoot. I typically shoot objects or nature scenes and wanted to expand on my portfolio a bit and challenge myself with new types of photography. Once I saw this little guy poking his head out of his home, I knew I had to get a shot of him. Being a skittish little creature, this was no easy task and took way more patience than I was prepared for. My tripod was also inside so I had to get as close as possible without scaring him away to get a clear exposure.Editing
I don't do much post processing. I use Adobe Photoshop CC and I primarily use the Camera Raw Filter to adjust my levels, white balance, and exposure. Then I'll use the unsharp mask to bring a nice crisp look to the shot and bring out the small details. I don't like to over work my photos because to me, an over processed photo becomes more of a graphics design project than a photography project.In my camera bag
Since this shot was taken I've upgraded my equipment. As I mentioned before, this shot was taken on an older Canon. I now use a Nikon D3300, and clearly that's the very first thing I make sure is always in my bag. The other equipment is pretty useless without it. I also keep a few different lenses. My favorite lens to shoot with is my Nikon DX 55-200mm lens. I like to be able to get a clear, close up shot without having to be too close to my subject. I also keep a standard Nikon DX 18-55mm lens. In addition to the lenses I have a UV filter for each lens that I use when shooting in bright sunlight, a Macro lens attachment, and a wide angle lens attachment. To finish up my camera bag, I have a slave flash and also a remote shutter button with a timer that I use when shooting long exposure shots. Also extra batteries and memory cards. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a shoot and having your battery die or run out of storage and having to end your shoot early.Feedback
Patience, patience, and more patience. Also, a good zoom lens is key. Animals don't tend to pose for pictures, and generally scare pretty easily so the closer you have to get, the more chance that your subject is going to run away. They also don't care that you're trying to take their picture. In order to get that one perfect shot, you're going to have to take a ton of different shots first before you get that perfect one. I can distinctly remember mentally yelling at this chipmunk to please just sit still for 5 seconds and to not go back into hiding every time I shifted my body even the slightest bit.
