~ Evening Light ~
A wild living European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in a wonderful evening light. Look for more on https:--facebook.com-fotomat...
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A wild living European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in a wonderful evening light. Look for more on https:--facebook.com-fotomat
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Oct, 2017Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Everything Bokeh Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 12
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
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Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Vienna in Austria where you can still wild living European hamsters - many more than you can still find on the countryside.Time
European hamsters are active at night and the best time to take photographs of them is in the very late afternoon or in the evening. Here the light was already fading which transformed the background light through the trees into a magic bokeh.Lighting
With light getting less and less in the evening you need to choose a background where some of the light gets still caught like bushes with light green leaves. You can't expect the hamster to get in the perfect place but you can try to raise your chances to get a well balanced exposure.Equipment
This shot was taken with a Canon 5d Mk iii, and a Canon 400/2.8 L IS and a bean bag.Inspiration
European hamsters are one of my favorite subjects - along with the European ground squirrels. To even get a hamster in a standing pose needs a lot of patience - and if I say a lot I mean that. Getting such a nice scene needs some luck and patience but if you get the shot it's worth the efforts of being their so many hours.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, sometimes some dodge&burn techniques, probably do some minor adjustments like sharpening or increasing saturation but I avoid retouching my photos and they are *no* composites or somehow put together.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 s
