Squirrel in Snow

Gallery: WildlifePosted September 29, 2010117 views8 comments

Taken from the hide out in my yard.

Some people see these as vermin but I reckon they're beautiful creatures, ok, they damage my feeders etc and on one occasion even stole a full peanut feeder, I found it under some trees by following a trail of peanuts, needless to say it had been totally emptied

but that's a small price to pay.

I was taking some shots of birds in the snow when suddenly, this Grey Squirrel appeared from nowhere and started to eat the bird food.

I was only about 8 or 9 feet away with my lens poking through some camo netting, it knew I was there and it looked at me a few times as I took a few photos.
I got 11 single shots before it decided to leave.

I like the snow on it's tail in this photo

Sony A350
Sigma 50-500 EX
1/200th second
f7.1
ISO 400
140mm
+0.3 stop exposure compensation
Centre-weighted metering
Tripod
Just a slight crop off the left hand side

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by David Bostedo on September 29, 2010 at 8:37 PM

Cool shot Geoffrey. No technical issues - I like the snowy BG. The image seems right side heavy given the squirrel placement and tree. But I think the squirrel placement is as good as it can be. Nice shot.

Registered on May 5, 2006, 178 Posts, 2224 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on September 29, 2010 at 9:38 PM

The detail of the snow crystals make this a special piece as does the quality of the reflective eye. Good work.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 30, 2010 at 9:48 AM

Geoffrey, in my mind, there is nothig wrong with squirrels and I find them quite fascinating little critters. Now...if you are gonig to take photos of these guys, since they are pretty common where I come from, I think you just need to do something interesting with the shot. I think you have certainly accomplished this! I love the comp with the tree on the right as an anchor and the snow flakes with the off-white BG they create are fantastic. I also really like the pose and how his tail is curled. Nice work!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on September 30, 2010 at 9:02 PM

This is nice photo and there's nothing wrong with an adaptable animal trying to survive. Only very minor thing for me on this one is that I want to see complete branch across the bottom (filling in the open space under his butt).

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 1, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Like it alot. I find this an interesting color on the squirrel. The grey squirrels I have seen do not have the red/brown on the head. Thanks for posting.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on October 1, 2010 at 2:09 PM

Squirrels vermin!? They sure don't do as much damage as humans!

I like this a lot Geoff, especially the way it is leaning against that tree! The techs, sharpness, selective focus, exposure all look great. I only would have like to see a tiny bit more space at the bottom.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on October 2, 2010 at 3:17 PM

I love this image. I love how his tail is against the tree, the detail in the fur, the snow, the feeling of cold (though I am not looking forward to any snow here yet). Beautiful image of a not uncommon animal.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on October 3, 2010 at 2:43 PM

Interesting squirrel picture. I like the comp and details on this and the snow on the tail is a great touch, well seen and well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments