"Whistle Pig"

Even though the subject is facing the edge of the frame instead of into the frame, the composition still works due to the diagonal of the boddy and the shapes of the FG rocks. The colors are pleasing too as is the bokeh. The strong light is well handled.

Hi Mark,

These guys are sure abundant in that area - every time I'm in the Okanagan I see lots of them. And, that's the first place I heard them referred to as "Whistle Pigs" (and it's quite the appropriate nickname!).

I like the colour here (especially that in the background) and your subject seems quite sharp (and certainly is isolated nicely from the background). While I do like the diagonal flow, I'm thinking the composition doesn't work too well for me. While I don't know what's outside the frame on the right (and thus if composing differently was even possible), my gut says a shift of the camera to the right would have removed that out-of-focus rock (which I think detracts from the image) and given the marmot a little more room to look into.

Cheers...thanks for sharing this...

Brad

Tack sharp image, and the bg is one to die for, but, as Brad says, the oof large rock in the left is distracting.