Woodchuck Hiding

[JOZBUG]

Taken in the field behind my house. I've been trying to get a photo of this little critter comming out of his hole for a few days now. This hasnt been cropped or enhanced in anyway. Straight out of camera. What would be the best way to improve on it?
Taken with Nikon D90.... shutter speed 1/125... ISO 1250.... f5.00....
focal length 165mm... no flash

[Laurenbiz]

What a cutie! His teeth are so funny.

What I personally would do with this picture is enhance your lights and darks just a tad - but not to overdo this and make the photo look overprocessed. I suggest using Curves in Photoshop to very slightly make the image not appear so 'flat.' Also, I would use Selective Color in Photoshop to increase the saturation of the green grass around him to, again, make the colors not look so flat. This image looks like it was taken on a cloudy day, and I just feel like nothing here really 'pops' with color.

I would try to position myself and/or the camera a little higher so that the big blades of grass are not so prevalent in the foreground of the picture. Or maybe just trim those back to take the picture from this same angle again.

Why did you have your ISO so high, may I ask?

[LoveDSLR]

Don't know much about Woodchuck. I'm just playing around with your image.

[JOZBUG]

Yes Lauren this was taken on a cloudy day. I actually took this photo in Auto mode after unsuccessfully trying to capture it in manual and then aperture priority. For some reason auto gave me quite a high ISO, not sure why. I was about 4 to 5 feet away and got a little nervous about getting to close. Although most likely he or she is probably more afraid of me then I am of her. These little critters can be quite vicious if they feel threatened or are protecting their brood.
DSLR: I think this may be what Lauren is talking about. I can see how the color makes it look not so flat and it seems to me to make the eyes pop.
Thanks for the feedback... I'm off to try this again as it is about the time of day for her to pop outta her hole.

[kirbinster]

Auto will only give you high ISO if you have "Auto ISO" turned on.

[JOZBUG]

ah ha Thanks Kirbinster. Still learning this camera. Now it makes sense. Just when I think I've got it all down, I find something new. I try not to take much in auto, unless I'm experimenting on the same subject with different modes. Thank you so much

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by JOZBUG

DSLR: I think this may be what Lauren is talking about. I can see how the color makes it look not so flat and it seems to me to make the eyes pop.
.

Take care of the White Balance, Exposure and sharpness first. This is before I pp the greenery.