squirrelly little buggar

Osmer_Toby · May 5, 2004

this little guy was raiding our garbage for leftovers when i first tried to get his portrait. he was a little nervous at first, made me chase him across one yard and up a tree. then he settled in and posed for me.

what can i do to bring him out more? i'm thinkin burn the sky/background, but he is already so dark....

terri · May 5, 2004

Oh, he's cute - great shot, with lots of good detail. I can't give yo PS advice, I speak limited PS....but really, he just needs to be lightened somehow, the detail is already there.

drlynn · May 5, 2004

Did you try a contrast mask? I think that technique does a very good job at balancing photos while still bringing out subtle contrasts.

canonrebel · May 5, 2004

what can i do to bring him out more?

Simple...
PhotoShop

Option 1
1. Dupe the original layer
2. From the drop-down dialog box in the layer's palette, select SCREEN.

Option 2
1. Click "Create new fill or adjustment layer" icon in the layer's palette
2. Select LEVELS from the drop-down- dialog box.
3. Slide the slider at the right margin toward the center.

There are many more options to accomplish your goal and nearly all of them offer more finesse and precision than the two down-and-dirty solutions above.

The edited version in this post was accomplished with Option 1
[/quote]

Tammy · May 5, 2004

Much better!

What I love about this shot is the front on view - I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to look at a squirrel dead on before, when I see them they are either darting around a tree, between my tires, or lying on their backs - what interesting faces they have.

terri · May 6, 2004

There you go!

Now you can see all that great detail.

I agree with Tammy - what's good about this shot is getting this head-on view. Nice work!!

Osmer_Toby · May 6, 2004

canonrebel- man, that is fantastic. exactly what i was looking for. thank you!

i agree with Tammy - what's good about this shot is getting this head-on view. Nice work!!

what interesting faces they have

thank you

it is kinda cool to see some of the detail you don't usually get to see with these guys. check out his ears- you can tell he's been in a few battles from the notches in his lobes!

terri · May 6, 2004

Exactly - that's part of the detail that I was talking about. Plus, I like seeing the feathery bit of fur on the right side of him, AND I like that one long whisker that is glinting a bit in the sun. I say again: excellent detail. You can be proud of this one.

drdan · May 6, 2004

Where are you located and do you know what kind of squirrel that is? It either has very odd shaped ears or has been in numerous fights.

canonrebel · May 6, 2004

drdan said:
Where are you located and do you know what kind of squirrel that is? It either has very odd shaped ears or has been in numerous fights.

This variety of squirrel is commonly called "Fox Squirrel". The Fox squirrel is about 20-25 percent larger than the other varieties which include the grey squirrel, red squirrel, black squirrel, and ground squirrel (sometimes referred to as a chipmunk). Nothern Ohio has all 5 varieties, but the fox squirrel is the most prevalent -- by a margin of perhaps as large as 75-to-1.

In the photo, the squirrel's torn ears are a result of fighting and/or mating.

Osmer_Toby · May 6, 2004

In the photo, the squirrel's torn ears are a result of fighting and/or mating.

his wife musta been talkin to mine....

terri · May 6, 2004

I didn't know squirrels liked it rough.... :shock:

Osmer_Toby · May 6, 2004

:lmao:

drdan · May 6, 2004

I thought it might be a fox squirrel but the odd angle made me unsure. I believe I have seen some european squirrels with different shaped ears as well.

I actually have done some research on fox squirrels recently as there is very wide variation in size and coloration. There is a subspecies in the coastal plain of SC, GA and north FL that is approximately twice the size of the fox squirrels here in Colorado and have widely varying patterns of black, white, orange and grey. The first two pics below are from SC and FL. The last pic is a more typical fox squirrel size and appearance.

Osmer_Toby · May 6, 2004

some cool shots, doc! that first guy is really exotic looking compared to what he have here- here being connecticut. we have chipmunks and the fox(?) squirrel, and that's about it, as far as i know.