Beech or stone marten (martes foina).

[Jaap L]

This is my first time posting for critique, hoping that I can learn from all of your experiences. I took this capture of a stone marten during a night shoot in a photohut, owned by a wildlife photographer in my neighborhood. I have my own opinions on this shot and its post procesing (in Photoshop Elements 2020) but could use some more experienced eyes. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Nikon D7200, Tamrom 150-600 mm G2, 1/250, f/5.6, ISO 5000, fl 280mm.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Charles Loy]

lighted well. Actually looks like a photo in a museum type setting of a mounted animal. Hell of a shot here.

 

[DRwyoming]

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Very cool wildlife subject and nice job with the night shoot which isn't the easiest thing.

The composition and pose are nice as is the open mouth and bit of snarl. Nice capture.

From a post processing standpoint I'd probably clone out that bit of white wash on the log in front of it's face. I might also try a bit of subtle burning down of the somewhat bright background branch that aligns with the marten's mouth as that sucks contrast and pop from the image. The only other thing I see on this web sized image is that it might be a tad soft around the eye and maybe a bit of selective sharpening or some careful contrast enhancement in that area might help a bit.

All in all, a very cool moment you captured there and nice job.

 

[Jaap L]

lighted well. Actually looks like a photo in a museum type setting of a mounted animal. Hell of a shot here.

Thanks Charles! Your thought of a museum type setting is most likely caused by the unnatural conditions of this night shoot: special arrangement or lamps, trees (branches) and the use of food such as dog food, eggs and other spreads to lure these animals to the photo hut. However, the most appealing thing to me in this photo is the facial expression which was more predatory than my other shots where he / she made more of a cute and surprised impression on me. For me as a beginner to taking night photos of animals it was a very educational activity despite the unnatural conditions.

 

[Charles Loy]

Thanks Charles! Your thought of a museum type setting is most likely caused by the unnatural conditions of this night shoot: special arrangement or lamps, trees (branches) and the use of food such as dog food, eggs and other spreads to lure these animals to the photo hut. However, the most appealing thing to me in this photo is the facial expression which was more predatory than my other shots where he / she made more of a cute and surprised impression on me. For me as a beginner to taking night photos of animals it was a very educational activity despite the unnatural conditions.

All that is great preparation. But the animal standing on the lag is what caused my comment. Be aware, it was nothing more then a comment and not an accusation. Very nice photo after a lot of preparation.

 

[Jaap L]

Very cool wildlife subject and nice job with the night shoot which isn't the easiest thing.

The composition and pose are nice as is the open mouth and bit of snarl. Nice capture.

From a post processing standpoint I'd probably clone out that bit of white wash on the log in front of it's face. I might also try a bit of subtle burning down of the somewhat bright background branch that aligns with the marten's mouth as that sucks contrast and pop from the image. The only other thing I see on this web sized image is that it might be a tad soft around the eye and maybe a bit of selective sharpening or some careful contrast enhancement in that area might help a bit.

All in all, a very cool moment you captured there and nice job.

Thank you very much David for your nice comments and suggestions for improvement in the post-processing. Most of it I have thought of it, but since I am still starting to learn the ins and outs of using postprocessing techniques I was hesitant to try. This will help me practise more. The white wash or bird **** on the log is indeed distracting but more of a natural fact of life. The burning down of the bright background branch between the tree and the marten's mouth will indeed have a more positive effect of improving the story of this picture. The same with the enhancement around the eye. Thanks!

 

[Jaap L]

All that is great preparation. But the animal standing on the lag is what caused my comment. Be aware, it was nothing more then a comment and not an accusation. Very nice photo after a lot of preparation.

No offense taken, Charles. And all the preparation was done by the owner of the photo hut.

 

[Bardot]

To me it looks like what it is, a setup hide photo. None the less that is a lovely animal to get a photo of under any circumstances . I agree with the previous comment about the bird dropping distracting a bit and drawing your eye away from the martin.

 

[Jaap L]

To me it looks like what it is, a setup hide photo. None the less that is a lovely animal to get a photo of under any circumstances . I agree with the previous comment about the bird dropping distracting a bit and drawing your eye away from the martin.

Thank you mr. Bardot!

 

[Jaap L]

I've made some adjustments based on your comments and my own thoughts and it's looking for me a lot better. Let me know what you think.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

 

[Gongster]

I like the second one more. The marten pops out now.