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Raccoon Hunting Crayfish

Chance encounter during a late evening walkabout.​



original.jpg

© 2010 Winston Mitchell
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Chance encounter during a late evening walkabout.

original.jpg



© 2010 Winston Mitchell: Racoon Hunting Crayfish

1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250

Winston,

How magnificent, clean and clear! Almost as if you had a handler set up a studio shot! Is this moonlight or flash too? How did it give itself away? How conscience stricken would you be to even consider cloning away that extra twig?

Asher
 
Last edited:
Asher, it was hand-held, no flash.
The twig is why he's posed like that. I don't think he looks right without it. Besides, it's a real chore to remove it with Lightroom's spot removal tool ;-)


original.jpg

©2010 Winston Mitchell: Twigless Racoon Hunting Crayfish
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Asher, it was hand-held, no flash.
The twig is why he's posed like that. I don't think he looks right without it. Besides, it's a real chore to remove it with Lightroom's spot removal tool ;-)


original.jpg

©2010 Winston Mitchell: Twigless Racoon Hunting Crayfish
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​


Actually, Winston, this version is just about perfect. There's enough twig to get him to that position yet he's handsomely clean! Bravo! I guess it was moonlight? But how did you know he was there?

Asher
 
Nice! Quite sharp and clean, especially considering the conditions. If it were mine, I'd probably remove the twig, as you've done in your re-post.
 
Asher, Don,​

Having slept on it, the twig is gone. Thanks for the push. Also, I removed a couple of annoying hot spots and replaced a bit of ear lost in the twig removal.

No moon light; just clear, evening, north sky.​

Anything else? I would really like to get this one right. Other than the janitorial work, processing has been minimal: white point, black point, some gamma increase, white balance tweak, and a little vignetting to darken the edges a tad.​

I have just learned how to properly spell "raccoon"...sigh.​



original.jpg

©2010 Winston Mitchell: Raccoon hunting Crayfish
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​
 
I have just learned how to properly spell "raccoon"...sigh.​

Hi Winston,

I believe both spellings are used, although the double c spelling seems more common. I've adjusted your original title for posterity.

You did catch the coon in an interesting pose, and the focus seems perfectly placed, despite the circumstances. Well done.

Cheers,
Bart
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Winston,

You said this was a chance encounter, but you still haven't shared how you knew the critter was there in the first place! Where you stealthy and looking for wild life. Was it the brightness of the moon?

IOW, how come you were so fortunate? Was this totally chance and the raccoon was noisy?

Asher
 
Asher,

Once again...No moon light; just clear, evening, north sky. Look at the EXIF...lot's more light than moonlight. The exposure was made at 7:57 PM, 32 minutes before sunset.

I am always looking for wildlife. All encounters are by chance. I was on a bridge that crosses a pond near the river. The raccoon was scratching around the shore looking for crayfish. There was probably a dozen people there watching it.

Raccoons live here. They use the storm drains to travel around town so they don't have to contend with traffic. They spy on me through my office window on the way up to the roof so they can spy some more through the sky-light. They like to mate up there...it takes them hours...must be nice ;-)

My cat runs the local fox off so he can have the snakes.

The deer eat my tulips and trim the arbor vitae for me.

In the summer I use a window fan to pull cool air through the house (log) at night. This is how I know when the skunks are around.

I live 1.3 miles from the State House. This is Idaho.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
A reminder of the need to go out and hunt! The same for us! This is what we have to do as photographers!

Asher

A reminder to newer members of the richness of our archives.


original.jpg

© 2010 Winston Mitchell
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​


This is one of my favorites!


Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Asher,

You said you preferred the version without the twig!

Winston

I do! But I like them both.


original.jpg

© 2010 Winston Mitchell
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​


The original has some special magic and provides a barrier for the raccoon to pass. It is enjoyable as a photograph and I am pleased to have seen it. The nature of the circumstances of the shot is revealed here, just like a shot in my studio where one might see tape on the floor or the edge of a reflector. All we can do is sample nature. But to present it, that is he beginning of a lot more thought. Ansel Adams spent months to years getting the best out of his hard-won pictures of nature. One brings home an admirable treasure. However it is still just a potential exhibition print that could when processed optimally, be etched into the records of human culture and history.



original.jpg

©2010 Winston Mitchell: Twigless Racoon Hunting Crayfish
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​



But for exhibition this is perfection, an example of finding a diamond in the rough and taking pains to present it with the best cuts.

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Asher, Winston,


original.jpg

©2010 Winston Mitchell: Twigless Racoon Hunting Crayfish
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​

Winston: A wondrous shot (both versions), in so many ways.

But for exhibition this is perfection, an example of finding a diamond in the rough and taking pains to present it with the best cuts.

Asher: I understand, and agree.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Peter Dexter

Well-known member
What fun! (Though I wasn't sure if the title referred to a raccoon hunting crayfish or a crayfish that hunts raccoons.)
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Still this picture is one I will always admire and come back to!


original.jpg

© 2010 Winston Mitchell
1/50s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso1250​


Great work!

Asher
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
This is really cute shot Winston.

I was curious how good a job the Inpainting Tool that is part of Affinity Photo on my iPad would do in taking out the debree. The stick was just a few seconds. I didn't spend a lot of time on the clump on the side - and of course was limited by the small web version, but it probably is doable with a little more time on the original file. Of course there is nothing wring with the way you have takent either. I just like playing the odd time.

I won't display the result here being it isn't my image to store.


I noticed the shutter speed of 1/50'th with a focal length of 400mm. That is pretty brave and probably why he isn't quite as sharp as he could have been. But nice job considering those settings.
 
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