The Stare

Does it bother you that the ridges go through his head???

Very well done image. Beautiful.

... It kinda makes it all work! Focuses totally on the critter. Good shot!

 

 

Cheers

 

:-) Not until you mentioned it! But, this picture is well worth a little fudging on the right slope with PS to bring it either above or below the fox's head.

It does not bother me at all. It leads your eye precisely where you want them. Great shot.

For God's sakes, Man, don't change this one jot! This is a terrific wildlife photograph! How the heck did you manage to find this beautiful fox sitting like that. Wonderful image. This is a keeper! Great work! Cheers! Chris

Jim...

I concede and admit my error in judgement... Chris is absolutely correct. I think my comment was a solution, if the ridges bothered you. Anyway, it's Monday and now I've used up my mistake for the week! :-) Mike

 

What a Beauty of MODEL! Excellent capture and image. Congratulations and thanks for sharing. Regards.

Beautiful portrait,Jim! Best Wishes

Excellent and beautiful portrait!Congrat. and best regards from Rome.

Very nice...:-)

Great shot! It does not bother me at all. I think it brings the viewers eyes toward the fox.

In the studio one might have experimented a lot with the dominant lines :-P

 

As a nature shot this is so good that looking at it is almost as strong an experience as it must have been to be there. I bet you will never forget that moment.

Thanks all for the positive feedback on this picture. I'd like to expand upon a few things. Yes, this particular moment, fleeting as it was, will stay with me for the rest of my life. I was stalking this fox in the alpine zone of the Presidential Range of New Hampshire, and just at sunset he became curious with me. At that point he would mirror my actions. I sit/you sit type of deal. Once I steadied, if I moved, it was over.

 

I've long been torn as to whether the ridges funnel the eyes or distract from the fox. I think the response here clears it up. It's what I came away with, and not something to duplicate, so perhaps I'm being overly critical as I often am.

 

Thanks again for all the feedback!

 

Jim

Fabulosa expctacular un 7/7

Amazing shot

Beautiful portrait of a beautiful animal. It is great shame that upper-class in-bred morons in my country feel the need to rip them to pieces with hounds.

 

Thanks for sharing, 7/7 Sir.

 

 

I like it the way it is. Good work.

Beautiful animal, great capture. The dark eartips contrast with the lighter blue so the intersection serves to draw the viewer to the fox, and doesn't distract.

I'm jealous of you Jim!! I wish I could go to such places and get such shots :) You probably were a bit too over concerned with the lines. The fox does not let the eyes go anywhere else. It is certainly a great shot!

 

Best,

Tulasi

well done JIM. a good honest photo this.

 

you have done a great job in not being tempted to get the background in focus. which is a good thing.

you have captured the subject beautifully.

 

well done!

 

 

 

 

This picture like other your pictutres is very beautiful .

Excellent !

From your description of how it all went down, I think my heart would have been beating so fast I wouldn't have be able to pull the trigger.

I think what is troubling you about the ridges is that they could lead the eye into the out of focus space around the fox. The secondary ridge in the left background nicely provides a parallel diagonal which is helpful but there is a fairly large percentage of the photo that might take away from the fox. However some of the background is necessary because part of what makes this photo is that it includes the fox's environment.

 

Bottom line is you might try a couple versions, perhaps cropping the left edge near the S in your last name and the top to just above or where the secondary background ridge on left meets the skyline or thereabouts.

 

You should also be able to punch up the luminance in the fox to make it stand out from the background a touch more.

 

Anyway it is already an outstanding photo and I don't mean to be critical of it at all.