Squirrel
Photo Tips
Processing
With light being limited in the early morning forest, I use a fast lens, but still get noise and deep shadows, so here are a few things that I have done to the raw file to attempt to make the subject stand out a little better...
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Pre-Processed in DxO PureRAW
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Slight Crop - better framing
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Edited Exposure & Colour (ACR)
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Mask subject - adjust WB
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Mask subject (parts) - brighten
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Remove Distracting Elements
Retro Digital - 1998
Although I have used older digital models, the Kodak DCS 560 is the oldest I've tried with reasonable image quality. This six megapixel camera came out over a quarter of a century ago, before purpose built digital SLRs were a thing. It cost a fortune when new, but hangs on to some value today due to an air of collectibility. It's a minor miracle that any tech from this era still works, especially something so laden with experimental electronics.
My 1st DSLR - 2002
This next image was taken on my first DSLR (Fujifilm Finepix S2 Pro), back in 2002, mere days after I bought the camera. The Sigma zoom lens I used (17-35mm f/2.8-4) had poor image quality, but it was surprisingly decent for close-ups on its widest angle/aperture. Its 17mm f/2.8 setting is equivalent to a 25.5mm f/4.2 image on full frame. With no live view and certainly no flip-up screen, focusing and framing had to be done by looking through the optical viewfinder, thus I had to get down in the wet grass for this shot.
New Wide
Contrast the above shot with this next one. This is what a modern, high quality, wide-angle prime can deliver on a good camera. Twenty years of technology improvements have revolutionized the photographic experience for subjects like this. Resolution, dynamic range, burst speed & sensor size have all been improved, but the truly game-changing elements are the fast & reliable animal eye tracking that works across the entire frame, while using live-view on a flip up rear screen. The lens is also three stops faster, whilst being lighter and significantly sharper too. Going back to old cameras is a great way to keep these things in perspective.
Infrared
Since I have an infrared camera, it seemed rude not to at least try photographing squirrels in that wavelength. There is unfortunately not a huge difference to their fur luminosity in infrared light, but their eyes are quite different. It's usually difficult to see the pupil in squirrel's eyes because they look all black in most lighting. When they do show up in infrared, they are considerably more clear.
Thermal
When I got my hands on a basic thermal camera for my phone, I tried it out on squirrels and immediately found something interesting. This squirrel had a damaged paw and the video shows that with high levels of heat.
Light & Budget
My mission here was to find a cheap and light system that was also highly capable. Up until very recently, the combination of large aperture, high quality, fast autofocusing lenses and cameras capable of animal eye-AF tracking were heavy and expensive. Now, for less than €800 and 800g, you can get a camera and lens combination that takes images like this...
Sony ZV-E10 | Sirui AF 75mm f/1.2
Light & Resolution
If you're trying to get super shallow depth of field from the lowest weight kit possible... well, the above combo is impossible to beat, but if you also want the highest resolution as well then there are some interesting alternatives. The Sony A7CR and Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 is an impressive combo for only 1,024g (2.26lbs / 36oz) considering its image quality and subject isolation...
Sony A7CR | Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4
Apex
This apex setup is overkill for most subjects and quite heavy (2.17Kg / 4.78lbs), but not long ago subject isolation like this would have been considerably bigger, heavier and more expensive. If you want image quality and abilities that didn't exist a few years ago with DSLRs, the Sony A1 & Sigma 135mm f/1.4 Art are definitely it.
Sony A1 | Sigma AF 135mm f/1.4
