Caught!

Is the crop on this too tight? I cropped this to straighten it but now I am concerned that it feels cramped. Then again, I bet that's how that chipmunk felt too!

You might want to include the left side of the cage. Cute shot!

I like this. Yes, I think it is cropped too tightly, but the moment and subjects make it work regardless.

Cindy,
Count me as one who favors a lesser crop on the left. This is a whimsical shot though, and the expression in the doggie's face says it all.
John

Great expression on the dog! Some minor Photoshop clean-up of distracting shapes in the foreground and background would considerably improve the effectiveness and simplicity of the photo.

Ronnoco

Cindy - It might be a bit cramped but I see why you did that. I think there might be too many distracting objects such as the fence ropes/cables, building, sky, etc. Poor little critter... must be terrifying. But he doesnt seem to be afraid.
GB

Thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate the critiques. I will go back to the original and see what can be done to loosen it up and reduce the distractions.

This poor little ground squirrel was terrified! What he didn't know was that it was really his lucky day. My father-in-law traps them and then tries to teach them how to swim in the drywall bucket you see in the corner of my last photo. :( :eek: None of them have yet learned. :cryin: Apparently they make real nuisances of themselves.
We happened to be staying at the house that night and this guy was in the trap the next morning. After letting our kids and our 14 year old beagle, Caledonia, inspect the cage (first image) we let him go (last image). My F.I.L. was disgusted that I had declared amnesty for it and had allowed the escape but I'm hoping he returns to his family with a message to the others. Beware! I try to never take pictures of animals without returning some kindness to them. With dogs and cats it's rubs and scratches, with birds it's seeds with chipmunks (at least this time) with their freedom.

I like the "let me out of here" first image in this !

Good for you for setting the little character free. Live trapping might let you 'relocate' the whole brood away from the area where they are doing damage. They can be real pesky.

I long ago declared a truce with the wildlife and they have returned the favor (maybe) by letting me take their photographs. Now I just have to get the neighbors Lab puppy to like them.

The original image was quite good in capturing the inquisitiveness and rapt attention of the dog even with the tight crop!

That's a great shot of him biting the cage :) Nice that you let him go. I also have no interest in hunting or anything like that, just like to take photos....

GB

Love the "let me out" shot!! Adorable. Poor little guy. The crop on the first doesn't bother me, probably because of what you said: It seems representative of what he must have thought. That and my extreme partiality to beagles!

Wow! This one got pulled up from the back of the rack. I didn't even realize there had been further comments. How rude of me!:eek: Where are me manners?:rolleyes:

Thanks for the additional comments GB an CD!

D - Thanks for pulling this one up and I'm glad you think the crop works. Callie is actually our Robo-Beagle!:lol: She's part beagle, part pit bull terrier! No lie! When she was younger she really was a force to be reckoned with. She would never back down from anything (tried to take on a buffalo once) and was the world declared Queen of the Cheap Shot. Now that she's hit her golden years (Like 98 in dog years!) she's slowing down some and doesn't kick my big dog's a$$ every day, just every other day. :D