Raccoon - would you "heal", and any other C&C

[davidedric]

Just starting to work through some images from a recent holiday in Florida. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to wildlife, but that wispy bit of grass coming in from the left really distracts me. It would be so easy to fix with a content aware healing brush, but would you? Any other C&C also very welcome.
(If you have a good memory, and are hot on raccoon identification, you might have seen this same critter in one of Joe's (jprzybyla) posts )



Healed version:

[kdoc856]

(If you have a good memory, and are hot on raccoon identification, you might have seen this same critter in one of Joe's (jprzybyla) posts )]

Yes, I recognize him- his mask gives him away. And yes, I'd use your healed version as I think it removes a distraction without making the setting look artifical.

[Manfred M]

Nice shot! Works for me (either way)! You seem to have upset your model a bit though. He / she does not look too happy with the photographer.

Now that you got rid of the grass on the left, the first thing I notice is the blades of grass in front of the racoon on the right...

What I might have tried as well is to leave the blade of grass in, but just to darken it so it is a bit less of a distraction. I'd also be tempted to clone the catchlight in the one eye into the other to give the shot a tiny bit more balance

[davidedric]

Thanks for the feedback.

You seem to have upset your model a bit though. He / she does not look too happy with the photographer

Nah - it was Joe, he was just behind me

[jeeperman]

+1 to Manfred's post. Nicely done.

[FrankMi]

Hi Dave, I feel that this is one of those images where you need to ask yourself which version YOU like better. If the grass bothers you then you might find that more than just that one blade is distracting. I'd then be tempted to address any of the blades that interfere. In the end, you may find that the grass doesn't impact the intensity of the image sufficiently to detract.

As Manfred suggested, lightening the catch-light in the right eye (left in the image) would help add sparkle to the Raccoon's expression and for me it is that expression that really makes this image work.

[pasusan]

I like it with the grass - but as mentioned - maybe darken it a bit. Neat expression!