kylekephart
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Snowy Red Fox
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Colorado on my recent trip there to ski. This was actually outside the mess hall as I was going to get breakfast at the YMCA skiing lodge to the north of Winter Park.Time
It was an early winter morning with the sun just poking above the mountains. I can't remember the exact timing, but it must have been around 7-8 o'clock.Lighting
The snow worked really nicely as a natural reflector here which helped keep my ISO and shutter speed in balance to capture the fox. Other than that I didn't use any flashes or continuous light here.Equipment
My kit isn't anything special, just a Sony A58 with an inexpensive 35mm f/1.8. I did find it handy to have my black rapid strap attached for easy and quick access as well. The most important thing is that it shoots in RAW.Inspiration
I had seen this guy the night before as I was taking long exposure shots of the mountains nearby. He gave me quite the scare as I didn't know if it was a wolf or not at that time until I shined a light on him about 5 feet away. It ended up being that he watched me for the last 10 minutes of shooting and we both went our separate ways. I then saw him the next morning and I know its the same fox because of how close he would get. I ended up getting within 20 feet before he would back off.Editing
I never could get close enough to quite fill the frame, but I got as close as I could and then cropped the photo down in post to where I liked it. The post processing was otherwise not too extensive. I brought down the highlights a bit and raised the shadows to get as much detail as I could without loosing the image quality. I did also brighten the eyes slightly to give him some interest there.In my camera bag
I don't have anything special as far as equipment goes with a modest Sony A58 which is a crop sensor body. I do use the kit 18-55mm because it works and I can get wide with it without breaking the bank. I bought the 35mm lens for low light and the more shallow depth of field that I can get with it. I also like the 35mm as a walk around lens because of how quick it is to focus and the focal length is fantastically useful for what I shoot. Lastly, I recently picked up a Tamron 70-300mm for wildlife shots and its great separation ability for subjects. Other than those things it just the necessities like a solid tripod, polarizer, cloth, and a spare battery.Feedback
The closer you can get, the better. Whether that is with patience or a longer lens the more you can fill the frame in the initial shot then the better it will look on your wall or online. Don't be too afraid of the animals because most are going to be more afraid of you. Don't give off an intimidating look and stay calm around them and they just might work with you to give off the look you want. Getting low to the ground will also help out a lot. By getting to the animal's eye level you will almost instantly bring your photo's interest to a whole new level...Literally!