Ornitho

Basil

SONY ILCA-99M2

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 800 Shutter 1/800 Focal Length 3300/10

upload_date

Jan, 2020

Views

2486

Likes

+264

Awards

Contender in the Photography Awards

Action Award

Summer Views Award

Flawless Summer Award

Achievement in Originality

Zenith Award

Top Pick Award

Staff Favorite

Halfway22 Award

Curator's Selection

Top Shot Award 21

Spring 21 Award

Celebrity Award

Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Volume7

Peer Award

+432

Top Choice

+23

Superb Composition

+17

Absolute Masterpiece

+12

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

Virtuoso

All Star

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

+18

Happy

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photography of Basil, in my back garden, last January. It was a typical winter's day, here in the foothills of Colorado, with subzero temperatures and lots of snow on the ground. I live at an altitude of 8500ft, up in the Rocky Mountains, so our winters are very harsh and Basil and his wife, Bayleaf, are regular visitors. If you look closely, at Basil, you can see a few flecks of snow on his face.

Time

Basil and Bayleaf have been visiting for around two years and habitually come round between 4-5pm, daily. The first clue I get that one or both of them are nearby is the neighborhood dogs choir. As soon as I hear their familiar din, I open up the garage door and I'm greeted with these wonderful creatures. Their daily diet consists of three raw eggs and some meat. Sometimes I cook the meat and sometimes I leave it raw but, one thing's for sure, they eat better than I do. They get steak, chicken, pork, beef, ham hocks, and sliced ham. If both foxes visit, Basil (The Male) will take the meat while Bayleaf (The Female) will take the eggs and bury them in and around the local area. If one of them visits, they will eat the meat and bury the eggs. When they have cubs, the carry the food back to their den, some 1/2 mile away. They are incredibly gentle with the eggs and pick them up and carry them, in their mouth, without cracking them

Lighting

I use natural light when photographing the foxes because I don't want to startle them. In this case, the sky was cloudy and the light was defused. I love defused light as it doesn't cast harsh shadows and gives a very even lighting effect.

Equipment

I use my trusty Sony A99II camera with the Sony SAL 70400G2 lens. No other equipment was involved.

Inspiration

Ever since Basil and Bayleaf began visiting my home, I have been slowly trying to gain their trust. Don't get me wrong, I keep my distance because I don't want them getting used to humans. I simply want them to feel comfortable in my garden. Over the last two years, or so, I have been videoing and photographing them, in their environment, and slowly learning their habits. They hunt day and night, hardly ever seem to sleep, have the most excruciating scream, and are just so darn cute.

Editing

I always shoot in raw, due to the amount of post-production and manipulation you do with this raw files. They take up a tremendous amount of space on an sd card so if you are going to shoot raw, use 32gb or 64gb cards and always carry spares. In this case, and due to the excellent lighting, the only post-production I had to do was lighten the shadows, ever so slightly, and adjusted the exposure and clarity, a little.

In my camera bag

The first two things that go in my bag are my trusty Sony A99II and my Sony SAL 70400G2. My camera is weather sealed and the lens is dust and moister resistant, although I always throw a few plastic bags and some duct tape in my bag, just in case. Once I have packed my go to camera and lens, I pack my Hoya 77mm Neutral Density NDx400 Filter, my Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce, and my old Minolta 100mm Macro Lens. I love shooting bees and other insects and my macro lens is the perfect instrument for the job. A few other things I pack that are too big to put in my bag are my ultra heavy Minolta 600mm f4 Prime Lens. This is the perfect lens for shooting wildlife, without having to get too close. It is also superb in low light conditions. My Manfrotto MT190XPRO4 Aluminum 4-Section Tripod with Movo GH800 Carbon Fiber Professional Gimbal Tripod Head are used to support my monster of a lens.

Feedback

Wildlife has long been a favorite photographic subject of mine. There skill, speed, agility, and cunning make for mesmerizing viewing and, with the right conditions, equipment, and some skill and patience, you can take the most incredible images. Understand your subject, respect nature, appreciate the world we live in, and have fun.

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Basil

Behind The Lens

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