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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in my front yard on the outskirts of Sudbury, Canada, one sunny Sunday in late winter.Time
I always like to go out early in the morning on Sundays and just enjoy everything going on in nature. When I saw this little guy pop his head out of the snowbank I handed him some sunflower seeds and was awarded with a smile.Lighting
It's not always easy taking a picture with bright snow as the backdrop, but the sun was angled just the right way; the high water content gave it a nice blue hue.Equipment
This was shot with my old Nikon D50 with 200mm zoom.Inspiration
This little guy had such a clear smile on his face I just had to save it for posterity. We ended up calling him cutie pie and still see him every day, he sometimes meets me at my car when I come home, he knows where sunflower seeds come from, and he still has that smile too.Editing
About the only adjustments I make to any of my photos is to adjust the exposure and crop sometimes, this took very few adjustments.In my camera bag
Although I have a large bag of equipment I usually carry my Nikon D50 with me everywhere. Being a bush baby in Northern Ontario, I have to travel light to get through the bush.Feedback
Patience is key to photographing any wildlife. One slow step at a time, I'll approach the animal, speaking softly, and enjoy the peacefulness of the experience. Using the same idea I can easily get squirrels, chipmunks, and even chickadees to eat out of my hand. Wildlife can sense if you're edgy or nervous and will usually get away if you are, so take your time, take calming breaths and have fun. Also, instead of looking at the big picture, as you'll rarely see anything, take in each thing individually and appreciate each living thing individually. I used to have a phobia of bugs until I started taking pictures of them and now I find them amazing in their individual detail.