Sleeping Kit
Over a period of several weeks, I won the trust of a family of Red Foxes in an old cemetery. I was lying on my belly less then 10 feet away from this kit when ...
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Over a period of several weeks, I won the trust of a family of Red Foxes in an old cemetery. I was lying on my belly less then 10 feet away from this kit when I shot this.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Awards
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Small Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wildlife Photo Contest 2017
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 2
Featured
Contest Finalist in Soft Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 1
Contest Finalist in Living Creatures Photo Contest
Judge Favorite
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a nearby cemetery where a fox family had taken up residence. At the time, the longest lens I owned was my 70-200 f2.8 ii so I spent several weeks slowly working my way closer and closer to the den. By the third week, they had accepted my presence and were comfortable enough to allow me to get within 10 ft. of this kit. I took this shot lying on my belly just a few feet from the den opening. Mama fox watched me closely for a few minutes before she, like the kit settled in for a nice nap!Time
This was taken midday.Lighting
I really got lucky with regards to the lighting. It was an overcast day which threw a nice soft natural light over the kit.Equipment
This photo was taken with my Canon 6D and my 70-200 2.8 ii and was shot wide open at 2.8.Inspiration
I took up different positions around the den, trying to catch the kits playing around the opening. I noticed the smaller of the three started to yawn and wondered how great it would be to catch this guy sleeping with a shallow depth of field. Minutes later, the camera gods smiled upon me and I was able to get the shot you see here.Editing
I did very little post processing to this photo, just warming it up slightly and boosting my whites just a bit. A very slight crop gave me what you see here.In my camera bag
The two lenses that I always carry are my 70-200 2.8 and my 24-70 f4.0. Landscape and Nature Photography are my passion so these two lenses are used for 95% of my shots. I shoot with a Canon 6D and I usually carry at least one flash if not two just in case. If I think I will be shooting at a location where I can put it to good use, I will also bring my Canon 100mm 2.8L Macro.Feedback
A shot like this (especially if you don't have a lens with the reach) takes a lot of time and patience. It is also worth noting that if you are going to attempt to get this close, you have to always remember that this is a wild animal and you do so at your own risk. I work my way in over days or even weeks, letting the animals get used to my presence. I slowly gain their trust as I never want to cause them any stress. As you can see from the photo above these guys were pretty content. I am also a big fan of shooting wide open whenever possible to isolate my subject. Lastly, I just say get out there and shoot! Practice, practice, practice! And get used to shooting manual. While it may seem daunting to someone new to photography, it sure gives you a lot of creative leeway! The more you shoot, the more it will become second nature to you!
