Curious Ol' Red
While sitting in my backyard, being as quiet as I could in order to watch the wildlife around me, I suddenly heard small occasional chirps above my head. This l...
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While sitting in my backyard, being as quiet as I could in order to watch the wildlife around me, I suddenly heard small occasional chirps above my head. This little red squirrel was within arms reach if I stood, staring down at me from a knot in the oak tree. I expected him to be angry, as most red squirrels are when something is in their territory, but this little guy just came to say hello. In fact, he become agitated if I looked away from him and quit taking his picture. He sat there with me for a while, occasionally leaving only to come back moments later.
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Oct, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my backyard in East Bethel, Minnesota. It is on the edge of suburbia and country, so while living there every day was a new opportunity to see wildlife.Time
After staying outside quietly for hours, around 3 pm this little guy decided to sneak up to me (or rather down to me) in the large oak tree I was sitting at the base of. Normally during midday I don’t expect to see too much wildlife- it’s typically quiet. But this little guy was very curious and only became angry with me when I turned the camera away!Lighting
Midday lighting drowns out coloring easily on a sunny day. It is better to either go out earlier or a few hours after noon to start bringing natural saturation back into the picture. The less post editing you have to do the better the picture. This guy is a beautiful deep auburn that was naturally highlighted by a afternoon sun (and shade from the tree).Equipment
This was shot with a DSLR Canon EOS Rebel T5 with one of my long range lenses. No tripod or flash, just hand held, using my knee and elbow to steady my grip as I sat on the ground.Inspiration
The way this squirrel behaved inspired me greatly. Most red squirrels I have dealt with have been very territorial, yelling at me to leave. This guy? He seemed to LIKE me. He wanted his picture taken and came within arms reach of me for a good half hour. It was a beautiful moment, feeling as if a wild creature trusts you to keep company.Editing
I did minor post processing on this fella. I typically play with the contrast, brightness a bit until I feel the picture has a balance and give a boost to the vibrance- but not much or it becomes unrealistic. The goal is to do as little editing as possible- but a little Lightroom is necessary sometimes.In my camera bag
I keep my Canon EOS Rebel T5, a long range lens, and a common broad width lens like a 55 mm, and soft lens cleaner, a small tripod, and many times will bring a large tripod with me for nature photography just in case.Feedback
My best advice is to keep quiet and mostly still, as well as to go to the same spot or a similar area often. When the animals see you repetitively and you are peaceful, they begin to get used to you enough to continue going about their day. Keep a long range lens on you as well- more often than not a shorter lens will not be able to hone in on the animal enough for a great shot.
