Stoat in the Hole
First time I've seen one of these little guys, and it was curious enough to let me get a snap :)
First time I've seen one of these little guys, and it was curious enough to let me get a snap :)
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Apr, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in a small wooded area in Saffron Walden, Essex. There's a small man-made water source near the edge of the woods where the trees meet the road, which I've seen a few fleeting silhouettes of stoats/weasels crossing at night on regular cycle trips back from the local shop. I saw this little guy/gal having a peek in the pipe leading out from the drain, initially thinking it was a rat. By the time I'd gotten closer he/she had disappeared into the pipe, I sighed and sat down near the entrance assuming that was that. Jokingly I made a few "pst pst" noises as if attracting a cat, and to my surprise I see a curious little head pop out. After a few cautious peeks, it sprang out of the pipe and was well on its way into the undergrowth but I was very pleased with my first stoat sighting up close and pleased I managed to get a few shots :)Time
It was an overcast morning, around 9:30am and after a few rather uneventful hours besides a few shots of muntjacs and squirrels, I decided to pack my camera away and head back home to crack on with my day after a leisurely stroll in a spot I visit regularly. I was slowly cycling along a public footpath back towards the road when I spotted a small shadow moving in the corner of my eye.Lighting
The woods are quite dense and although it was near the edge of the woods it was still quite dark, made worse by the clouds overhead. I just about managed to deal with the lack of light, though I could have done with more room for shutter speed as these animals aren't exactly slow! I generally don't use a flash in these situations, firstly because I don't want to scare the animal or damage its eyes if I'm close, and secondly I find it difficult to produce a feel of natural light with a flash and come out looking like a spooky hoax of a paranormal event... As a result of the lack of light the images I shot weren't as sharp as I'd like, but it was a great experience and a good example of how much attention you need to pay to the ever-changing light levels in forests and wooded areas.Equipment
I was using a Canon 550D with a second hand Canon 75-300 lens, freehand. These are both the first camera/lens I've owned and it's only recently that I've invested in a few other lenses as I've gotten more and more into wildlife photography. I've been taking pictures for a year or so now and I'm very much still an amateur, in a way I think that beginning the journey into photography it's less important to have the most advanced, expensive equipment and much more important to enjoy the process of learning to the best of your abilities with the kit you have available.Inspiration
Walking in the countryside and exploring forests is my favourite pastime. Whether I get the opportunity to see and shoot something I've never come across before or simply have a quiet, familiar stroll. On the day I took this photo I wasn't looking for anything in particular to shoot and certainly didn't expect to tempt a stoat out of a hole with alluring kitty noises... That's the joy of wildlife photography! Running into all kinds of surprises, some resulting in brilliant successes, some in forehead-slapping defeats. The combination of both are what makes this area of photography such a joyful challenge at all levels of skill and why it can be so rewarding when you succeed, whether through perseverance or a little luck. This photo was a little of both and a fun reminder for me of one of those special moments where I got to see another animal's curiosity matching my own, all is took was a quiet "Ps ps, here stoaty stoaty." ;)Editing
As a result of the low lighting I brightened the image up a little, but that's about it. I was tempted to sharpen some of the details as I hadn't gotten the best focus I could have with how fleeting the moment was and limited shutter speed, but in the end decided to leave it because I felt the personality of the stoat's face and the contrast in colours gave enough character to the photo as it was.In my camera bag
At the moment I usually carry my 550D with a Sigma 150-600mm lens equipped ready in my bag, it's the lens I use the most initially when I get to anywhere I'll be exploring and it's the lens that I find takes the most effort and makes the most noise to get on/off, so I feel more prepared with it ready to go straight out the bag. Besides that I carry a 75-300mm (Since getting the 150-600mm I've been leaving this with a budget macro adaptor on at the ready, I'm pretty inexperienced so I'm not sure how conventional that is but I've gotten some good results with it at around 100mm so far and keeps me covered when I come across the bugs!) and an EFS 10-18mm for when I get up close or feel like snapping some landscapes. I'll always have a couple of lens/screen cleaners, a spare SD card and a spare battery at easy access too. I also really enjoy shooting macro at night and playing around with some light manipulation, particularly with fungi, experimenting with the animation of light trails using stop-motion techniques. For these nocturnal endeavours I'll leave the 150-600mm at home, instead bringing a small tripod and a collection of different handheld torches, along with just about any form of transparent object I can find around the house, from plastic bottles to quartz crystals, and the more variation in colour or texture the better! Oh, and I always carry some antibacterial hand wipes, because you never know what you're gonna get on your hands rummaging around in the woods and you're better off not getting it all over your camera too.Feedback
Open expectations, and although it's cliche and self evident, patience. I say open expectations first because, again, as an amateur, I've found that almost all of my favourite shots have come as a surprise and often while I've been on the hunt for something entirely different. Obviously with wildlife photography you'll have occasions where you're going out with very specific intentions in mind, and sometimes certain animals require that extra bit of intent and diligence to shoot. However, I've found it's important not to become so preoccupied with the shot you have in mind that you miss the one that's right under your nose. In an area of photography where your subjects are always moving, the elements are always changing and your opportunities to spot new species and patterns in behaviour are always growing it's crucial that you stay open and prepared for any surprise that might emerge around you. From my ( admittedly limited ) experience I have found that it is there that I have had my fondest experiences photographing wildlife and it's the reason I can't seem to put my camera down and stay out of the woods. A few tips I've picked up along along the way: - If you can, pay attention to the patterns of various wildlife as you go about your day. Just because you don't have a camera in your hand doesn't mean you can't learn valuable information about the subjects you'll find yourself shooting, and get an idea of where you can start or what you're most interested in capturing. All wildlife show different patterns of behaviour and the more you take note of those patterns BEFORE you're out with your camera the more likely you are to be able to get take the photos you want to take. - Have your camera out and ready BEFORE you entire the area you know you'll be focusing on. Even the most experienced photographers are going to disturb wildlife as they enter an area, whether it's a misplaced step or a scent carried on the wind. Those first quiet, undisturbed moments when you arrive can often be as fruitful as a long determined wait in specific spot, and nothing says "Hello!" to everything in the vicinity better than rummaging through your bag searching for the right equipment and swapping out a lens. Which leads me to.. - Unless you have something specific in mind that you know will require a close range lens, keep your longest reaching lens on your camera whenever possible. In all likelihood whilst you're exploring you're going to be limited by distance, and whilst it is possible to get close to even the most cautious subject if you're patient, a lot of your opportunities will be fleeting and each step closer makes it more and more likely your subject will want to scarper. Coinciding with this, the subjects you come across that you can shoot at a closer distance are typically less likely to startle and runaway, so a lens switch is more practical in those moments than the other way around. - Don't get greedy. As mentioned above, with wildlife photography all it takes is one step too many and you've lost your shot completely. Once you have the advantage on a subject and have the opportunity to get closer or recompose you will have to weigh up the likelihood that your next step might startle the animal. If you have the chance, take shots between each slow advance, and resist the urge to get as close as possible before trying to capture the image. This way, in theory, you'll at least be left with some shots at your last closest distance, which is better than nothing at all. - Try to seem as unthreatening as possible. It's no surprise that an animal might be terrified of an approaching photographer, especially when you consider that a telephoto lens might look an awful lot like a high powered rifle scope to an unsuspecting deer... If you can, try to keep your camera and any other accessories close to your person, making you less noticeable and your intentions less immediately suspicious to the wildlife. Stay hidden or camouflaged yourself when you can, this isn't to say you should be leaving the house in a Ghillie suit every day, but there are small things you can do like walking along the tree-line or hedgerow rather than out in the open on a path or in a field. - Avoid having accessories that dangle and rattle on your bag as the extra noise and potential snagging on branches etc... can alert an animal well ahead of time. - Wearing a hat often helps with a peak can help, especially upon getting closer to an animal. Humans have a very recognisable shape to their face and the patterns of our features, which a lot of animals will instinctually register as a threat. If an animal has noticed you slowly lowering your head to hide those recognisable features a little can give you some extra time. In the same way if you're aware than an animal knows you're there you can buy some time by carefully walking away to the side rather than directly towards it as if you're not interested and are simply passing by. The best way to avoid the chance of being noticed is, as I first mentioned, to pay as much attention beforehand to the patterns of the wildlife you're interested, that way in time you can learn to be one step ahead of your subject. - Practice with pigeons. Okay, so it doesn't have to specifically be pigeons, but find some wildlife near to you that's common enough that you can practice, even if it's not something you're truly interested in photographing long term. Not only will this give you experience, familiarity, reflexes and better confidence with your camera in an easy environment, you might also find interesting ways to photograph a subject you otherwise thought was boring and learn how to bring life to even the simplest of images. - Don't give up! As cliched as it sounds, it's the most important thing. Don't be disheartened when you miss a shot or scare an animal away. Every missed opportunity is a lesson for the next and every failure is just as valuable as a success in the time you spend among the wildlife you enjoy being surrounded by and taking pictures of. That's important too, don't just enjoy the wildlife when it's perfectly composed and perfectly still for you to snap the shutter, enjoy it when it gets the better of you and runs away at the slightest snap of a twig. Enjoy the little things you might otherwise miss, and the discoveries along the way. Enjoy it even when you've left your camera on the coffee table at home, because it'll help more than you think the next time it's in your hands.
