Fox Kits at Play

[naturezone]

Near Helena, Montana
Canon 50D / Canon 300mm f2.8 / Canon 1.4X extender
www.naturezonephotography.com

 

[lewan]

nice action
good shoot

 

[pbelarge]

NatureZone

Hello and welcome to the forum


This photo is a great introduction to your work.

How far from the subjects were you? Would you more providing some of the data of this shot?

 

[pbelarge]

Karl
I was viewing your site....WOW! very impressive, your work is a wonder to see.


One item that my curiousity has the best of me...when you shoot in the wild like this, are you ever concerned about the bears or other wildlife making life difficult for you?

 

[naturezone]

NatureZone

Hello and welcome to the forum

This photo is a great introduction to your work.

How far from the subjects were you? Would you more providing some of the data of this shot?

Karl
I was viewing your site....WOW! very impressive, your work is a wonder to see.

One item that my curiousity has the best of me...when you shoot in the wild like this, are you ever concerned about the bears or other wildlife making life difficult for you?

Hi Pierre,

Thanks for the welcome and for checking out my website.

To answer your questions - I was probably 30 yards from these fox kits as they played. The sun was behind them a bit, so I shot at ISO 400, with a shutter speed of 1/800 at f5.6. Less shutter speed and I think I would have lost the sharpness in the image as they moved - most of my shots were at a higher shutter speed as they played.

As for your curiousity - I've yet to feel threatened in the wild (although anything could happen). Respect for the animals is most important on my list. If you get to know your subject, you can usually recognize whether they accept your presence or if you are bothering them. If they're bothered, it's not worth the shot and I'll walk away. I've shot in blinds and under camo colored burlap - but for the most part, I just keep a low profile or use my surroundings (bushes, trees, etc) to blend in more.

I try to prepare, also... the rattlesnakes were near a snake den so I wore snakeproof leggings from Cabela's. If I'm in an area with bears, cats, etc I always carry at least one can of bear spray. Of course, if you're lucky, your vehicle is the safest "blind" you can shoot from (or at least be near to)... I've used that with bears and other animals in Yellowstone on many occasions - and know other major photographers who do the same.

Karl

 

[pbelarge]

Karl
Thanks for the response, you have answered my questions. I spend a lot of time in natural surroundings and I am always curious as to what others are doing.

I look forward to seeing more of your work and stories from your sojourns.

 

[Art Photographers]

Great Photograph!