Photographing Fox Kits

Den #1

Foxes are as many of us know, shy and mostly nocturunal. Most of us will only catch a fleeting glimpse of one as it crosses the road in front of our car at night. So as you can imagine photographing them can be daunting but also highly rewarding.

This year I was very lucky to find two active dens close to home. After spending some time with them I would like to share a few pointers so anyone can get up and close with these playfull creatures. These images are all from the first den, I will do another post in the future on den # 2.

Tips

• Drive back roads in the country during late evening and early morning during May when the kits are most likely to be out of the den. Many times active dens will be close to roads and foxes have been known to use drainage culverts as dens.
• Social media.. Social media..Social media!!! Social media is a great place to get a hot tip of a nearby fox den. Face it everyone loves little baby foxes and any one that knows where some are will plaster their page with pictures.
• Once you locate a den the hard work begins. You must first get permission from the property owner. Then always approach from downwind while working your way towards the den. Do not spook the foxes or momma will move them to backup dens she already has ready.
• Never feed foxes or get to close to them, you are merely an observer. If you are in any way changing their behavior you are to close or making them nervous and should move back or leave.
• Long lenses are must, 300mm is the shortest lens that I would recommend. These were all taken with an Olympus 40-150mm f 2.8 (80-300mm 35mm equivalent) with an 1.4x teleconverter.
• Fast lens are preferred (f 2.8-f 4) this will get you that creamy background that make images pop. This will also allow you to shoot at faster speeds during the lowlight when they are most active. This also means tripods are a must to get sharp images.
• Once you begin to shoot don't wait for the perfect shot, just shoot and shoot alot, then shot some more. Once home you can thin down the images that you like. Many times you wont believe how many keepers you have. The two photos below are not "keepers" in my opinion but they do help tell the story.
• Other useful items are blinds, camofaluge, extra batteries,bug spray and memory cards.
• Last but not least enjoy the time you spend with them, remember not many people will get this opportunity and make sure you respect them!