This image represents February in my 2010 Lowcountry Calendar (http://www.southernlight.biz/). Friends, what are friends for? Well they’re there when you need them and they reciprocate the attraction and respect you have for them. And sometimes friends can open doors for you and present you which unique situations, you may otherwise not have. This is just what my photographer friend and naturalist Marvin Bauknight did when he invited me to Oldfield Plantation, where he works as the resident naturalist. They have had a fox den on property for several years and he and I devised a plan to observe and hopefully photograph the mother fox and her three pups. About an hour before sundown we hunkered down, in full camo clothing, with tripods and long lenses, up against a hedge of waxed myrtle bushes. We sat quietly for over an hour before these pups started to emerge from their den and explore. Skittish and nervous at first, the pups eventually calmed down and accepted us as non-threatening.
Photo tip: When shooting wildlife subjects develop a plan based on camera position, best light, animal behavior etc… and dress to blend with your surroundings or use a blind when appropriate, move slowly or not at all so that you do not disturb the animals, and they will likely accept you and carry on with their natural inclinations. This planning and preparation gives you the chance to experience what it is all about for the nature photographer, to observe animals in their natural habitat with normal behavior.
Eric Horan
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