How can I photograph urban foxes on a budget?
Asked 10/18/2013
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2 answers
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I’d like to photograph urban foxes in my spare time without investing in an expensive professional wildlife setup. I only tend to see them at night, and I already have a DSLR, several lenses, and some flash units. What practical, low-cost approach works best for urban foxes: learning their habits and shooting opportunistically, or using a simple remote/flash setup? Any advice on lenses, focus, flash technique, and timing would be helpful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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Sometimes you get lucky, but in general, wildlife photography takes time.
I expect your foxes are also active during part of the day, which would make things much easier. Spend the time to learn their habits, and if possible, for them to get used to you. Even so, you're still probably going to see foxes at a distance and for short periods at a time. This means you want the longest lens you can get your hands on. Auto-focus is also a real plus. Critters have a way of running off just as you finished carefully focusing a long lens. Remember that if you have to pick one part of a animal to focus on, pick the eyes.
A tripod will enable some shots, particularly if the light is low, but it can also get in the way. You probably want to go out with a tripod some times and without other times. You will get different types if shots that way. If your camera has a fast sensor and you have a fast lens, you may do better most of the time without a tripod. If the lens has image stabalization (another very useful feature for wildlife photography), then a tripod will only be for those shots where you set up on something specific and wait for it to happen.
I don't think using a flash is a great idea. Perhaps you can get something interesting by setting up a camera trap to go off in the night, but those are rarely "nice" pictures. They usually look clinical and artificial. If you are after scientific recording rather than "Ooh, that's a nice picture", then the strobe and camera trap will be more useful.
A handheld strobe will be worse than useless. It won't provide much light at the expected distance, will scare off the wildlife immediately, and will cause them to associate you with the flash. How are you going to focus when it's so dark that you need a strobe?
Originally by user7603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user7603
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A low-cost approach can work, but wildlife photography still takes patience. Start by learning the foxes’ routine: note where and when you see them, and whether it’s likely the same animal using the same route. Urban foxes can come surprisingly close if you stay still, so knowing their habits is often more valuable than elaborate gear.
At a distance, use the longest lens you have with autofocus. If you must choose one focus point, focus on the eyes. A tripod can help in low light, but it may also slow you down, so try both tripod and handheld outings.
Because you mostly see them at night, flash can help, but direct on-camera flash usually looks harsh. Bounce flash or diffused off-camera flash is better if you can manage it. Be aware that focusing in the dark is difficult, and pre-flash can be problematic. If the foxes come very close, a normal lens can work; if they stay farther away, longer focal lengths are better.
In short: scout first, learn their timing, stay still, use the longest practical AF lens, and keep any flash soft rather than direct.
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