Wow! It has been over a month since I shot these and I still can't find the time to sit down and process them. I will remember this particular evening for a long time as these little guys were so cooperative.
I think this is the dominate one of the family. It was certainly the bravest of the bunch. This approach was the only time the mouth was open and it was open for the entire time as he came to about ten feet from me. It didn't appear to be stressed or threatend I think it was just tasting my scent.
The most impressive photographs that I believe I have ever seen on FM or other, I'm a bit partial because I absolutely love the subject matter but you have presented these in a way that is both artistic and behavioral to a degree that I honestly have never before encountered. I am amazed with this series, thank you for sharing these wonderful photos.
Your depth of focus is worked in an amazing way and the pastel-like colors accentuate the "kitness" of the animal.
PS - My only sense of loss was when I checked to see what equipment you were using it was Nikon. I really wanted it to be Canon But regardless, it's clear to me that you would have done an equally impressive job with Canon stuff. I think.
Thanks Norm. I'm sitting here speechless with a compliment like that. Luck played a good part but being in the right place at the right time (rare for me) really makes a difference.This was a shoot that I actually had the time to plan for and I spent the first two hours on location sitting in the car and then slowly closing the distance finally ending up lying in the prone postion with the camera on a tripod. As you can see from the photos there is absolutley no cover so I was in the open at all times. It all worked out and it was a real pleasure to just be there. Now I have to figure out which photos I'm going to keep. I shot four gigs and from the looks of it most of them are keepers. It's going to be a real challenge.
In regards to my gear... I'm hung with it for now. Started out long ago with nikon so I have some glass I'm not willing to part with just yet. This shoot however was accomplished with rental glass. 80-400 vr.
Jason
P.S. The ants were terrible but I didn't notice them until the drive home. Yikes!
Edited by J. Sims on Jul 19, 2007 at 11:02 PM GMT (Reason: P.S.)
J. Sims wrote:
Thanks Norm. I'm sitting here speechless with a compliment like that. Luck played a good part but being in the right place at the right time (rare for me) really makes a difference.This was a shoot that I actually had the time to plan for and I spent the first two hours on location sitting in the car and then slowly closing the distance. As you can see from the photos there is absolutley no cover so I was in the open at all times. It all worked out and it was a real pleasure to just be there. Now I have to figure out which photos I'm going to keep. I shot four gigs and from the looks of it most of them are keepers. It's going to be a real challenge.
Jason
These are so good, Jason, that I honestly would encourage you to ship a few of them off to a few wildlife publications. I cannot imagine that anyone would not wish to jump on these, and if you have that many...well, all the better. I'm sincerely impressed with the shots and hope you post more. Please PM me if you do because I don't want to miss out on them. Thanks again.
PS - I just read your profile and hope that you have some video of the event. And, if so, I hope that you plan to take the time to share it with the public. Apparently your still photography skills are equal to your videography.
I will let you know. It may be a month or two as time at both work and at home is all accounted for. This breif respite tonight is costing me dearly but I really need the break. Again, thanks for the kind comments.
I have to keep this short since I'm at work but I just wanted to take the time to say thanks to everyone. If you have anything critical to say, fire away, I not shy or fragile.
Now that it is morning and I have fresh eyes I can see that I oversharpend a few of these. Oh well... That can be fixed. For those that are curious these were shot way out in the west desert area west of Salt Lake City Utah.
I guess there are 3 kinds, one of which is extinct now, I believe. They have them out here in California, but never knew it. The San Joaquin Kit Foxes are one type. The Mojave kit foxes are another type.
I will have to do more research on these fellas.
This is without a doubt some of the best wildlife photos I have seen on this site in a long time. The perspective is spot on. The bokeh is silky smooth, and the foxes are spot on in focus.
Awesome shots, Jason. I agree, these are really special. Just love the perspective, the clarity, the behavior, the silky foregrounds and backgrounds - whew - just amazing! Indeed, these ought to be submitted for publication. Glad I didn't miss them.
crfrey71 wrote:
I guess there are 3 kinds, one of which is extinct now, I believe. They have them out here in California, but never knew it. The San Joaquin Kit Foxes are one type. The Mojave kit foxes are another type.
I will have to do more research on these fellas.
This is without a doubt some of the best wildlife photos I have seen on this site in a long time. The perspective is spot on. The bokeh is silky smooth, and the foxes are spot on in focus.
Ya.. I'll have to do some research on this. I don't know which subspecies this may be but I would like to find out. They are incredibly small, about the same size as a house cat.
Thanks for your kind comments. I have to admit the DOF is due more to the need for shutter speed than artistic decision. I was looking for less noise in these so I was having to shoot wide open with the low ISO number. It would have been nice for a few of the shots I tried to get but they would not hold still long enough. of the few I tried most have some motion blur.
But regardless, it's clear to me that you would have done an equally impressive job with Canon stuff. I think. 
This breif respite tonight is costing me dearly 
but I really need the break. Again, thanks for the kind comments.