Catching a Nap

Hi Everyone! This is one of my favourite images from the past few months, not in small part because of the experience I shared with my family during which this was created.

After several years of keeping careful tabs on this vixen, her mate (one of the best-looking male red foxes I've seen), and their new families each spring, we have slowly won this beautiful girl's trust.

This year, she and her mate decided to den in a much more accessible location, and one that FINALLY provided decent camera angles. While we had managed some decent pictures earlier in June, it all came together this day, which just so happened to be Father's Day.

So here I was laying in the grass on a small knoll below the Canadian Rockies, with my photographer-daughter (Jenaya) and photographer-in-the-making son (Josiah) on either side of me, on Father's Day, when this vixen returns to the den with a meal, and promptly trots almost straight to us and goes a little ways past and sits down for some much-needed and much-deserved rest. I believe Jenaya shared in her post of this foxy lady that the mom clearly began using us as a shield from the incessant demands of her kits. While we did not interfere in any way, I can't say we didn't take advantage of the incredible photo opps she gave us, and I'm sure you may get a bit tired of fox pictures from the three of us before too long.

While I have dozens of captures showing her beautiful eyes, this one really connects for me, as it's always a pleasure when a wild animal is comfortable enough in your presence to rest, even if for only a moment or two before her kits demanded her attention again.

I hope you enjoy this even a fraction as much as I treasure the memory of a breezy Father's Day spent with my kids enjoying and connecting with God's creation in our favourite corner of the world.

Thanks for looking...

Field Notes:
Nikon D600
Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4 IF-ED
ISO 640
1/1250sec @ f/5
tripod mounted

Processing Notes:
Converted from RAW using Phase One Capture One Pro 7 with minor adjustments to colour temperature, levels and curves
Very light adjustments to tone and contrast using Nik Color Efex Pro 4 and Viveza 2
Cloned out blue sky from URC to elimate distraction and selectively sharpened in PS5
100% full frame
**sadly lost some of the beautiful blues from the background mountain forest when converted to sRGB, but I felt it accurate enough to post