Fox cub

[Steve Kaluski]

This is Cubby, one of four fox cubs that decide to explore the gardens close to their den. Although we often see foxes primarily at night when they raid the trash cans, this was the first time a group of cubs would play and explore. She was the more curious out of the four and would venture right up and given the opportunity, into the conservatory. However I would never allow this, nor did I want to encourage human contact for obvious reasons, I wanted their own instincts to kick in and have a healthy fear factor. The cubs would often emerge in poor light to play, forage or just dig, as foxes do, but worth a punt in grabbing some fun images.

Shot in low light, plus with a new lens at the tim,e which was rear focusing, so I had to quickly resort to manual. Not the most flattering pose, and a tad tight for me, but this was at it's widest. Could have gone to f/2.8 or f/4 for more SS, but.

Steve

Subject: Red Fox cub (Vulpes vulpes)
Camera: Canon MKIV
Lens: 70-200f/2.8 HH
Exposure: 1/800s at f/5.6 ISO2000 0 stop compensation

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Steve - she's a cutie and I like the pose. Excellent details and sharpening. Is the color of her underside due to dirt? I don't mind the tightness because you still managed to get her all in. You can do a garden series with the hand of man elements with this one and some of the owl shots.

TFS,
Rachel

[Andreas Liedmann]

hi Steve,
just coming from the pub having some beer with some friends who i meet once a year when they come home from all over the world.So my comment would be not the best because my eyes are maybe playing nuts with me.

Just like the pose and the detail and sharpness you present here, just wonder that you push the MK IV that far with the ISO :bg3:.
Overall processing looks as your usual work,quite good for an old man :w3, you see i try to be funny due to some beers.
If this was mine i would reduce the blues that are creeping through , specially in the shadow areas , plus i would push the whites a bit further they look kind of dirty , just think if this was mine, so i play the ball to you.
The surrounding is not the nicest setting , but i would like to be that close to a fox , that is looking so relaxed , like she does.

Dear Steve wish you a Merry XMas and again a big THANX for all your help and support over the last year.

Regards you biggest GERMAN fan Andreas

[edwardselfe]

Nice image - great luck to have the cubs so tame. I would also remove the blue cast from the pale fur, and I might also lose a little of the pale foreground. To just above your signature.
Happy Christmas.
Ed

[GertOoms]

Hi Steve,

À cute little fox. Great sharpness and detail. I agree with Ed and Andreas to reduce the Blues a little bit in the shadow areas.

Happy Christmas and superb 2014 from Belgium.

[Loi Nguyen]

what a cutie! Steve, for poor light, you handled the light and the details quite well. I don't mind the tight crop since our attention is drawn towards the upturn face and the eye in the middle of the frame. The fox's white fur is dirty and draws my attention away from the face. I can't tell whether there is a blue cast or it just dirty fur in the shadow looks blue. TFS. Loi

[Gavin Slabbert]

Steve Really nice sharpening work, and overall I like the image, and the dirty fur does not bother me in the least.
The one issue for me is the orange pot above the nose and snout, I find that really distracting, maybe a shallower DOF may be better, though the proximity to the background will make softening that in camera quite difficult.

[Steve Kaluski]

OK guys, the cub will change like all youngsters, but in dropping the blue you get more of a yellow grey, at around 8-9 weeks the colour is quite cool, so in this instance I'm running as is. Pots are not ideal and a big distraction, however if I had been quick enough I might have cleared everything away to avoid BKG issues etc, but... Ed, the patio needed a good jet wash at the time, so it was patchy.

All quiet, with no animal life now apart from avian, guess I will have to wait until later in the year for cub action, wherever that might be. :S3:

Have a great New Year boys & girls and lets hope 2014 is going to be kind to all of us out there.

cheers
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Steve!

What a cute visitor and a great privilege to have such encounter in your own garden-great capture! I like this image as is, great series you have of these garden shots, including the lovely owlet images taken earlier this year:w3

Hope you had a lovely Christmas, warmest wishes for 2014 and also hope you delight us with more images like this in the months to come!

Kind regards,

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Steve,

love the little one. Especially the tiny tip of her tongue sticking out… I can reach the flea with a bit more bent :bg3:
Agree with Rachel, the owl on this metal thing to water the flowers in the garden would suit here too :bg3:
Hope that this year our foxes survived and not got vanished again by any sickness like last year. Will try my luck with them too in the "new" year :t3

Have a great eve, forgot, your details as usual outstanding :w3
( glad that the blue cast has been said by others already :t3 )

Ciao
Anette ( glass just filled up again )

[Morkel Erasmus]

Now that's an interesting setting! :Whoa!:
Would like to see more of this series. This one has a cute pose but I think you may have some better ones, Steve (interaction?)...?
Good processing and handling of high ISO on the mk4

Enjoy the NYD festivities! :cheers: