RE: This contest theme, my second born shot a fox 3 weeks ago.

[ConsAreLiars]

Apart from being a worthy entry for the contest - the personality of the fox (alert, wary) seems to be conveyed and the technical stuff is fine, there are several other things that impressed me.

First, and most impressive, was that knowing that this was done with the now aged Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, a 5MP higher-end point and shoot I gave him 3 years ago. I knew he had to be pretty close to get a head shot in full frame. I knew the Leica glass (one reason I chose this model) had a pretty good range (12X optical zoom, from 36mm wide angle to the equivalent of 432mm telephoto on a full frame 35mm camera), but still.... So I looked at the EXIF data, (F4.5, 1/400, 164mm, etc.).

164mm! That means he and the fox had reached a comfort level of a few feet, maybe 5-8, certainly less than 10. That tells you a lot about who he is and his sense of being at one with the natural world.

Second, it is a reminder that spending mega-bucks on gear is not a prerequisite to finding and making good art. Indeed, some of the classic artists in photography have limited themselves to using low-end tools, maybe just as a budget matter at the beginning, but later just to show that the art is more a matter of what vision and talent wields the tool rather than the price of the tool.

Third, I noticed how sharp the image was. Leica glass. This is a 1:1 crop of a portion of the original file:



Fourth, as confirmation of how close the encounter was, this one was shot at max wide angle, 36mm:



Now I can't claim to read fox minds, but I do know that if one every came that close to me and presented itself that way, well, apart from feeling honored, I would read something like "We are one people living in this one world."

Fifth, Happy 29th birthday to him yesterday. He is a good, caring person, and that is the highest praise. Despite my faults and failings, and to the credit of his mother, he is a wonderful person.

[Callalily]

1. Wow! Thosse ARE great shots! n/t

[Maestro]

2. Incredible!

And what a great encounter with a handsome animal!

[NV Whino]

3. Wonderful!

What a treat to see such a magnificent creature so close.