The Story Behind the Image “Hello, Fox!”
Originally written by Nelli Savelieva for Viewbug Blog post March 12, 2025
Location
This photo was taken around Mew Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. In Canada, Algonguin is like Yellowstone Park in the USA. We stayed in the park for several days in December. After a big snowstorm closed major highways, the park had a few visitors and a lot of wildlife.
Time
We arrived early in the morning, and as soon as I got out of the car, I saw a pine marten. After the photo session with the pine marten, we hiked to the waterfall, and I changed my settings to a slow shutter speed and a 2-second delay timer. What happened next probably happens to many forgetful photographers. I saw a Canada Jay on a nearby tree, switched my shutter speed, but forgot to change the delay function.
The Canada Jay suddenly flew behind me, prompting me to turn around. And guess who was there? That’s right — a red fox! It sat quietly behind me. Excited, I started to take photos, not even realizing what was causing the slow camera response. Luckily for me, the fox sat still for some time, then stood up, gave a big stretch, and gracefully walked away.
Lighting
It was an overcast day with even light. I like to photograph on those days since they allow me to take photos throughout the whole day instead of just early mornings and evenings. Overcast days are like nature’s softbox — no harsh shadows, just gentle, even light that reveals details beautifully. It was perfect for capturing the rich textures of the fox's fur and the subtle tones in its surroundings.
Equipment
I used Canon R5 with 100-500 mm lens and no other equipment.
Inspiration
The park is well-known for its wildlife sightings, but despite all my visits, I had never seen a fox sitting so calmly and unbothered by human presence. Foxes are usually skittish, darting away or hiding the moment they sense people nearby. This rare encounter left me feeling incredibly grateful.
Editing
I did noise reduction, basic and colour adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw, then used Photoshop for selective sharpening.
Feedback
Always be prepared for changing situations while photographing. The best way to do this is by having custom setups on your camera — for example, one for fast-moving subjects, one for landscapes, and one for still subjects. I had custom setups on my camera, but in the excitement of the moment, I completely forgot about my settings. The lesson here? Stay calm, don’t let excitement take over, and trust your preparation.
