Milan Radisics
Photo story of a young vixen living on the border of two habitats with rarely seen, stealthy behavior.
Quarantined with a fox
At the time of lockdown both sides were forced to adjust.
Man to the wilds of the forest, and animals to the human environment.
For 8 months, nearly every night I spent sitting at the window of my cottage house in the middle of the forest, and I observed the life of the foxes. One of them was braver. The vixen would appear after dusk, circle it for an hour and a half, and appear in the yard several times. I took the exposure remotely to capture interesting, covert, never-before-seen behavior. We built a distant, but subtle relationship, something hard to describe, and I named her Roxy. She always surprised me, showing new sides of her personality and quick adaptation to the changes. Adjusting to the presence of a wild animal, I learned plenty about foxes and also about myself and humans in general. Lots of things that will hopefully change people's view that the fox is not a pest.
In the evenings I set the lights in advance, like in a studio, and waited in the darkened room for my heroine to enter the scene. Working with such an appealing and unpredictable animal I had to solve many technical, theoretical, and physical challenges, and it was a wonderful opportunity to develop skills and experiment with gadgets.
Photo-story is category WINNER on Hungarian Press Photo 2022
Photo-story is FINALIST on Sony World Photography Awards 2022
Approaching Roxy
The fox hid behind the moss-covered linden tree, watching my window and trying to decide if it was safe or not. Hungary, Jan. 3, 2021.
When we first became acquainted, any sudden movement would make the fox rush to a corner of the yard behind the bushes. Learning from this, I would stay behind the window to be able to follow Roxy’s behavior undisturbed.
Through the hole
The fox enters my yard through the hole in the fence in the backyard. Hungary, Mar. 21, 2021.
I used hunting cameras to watch the hole being bitten by Roxy and badgers in only two weeks to make the commute easier for them. It became the busiest point in the yard, because martens, rabbits, squirrels, and mouse also frequented it. The camera was triggered by a motion sensor.
The urban Roxy
Roxy poses in the limelight on the old seat on the porch of the traditional, 180-year-old cottage house. Hungary, Mar. 20, 2021.
The whole yard has become the fox’s playground. Upon arrival, it sniffs around the whole courtyard and examines every cranny. It bites new objects and jumps up on familiar ones.
In the evenings, I would turn on the lights in my yard and wait for my photo model to walk onto the set. Working exclusively at night allowed me to get creative with lighting. In some images, I used dramatic, studio-like lighting. In others, I balanced my flashes with ambient light. Working with such an appealing and unpredictable animal at night was both a great challenge and a wonderful opportunity to develop skills.
Roxy on the car windshield
The fox jumped on the car, and walks on windshield, observing my camera inside car. Hungary, Mar. 28, 2021.
I parked in the yard for the first time one night. It was unusual for Roxy, so she jumped up right away, wanting to get to know the new situation. I was not prepared to photograph this sight, but I knew she would return again in an hour and a half. In the meantime, I set the lights and waited in the dark room. I was lucky. She jumped up again and listened to the camera click inside.
The epilated fox
Bottom view of a fox's epilated belly five days after giving birth to cubs. At the same time, we can see the raised foot posture, typical of foxes. Hungary, Mar. 25, 2021.
As I waited for the Roxy at night, I read literature to learn about the life of foxes. Somewhere I read that at birth, a fox rips the hair out of its belly to line the nest and provide access during breastfeeding. I wanted to capture this in a picture, so I built a big glass table. The fox tried get acquainted with the structure, so it jumped up 5 days after giving birth.
Roxy drinking water from the small plunge poolUnderwater capture of the Roxy drinking water from the plunge pool. Her tongue is so long, because it is distorted by water by an optical illusion. Hungary, Apr. 16, 2021.
The vixen usually showed up four or five times a night, and I noticed that it would drink water on the third occasion. Presumably, Roxy had eaten enough from the neighbourhood and got thirsty. I used a cable remote release and a constant light source. This picture was taken with an underwater camera.
Roxy searching for snacks
Roxy is scrabbling inside a rotting trunk. The camera was triggered by a motion sensor. Hungary, May 2, 2021.
The curiosity of the scene is that Roxy refused to get into the trunk while I watched her from the window. She just walked around and smelled it. She wanted to keep an eye on me all the time, because if he didn’t see me for a moment, his instincts whispered he might be in danger. So all that was left was to use the motion sensor and at night, when I slept, the planned image was completed with undisturbed, natural behaviour.
Roxy with wild instincts
Roxy seizes the dead pheasant. Hungary, Aug, 21, 2021.
I set the camera and motion sensor next to a dead pheasant in the meadow near my backyard. The camera sensor recorded interesting scenes of the lovable Roxy when her wild instincts took over. Roxy is recognizable by the scar on her left ear, which is quite visible here.
Sly Roxy
The fox climbs on the branch of a dwarf quince tree. Hungary, May 2, 2021.
I was expecting a marten for this scene, but then Roxy sensed some treats, because it was the feeding period. She took every bite back to the little ones, and here she is climbing the tree. I admit it was a huge surprise when I saw the results in the morning, but I was very happy because I discovered another interesting form of fox behavior. Shot taken by camera trap.
Jumping Roxy
Roxy jumping from the stone wall of cottage house in the middle of the forest. Hungary, Feb 23, 2021.
She always arrived in the yard from different spots. When she came over the wall, she jumped easily over the 120-centimeter obstacle. Upon leaving, she leapt elegantly from the 170-centimeter wall.
After three months, the fox has grown used to my surroundings and treats all the furnishings in my courtyard as her personal playground. When she was undisturbed, she moved about with apparent pleasure and ease. I observed her from the window and tried to get the shot right on time with radio remote control.
by
Milan Radisics
www.milan.hu
