Wildlife Night Photography Tips Please

[LMC]

Hi,

I have a canon 450d, i have 6 foxes that come into our garden at about 9pm at night, i sit in the shed hoping to take photos of them but i havent succseded yet. Does anyone have any tips? What setting should i have it on? Should i use a flashgun?
Any tips would be greatful
Lmc

[andy153]

Hi there, You could use flash but that may scare them off. I would try and build up their confidence in your garden - put a little dog food on the ground for them and slowly illuminate the garden or one particular area of it over a couple of weeks - low light to start and then increase it. An external safety light with a dimmer switch controlled from the shed should do. You want the illuminated area to have a good background for the foxes to be photographed against, and I would try the odd flash on low power to start with so they become used to it. Foxes have a keen sense of smell, hearing and sight, and can be very skittish, but once they have confidence in an area they will return, time and again. I suggest that with six you have a couple of parents and their cubs. If all become used to the area you could get them returning for years to come. If you are in a fairly rural area, dog food entices hedgehogs and badgers as well. Always clean up after a session as it also attracts feral cats and rodents. My new home in North Wales backs onto fields and woods and I have foxes and hedgehogs as regular visitors even when the halogen security lights are on.

[LMC]

Hi,

Thanks for that, i do put a little dog food out & also have a flood light that lights up the area that they dont seem to mind.
I sit in the shed with windows that are glass does this matter or should i put the camera outside the shead on a tripod & use a cable release to take pics?
I am being really silly how do you put the flash on low power? Is that on a flash gun or on the camera? I am using a lense that is 55 -250mm, is this ok?
I am really looking forward to next spring hopefully they will bring back their little cubs i can photograph
Thanks
Lmc

[andy153]

Hi again, don't shoot through glass, create a little flap in the shed that will allow you to see through and put the camera through, either hinge the wood so you can open it and keep it up, or create a hole with a cloth flap that you can remove or draw to one side. The lens would seem to be fine, use ISO about 400-800, and a proper flash, although you may find with the spot light that the onboard flash is sufficient. The hole in the shed should be large enough to accommodate camera lens and flash. A flash on a cord, on the outside of the hole would be best.