Outdoor Photography

Opposite (top) Capturing the hares in their environment is a good st art.

Canon EOS 1D X with EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM lens at 47mm, ISO 1000,

1/1600sec at f/10

Opposite (below) Once a hare is used to your presence, it will relax more.

Canon EOS 1D X with EF 500mm f/4 L USM lens, ISO 800, 1/2500sec

at f/4.5

Right (top) Careful observation can result in capturing lovely moments.

Canon EOS 1D X with EF 500mm f/4 L USM lens, ISO 800, 1/3200sec

at f/4.5

Right (below) Winter in the Highlands is a challenging time for your gear.

Canon EOS 1D X with EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM lens at 24mm, ISO 1250,

1/800sec at f/5

Tips for successful hare images

Once you have sp ott ed a hare it is time to plan your approach.

Remember you are entering their world now, so don’t cause them

any unnecessary dist ress or – worse – make them run from you,

using up their valuable energy.

Always walk very slowly towards a hare from the bott om of a slope,

where it can see you. Unlike other types of fi eldcraft , a more direct

approach is favoured here, so don’t try to hide behind rocks or use

gullies to gain ground; remain within sight of the hare at all times.

When you are around 100m from the hare, st op moving. Sit down

and assess its body language. If it is st arting to twitch or turn its

head to the side, this is a sign that it is readying for escape. If you

see this behaviour, just sit st ill and wait, or even talk to the hare.

This may sound silly, but if the hare can see and hear you, over

time it will get used to your presence and relax.

Once the hare is comfortable with you being around, continue to

approach. Mountain hares are exceptionally tolerant of humans,

but try to keep your outline as small as possible. Shuffl e on your

knees or crawl to gain further ground, moving slowly and without

making any sudden movements or sounds. All the time observe

the hare’s behaviour; if you notice it moving or twitching, st op and

wait for it to relax again before proceeding further.

When you are in position, the waiting game begins. It is not

uncommon to sit with a hare for several hours, so this is where

warm layers of clothing come into play. During this time you will

witness it rest ing, hunkered down in the landscape, but every 40

minutes or so you will be rewarded with some great behaviour to

photograph: the hare will wake, sometimes preen, feed, roll around

in the snow, yawn and st retch, act ing as if you were not there.

For frame-fi lling portraits you want subject isolation, which is

where depth of fi eld comes into play. Use a shallow aperture on

a long lens to ensure the foreground and background are blurred,

and drop to your subject ’s eye level. Obscuring the subject slightly

with something in the foreground will help to create depth.

Use a single focus point rather than a larger array of AF points,

so you can pinpoint what you want to be in focus. With animal

portraits the focus point should be the eye.

It is easy to reach for the longest lens possible and shoot tight

portraits. While this is a great option most of the time, it doesn’t

convey the habitat. Sometimes the landscape can be just as

interest ing as the subject , so take a wideangle lens in case your

subject is tolerant enough or you can capture the broader view.

Once you are happy with your images, leave the hare in peace by

retracing your st eps, fi rst crawling backwards and then – once there

is some dist ance between you – st anding up and walking away.

February 2018 Outdoor Photography 37

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