Eastern Cottontail in an Urban Environment
Original
Edited
These two photos feature a rabbit sitting among a natural environment, however, a man-made structure lies in the background. I found that the thick grass surrounding the animal really pushed a natural feeling, yet the stone pillars of a shed nearby break that illusion.
The rabbit itself is currently alert, with its ears perked up, ready to bolt away from me, although it is much more adapted to humans than it may seem, as I was able to get quite close to it. This image is a great way to close off my experiences with urban animals, living within a concrete enclosed nature, an environment which I found was perfect to sight many of these lives that have greatly adapted to our presence and our structures. This was an experience new to me, as I usually ignored these often-sighted animals, yet by trying to capture their lives, I have attained a better understanding of their “ways of life” as Thom Van Dooren would describe.
Eastern Cottontail Behaviour
Origianl
Original
I wanted to portray this eastern cottontail creeping into the image, just as it had creeped into my backyard. I reflected upon how animals and humans portray the concept of “property,” and was interested by our differing “ways of life.”
I have changed the cropping to cut off part of the rabbit, enhancing the feeling of “sneaking,” an act which I found very hard to do. It was tough deciding how much of the cottontail to cut, and if the cropping needed any other adjustments. In the end, I decided upon the framing seen in the final version, and overall, I am quite pleased with it, and feel like I have been able to make this photo better because of the feedback I received.
Work Cited
Van Dooren, Thom. “Introduction: Telling Lively Stories at the Edge of Extinction.” Flight Ways: Life and Loss at the Edge of Extinction. New York, Chichester, West Sussex. Columbia University Press, published 2016.