Black Eastern Grey Squirrel in an Urban Environment
Original
Edited
I framed the image so that the concrete structure would occupy the background while keeping the natural environment around the animal intact. For lighting, since the squirrel is sitting in the dark shade, I decided to use this, and make the lighting difference even more emphasized. By using the darkness in the image to highlight the subject, it gives viewers an easier way to distinguish the animal, as its blackness exceeds its surroundings.
Original
Original
I was able to catch a squirrel burying the ground looking for food or materials for shelter. When framing this image, I wanted to include some artificial structure nearby, so I picked a fence. By having the foreground be composed of natural subjects, and the background of artificial objects, this image conveys a difference between what is natural and what is not.
Original
Edited
Here, I had a much simpler concept I wanted to present. This is an image of a squirrel sitting on a tree branch eating food. However, the way that the image is cropped, it acts as a picture frame. The trunk, branches, and leaves of the tree surround the image, revealing a house in the background. Although it is in the background, this house is quite near the squirrel, and I assume it is where this squirrel found its meal. I was fascinated again by the adaptability of these animals, and the conjunction of nature and man which I found in this image. Lastly, I want to address the outlier within these images, and although it is a different animal, it is still very much ingrained within our human structures.
Eastern Grey Squirrel in a Natural Environment
Original
Edited
These images follow the aesthetic of animals living in a natural environment. To start, this photo shows an eastern grey squirrel in its shelter, peeking out at intruders. I find this photo interesting due to the circumstances under which I took it.
I noticed a squirrel on the ground in front of me. It also noticed me, and ran up a nearby tree, then going into a hole. I took the picture and left. This was an experience that allowed me to think on the wildlife photography ethics we talked about in class.
At the moment I took this image, I could think nothing than getting a good picture of a squirrel inside of a tree, but it was after taking the image that I realized I should not loiter in front of it. This animal has run away from me, and was staring at me, waiting. Right after that, I immediately moved on. On my way back, I noticed that the squirrel was no longer in that tree.
When editing the image, I wanted to combine the behaviour of the animal with the nature surrounding it, so I made sure to make the colours of the sky and leaves pop out while including the squirrel hidden in the tree, using it as cover.
Eastern Grey Squirrel Wildlife Behaviour
Original
Edited
This photo shows a grey squirrel being chased by a melanistic squirrel. When cropping the image, I wanted to include aspects from their surroundings to emphasize a certain amount of familiarity which they possessed around human structures, such as the driveways which enclose the two as they run around. I felt like this image could afford a bit of blurring, since I wanted to convey the speed at which they were moving.
Original
Edited
When editing this photo, I wanted to emphasize how intertwined the animal was with the nature around it, and how naturally it was making its way through the tree. I cropped it to include many branches to allow the squirrel to blend into them and become an accessory to the tree. I also boosted some of the colours, as the sun lighting the tree acted as a great way to outline the branches and squirrel in orange. I did consider isolating the animal alone so to emphasize the details of the squirrel, such as its fluffy stomach. However, I believed that using the surrounding branches to blend the animal in would do this image justice a lot better.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I learned a lot about how animals act and adapt with their environments, and how we should act towards them, especially eastern grey squirrels. I noticed that they are built to adapt, as proven by the existence of melanistic grey squirrels, who are made to withstand cold weather (Ciurej). I was surprised and intrigued by the appearance and behaviours of these animals, looking at the ratio of regular to melanistic, and observing how they moved, whether it be on the ground or up in trees. Overall, this project was a great insight on this previously ignored yet ever-present animal, as well as the other behaviours of other animals I was able to photograph.
Work Cited
Ciurej, A. K., A. Oblander, A. W. Swift, and J. A. Wilson. “Melanism As a Potential Thermal Benefit in Eastern Fox Squirrels (Sciurus Niger)”. European Journal of Ecology, vol. 5, no. 2, Dec. 2019, pp. 79-87, doi:10.2478/eje-2019-0013.