The pandemic was particularly hard for photographers, regardless of the genre, for both personal and professional projects. Still, it never stopped some to grab every opportunity to pick up a camera and capture anything of interest. For Budapest-based photographer, artist and designer Milan Radisics, it was a series of adorable encounters with a young fox. Never thought about your backyard as a potential source of inspiration and interesting visual stories? His photos will certainly change your mind!

Aptly titled “Quarantined with a Fox,” the series chronicles Milan Radisics’ quarantine rendezvous with an intrepid fox in 2021. Over the course of eight months, he spent almost every night sitting at the window of his cottage house in the forest to observe the life of foxes. Little did he know that it was the start of an amazing opportunity to tell a unique quarantine story.

“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,” Radisics shared. “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.”

Capturing the adventures of Roxy the fox

Not everyone gets the privilege of seeing foxes pop up in their backyard, much more observe them on a regular basis. Roxy definitely treated Radisics to an insider view into her daily activities, which he certainly made the most out of. “She always surprised me, showing new sides of her personality and quick adaptation to the changes,” he recalled. “Adjusting to the presence of a wild animal, I learned plenty about foxes and also about myself and humans in general.”

Nearly a year’s worth of encounters allowed Radisics to tell a beautiful visual story of his feisty and furry neighbor. Whether she’s trying to make sense of her surroundings, observing Radisics from outside his window, or even jumping on his car, he caught many of her adorable antics on camera. He also got so familiar with Roxy that he was eventually able to recognize her from the notch on her left ear. Keen eye for detail and sharp observation skills at work there!

I like how he told the story of his encounters with Roxy in such a beautiful, dynamic and artful style. It’s definitely what sets this series apart from the usual wildlife photography we see. Here, Radisics lets us tag along in his wonderful experience, giving us to the front seat of the vixen’s nightly shenanigans. I also find it amazing how he was able to capture Roxy’s fascinating expressions. Somehow, it does seem like cautious as she was, she still let Radisics get as close as possible for some unforgettable photos!

A test of patience, creativity and problem-solving

Each photo is a testament to all the effort put into building this series and the unique story behind it. Curious and friendly as Roxy seemed to be, she was also still a wild animal wary of her surroundings. Any sudden movement or sound will set her off running. Add to that the fact that Radisics took all the photos at night and we see the problem-solving behind the scenes. Fortunately, for those who are curious about the technicalities involved in the series, his project description and captions bring answers.

“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. It was a wonderful opportunity to develop skills and experiment with gadgets.”

Aside from this, Radisics also mentioned using a hunting camera and underwater camera, and getting creative with lighting. He even built a big glass table that Roxy could hop onto for a unique capture of her epilated belly from giving birth five days prior. “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,” he shared.

All the hard work paid off for our featured photographer. The series earned him the category winner distinction in the Hungarian Press Photo 2022, and finalist award in the Sony World Photography Awards 2022. Definitely well-deserved, don’t you think?

Don’t forget to check out Milan Radisics’ website and Behance portfolio to see more of his impressive photography projects.

All photos by Milan Radisics. Used with Creative Commons permission.