The Story of Mr. Fox
A walk one sultry summer evening brought me into personal contact with my future photo project. An Arabian Red Fox (a subspecies of the European Red fox) sat calmly by the side of the road as we walked past. It kept a calculated distance on its human company. At that point, I decided to document the foxes that were living in the heart of Abu Dhabi.
Initially, the difficulty of finding a resident fox was overwhelming. After locating them came the task of gaining their trust. My first fox disappeared after a week and the search began all over again. After a number of weeks, I learned of a male fox which had a fairly defined home range and typically predictable sleeping spots. Given the nocturnal activity of foxes, this fox, which I aptly named Mr. Fox, could be found sleeping right up to evening time in his one of his common sleeping locations.
Day after day, evening after evening and week after week, I followed Mr. Fox, always keeping my distance, wearing the same clothes and vocalising the identical welcoming phrases to facilitate recognition and continuity to occur. After three months, Mr. Fox would let me sit within 10 meters of him and take photos. The photos that follow are the results of this trust that was established between us.
I hope to continue following Mr. Fox right through the breeding season and document his life as succinctly as possible.