Julie and I were driving the roads of Kodiak Island, Alaska, looking for wildlife when this beautiful red-morph Kodiak fox appeared along the edge of the road and began sauntering towards us.
We slowed right down, and the fox continued into a small meadow beside the road. It spent the next few minutes standing alert in the long grass, looking and listening as though it might hunt. It eventually sat down, watched the meadow for a little longer and then lay down for a nap right in front of us.
Photographing a Kodiak Fox Through the Long Grass
The long grass made photography challenging for most of the encounter. There always seemed to be a stem crossing the fox’s face, and the smallest movement changed what I could see through the viewfinder.
I used my 600mm f/4 lens with a 2× teleconverter for a focal length of 1,200mm. That reach helped me isolate the fox through the grass from where we had stopped.
I kept watching for a clear opening. This was one of those brief moments when both eyes were visible, the ears were raised, and the fox looked directly towards me. The out-of-focus foreground grass adds depth and places the fox in the meadow without hiding its face.
This portrait of a Kodiak fox has quickly become one of my favourites.
What Is a Kodiak Fox?
The Kodiak fox has traditionally been classified as Vulpes vulpes harrimani, a red-fox subspecies described by C. Hart Merriam in 1900. More recent taxonomic treatments include harrimani within the northern Alaskan red fox, Vulpes vulpes alascensis, so not every authority treats it as a separate subspecies.
Whatever taxonomic treatment is followed, the Kodiak fox is the native red fox of Alaska’s Kodiak Archipelago.
Historical descriptions of harrimani identify it as a large fox with an enormous bushy tail, coarse, almost wolf-like fur along the lower back and tail, and elongated hair around the neck and shoulders that forms a noticeable ruff.
Although the enormous tail is hidden in the grass in this portrait, the coarse hair and ruff around the neck and shoulders are easy to see.
Kodiak Fox Colour Morphs
Kodiak foxes occur in several colour morphs, including red, cross, silver and black. This individual is a red morph.
The dark backs of the ears are typical of the red colour morph and are not a feature unique to Kodiak foxes. “Red fox” refers to the species, while “red morph” describes this individual’s colour.
Explore More Wildlife Photography with Christopher Dodds
Join me in the field for small-group wildlife photography instruction backed by more than 40 years of professional experience behind the lens.