50 Shades of White and a Touch of Red: About Red Foxes in the Snow
The Red & White Mission
Red foxes in the snow wasn’t the most logical subject of choice when I started my Red & White Mission, years ago…
Snow, in my country, is some kind of…curiosity. It might snow a few days a winter, but years can go by completely snow-less as well.
People speculate, anticipate and place bets; “Would it, will it..?”
A sled, a pair of skates and some thick mittens are purchased.
Just in case.
The entire country starts to tingle excitedly, waiting for what might or might not come.
Then, the weather forecasts finally speak out the magic words and a wave of subdued excitement goes through the country.
“They say it’s gonna snow, did you hear it…?!”
Watching the seemingly inexhaustible stream of downwards whirling snowflakes, has a soothing, almost hypnotizing effect on me.
If you watch long enough, you could easily imagine being absorbed into the Endless Snowflake Universe.
The whiteness makes the ugliness vanish; streets are expertly covered and all objects are wrapped into countless round packages, looking like huge white toys.
Within a few hours, nothing is left from the world as we know it, flakes are slowly taking over and resistance is futile.
Even sounds are being swallowed by this Great White.
All that’s left is that enchanting silence, like everything has always been good and always will be.
My modern, urban and slightly overcrowded world has miraculously been transformed into a picture from a Charles Dickens book.
The scene is flawless but still, something seems to be missing.
Some magic, some sparkle, something.
Should not every fairytale have its own fairytale figure?
A truly fascinating character, preferably both smart and funny.
Adventurous, cunning, charming and a bit naughty.
And handsome as can be, of course.
White out
But what being could possibly polish up this perfect, yet slightly boring scene with a blob of colour…?
So here I am, me and my camera and so much whiteness that it makes me almost lose my sense of time and space.
Left, right, up, down, everything is just white.
And then…while the whole world is being absorbed in blankness and the steadily falling snow muffles the sound of my shutter, a red fox suddenly appears on stage: A red fox in the snow!
She embellishes my white canvas just so perfectly.
Never had I been happier with a little touch of red in my colour palette…
I realize my fairytale has just begun.
Prints / greeting cards of red foxes in the snow series are available in the shop.
Fairytale Fox II
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) sitting in the snow as if it just doesn’t really know what to do in this particular situation. Or maybe it was just as surprised as I was to find another creature in these quite uncommon and uncomfortable weather circumstances.
Happy Fox is Happy
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) sitting in the snow and seems to be totally at ease, despite the thick layer of snow and the cold.
Red Fox plowing through the Snow
I can only admire the way foxes just take life as it comes. No matter how cold it gets, how heavy the snow falls, they just sit, smile and just pridely undergo their fate, waiting for the warmth and sun to come by…
Fairytale Fox
Fairytale Fox
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) sitting in the snow as if it just doesn’t really know what to do in this particular situation. Or maybe it was just as surprised as I was to find another creature in these quite uncommon and uncomfortable weather circumstances.
Zen Fox in the Snow
The Fox with the Heart-Shaped Face
Fox in the Clouds
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) on a winter day, sitting in a thick layer of fresh pristine white snow
The Catcher in the Rime
Red Fox in the rime
Portrait of a Red fox (vulpes vulpes) in a hoar frost covered landscape
Red fox in a blizzard
Slush Puppy
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) shaking the snow from her fur.
Fire n Ice
Red fox in a snow covered scene, looking behind in this typical foxy way
red flow walking trhough the snow
Red Fox in a Snow Shower
Fox & Hoar Frost
Red Fox Plowing through a Snow Storm
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) in heavy snow fall
The Catcher in the Rime II
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) standing in a frost covered white world
Portrait of a red fox in the snow
Fire & Ice
Portrait of a Red fox (vulpes vulpes) in the snow, with little snow flakes on its fur.
Red Fox Love
Two red foxes (vulpes vulpes) together in the snow on a very cold winter day
Red Fox White Out
Red Fox Jumping in the Snow
Red fox in the snow
The Fox with the Heart-Shaped Mask
The Catcher in the Rime
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) standing in a frost covered white world
Red Fox, White World
Red Fox ploughing through the snow
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Red Fox Portrait in the Snow
Red Foxes Fighting in the Snow
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) fighting in a white, snow-covered world.
Red fox in the snow looking over its shoulder
On a beautiful winter morning, when all the ugliness was devoured by a huge, cold white cloud. Only the beautiful fur of the red fox remained visible, like a sparkle of warmth and joy in a grey world..
Zen Fox in the Snow
Red fox on a snow blanket
Comfortably Fox II
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) lying comfortably on a thick layer of snow.
Red Fox on Ice
The Catcher in the Rime
Red fox in the snow looking at the photographer
Portrait of a red fox in the snow
Formerly, our winters used to be constructed with care; Some freezing, some thawing. As soon as you had finally dusted your ice skates and dug up your mittens, thaw had already set in. The first ice scraping from your car window, a hopeful little snowman and some modest ski-fever, interspersed with a daunting little thaw attack. And so, the winter would build up by fits and starts and in the end you could look back satisfied and ascertain that it had really been winter. But that was before the invention of instant winter! These endless long and ruthlessly cold winters are sooo nineteen-hundred-something. New & improved winters easily fit in one morning. Theoretically, they would fit neatly between the morning and evening rush hours, without causing the slightest inconvenience. Efficiency is key; some freezing, a bit of frost and a touch of white and here’s your winter scene. It might look like someone hastily emptied a huge bag of Styrofoam balls, but hey: white is white, isn’t it?! White: check, snow: check, frost: check. Fox; check. Anything else? But mind you, if you blink twice, your winter world will be gone. Those days of calmly leaking and thawing are over. Snow-free within no-time. This weekend we expeienced another instant winter. It started in the morning and it was over before lunch. So more than ever it was a matter of right place right time. Luckily I managed to be there on time and so did the fox!
Fox in the Snow Portrait
Portrait of a Red Fox in the snow (Vulpes vulpes)
Fox in the snow
White Out
Red fox (vulpes vulpes) in a totally snow-covered environment.
Red Fox running through the Snow
Red Fox on the Ice
Red Fox in a White World
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) standing in a thick layer of white snow