We’re taking a walk on the wild side.
It’s not every day that we get to photograph some of Virginia’s most compelling citizens. So we were beyond excited when Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary’s executive director invited us to tour their facility and take photos of some of their education ambassador animals. We thought this would be a great opportunity to take dramatic portraits with studio lighting to show the real beauty of our native species.
The Set-Up
How do you set up for portraits when your subjects are only a few inches tall? Having the right model to stand in is a big help. Luckily, the Sanctuary had a stuffed snapping turtle that let us test our lighting and adjust it until we were happy with the style of the shots. As you can see in the photos below, the edge light on either side of the stuffed turtle translated into nice highlights on the shell of Linford, the eastern box turtle.
The Shoot
Once we had our backdrop and lights in place, it was time for our furry and scaly friends to get in front of the camera. A folding table became our catwalk and Sanctuary director Sarah brought us each animal ambassador one at a time. While some of the animals were not able to come indoors, we managed to photograph eleven ambassadors, including their newest one who doesn’t yet have a name. (In case you’re interested in naming them yourself, you can bid for the privilege at the Sanctuary’s annual fundraising gala on October 2.) Virginia opossums Fiona (left) and Barney (right) were such good sports with Sarah’s expert handling. She’ll be the first to tell you: don’t try this at home.
Teeny Nagini is a central rat snake, also commonly known as a black snake, and it’s hard to appreciate just how long he is… about seven feet! He posed on the table, wrapped around handler Jeff’s hand, and twined around a branch. His shiny (not slimy) scales reflected the light beautifully, and we were so happy to see that the camera captured his flicking forked tongue. Snakes are one of the most feared and misunderstood animals, but for us, Teeny Nagini was nothing but charming. No pun intended.
For the marsupials, food was a big motivator, and they happily munched on kibble while having their portraits taken. In addition to the ambassadors we’ve already mentioned, we got to meet a corn snake, a tiny eastern mud turtle, a yellow-bellied slider, a Russian tortoise, and a red-eared slider.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at some of the hardworking education ambassadors who call Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary home. If you’d like to sponsor them, or make a donation in any amount, check out their website.