With the help of an inquisitive hare, a Prince George woman has earned an honourable mention in the B.C. SPCA's Wildlife-In-Photo contest.
Elle Ambrosi gained the accolade
Nov. 3 in the contest's "wild settings" category for a photo of a snowshoe hare taken near Vanderhoof this spring. It helped that the hare took as much interest in Ambrosi and her camera as she did in him.
For years, the registered social worker has made a hobby of bringing along a camera and keeping an eye out for "things that show me the beauty in my environment."
She and a friend were doing just that when they went for a drive through the countryside and came across a few hares alongside the road out in the Tachick Lake area.
"They just looked like they were having so much fun hopping around," Ambrosi said.
"And so I got out of the vehicle and got down low and this particular hare actually let me get fairly close to him and he was curious and hence the shot where he's leaping towards me and wondering what I'm doing."
Ambrosi, who likes to research animal behaviour to figure out what she needs to do to get a good image, had a 55-to-300 mm lens on her single-lens reflex camera and figures she got within about five metres of her subject.
"There are many terrific photographers in Prince George and so I feel quite humbled that my photo was chosen for honourable mention in this contest," Ambrosi said.
"But it's those moments that make it all worthwhile, like icing on the cake."
Photography has been a long-time passion for Ambrosi. She started in the mid 1980s with portraiture of children when her own kids were young then moved over to wildlife.
"It's a lot simpler, I don't need to get releases and all that sort of stuff," Ambrosi said. "But in saying that, there are a lot of similarities.
"I've been photographing third-generation fox pups here at local parks this year and each animal has its own personality, just like a child does.
"It sparks my interest to sort of connect with animals, particularly their young, and to see how their personalities develop."
In terms of noticing wildlife as small as hares from the road, Ambrosi said developing an eye for movement and for light and shadow is key.
"Often wildlife will be in the shadow but if you can train your eye to see those subtle differences and watch for movement or for a spot that may appear to be out of place, that's helpful," she said.
Photography has been "more about my own wellness over the years," but earlier this year a woman from Cranbrook found a photo of a duck Ambrosi had taken and posted on the Hell Yeah Prince George Facebook page and asked to purchase a copy.
"She really motivated me to try something else, to push it to another level, so that's what I've been doing," she said.
A few of her photos have since been shown during the weather forecast on CKPG's evening news.
All the photos that were either winners or honourable mentions can be found at www.spca.bc.ca, where a link to the images is posted on the home page.
