Mount Pearl photographer snaps Canadian Geographic prize-winning photo of adorable fox cubs
Stu White’s photo of two fox cubs was captured near Bonavista
A Newfoundland and Labrador man with a passion for photography and wildlife snapped a photo worthy of a prestigious prize.
Stu White of Mount Pearl is among 14 photographers honoured by Canadian Geographic magazine under its 2024 Canadian Photos of the Year competition — his first time submitting an entry to any contest.
White told CBC News he doesn't do photography for the recognition but getting the award was "pretty cool."
"When you do get it, it's pretty special and it's very special to be the winner obviously," White told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.
White says snapping his prize-winning photo came down to a bit of luck, good timing and perseverance.
He says he knew there was a fox den in an area around Bonavista, and hung around for hours hoping for the cubs to pop up.
"They weren't really staying outside and playing, so I went there the next morning. I think I got up around 6 a.m. I spent about three hours, you know, between my car and outside, back and forth, because it was so cold," said White.
Then, around 9 a.m. he said the foxes came out and that was his moment.
"They literally put on a show. They were ramping around. Very curious. They weren't bothered by me at all," White said. "I just sat in one spot and kind of just took it all in."
But it was only after was reviewing his shots that he realized how special the fox cub images were.
A lot of elements have to align to get a great shot, he explained, like being in the right spot at the right time and the animals being comfortable with a photographer's presence.
"That morning I got a couple of nice shots. I got a few images where it looks like one fox is looking at me and the other one looked like it was kissing them on the cheek. It was pretty adorable," he said.
'Quite the ride'
White usually posts his photos online at Stu White Photography on Facebook and Caribou_stu_ on Instagram. He said he submitted his fox photo to Canadian Geographic's annual contest before Christmas and then let it slip his mind.
"Really I never really put any thought to it afterwards," he said.
In early January, White got an email from a Canadian Geographic editor about being in the running for a prize. At first, White said, he wasn't sure it was a real email and thought it could be a phishing email in an attempt to steal his private information.
"I thought was pretty, pretty incredible," he said.
The win comes with a monetary prize of $1,000, though White says the money isn't what matters.
"To me, the main prize is the recognition and my image in the magazine for the March issue of Canadian Geographic," he said. "So that's something I'll … certainly cherish for as long as I can keep that magazine."
Landscapes to wildlife
White said he got into photography through his job with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro more than a decade ago, which had him travelling throughout the province.
"Some of the scenery and Labrador is absolutely stunning so I knew at that point I needed to buy a camera," he said.
White says he started with a simple camera, got hooked and began looking into an upgrade.
"Then it kind of snowballed from there. I started shooting landscapes and that's what I was doing as a hobby for many years," he said.
And with a new telephoto zoom lens, he said he got into wildlife photography.
"It has since consumed me," he said, laughing. "That's pretty well all I think about now."
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With files from Newfoundland Morning