The subject that I decided to focus on for this assignment was a few tame squirrels who live in my backyard. Squirrels are one of my favorite subjects to photograph because of their sudden bursts of energy and their unique expressions they are capable of showing. Around a year ago, most days when I came home from school I would sit in my backyard with my camera waiting for something to photograph. It was originally hard for me to photograph nature because I had to be very patient, still, and quiet to capture a good shot of squirrels and birds.
During this time, I saw different squirrels walking through my yard and also had my camera handy. One day I was able to capture a shot of a squirrel that was far away with just a standard camera lens that had no zoom function. I didn't like the resulting photos because the squirrel was too far away and was in a very low resolution. The following days I wanted to get a photo of a squirrel closer to me in a higher resolution, so one day I decided to grab some peanuts and throw them at a squirrel. This was during the fall when squirrels are typically searching for more food then normal, and can be more trusting of humans when they are most desperate for food.
It took me around a month for the squirrel to gain my trust and to feel more comfortable to eat just a few feet away from me, so I could now take the squirrel's picture without it being in such a low resolution. I saw this as an opportunity to take as many photos of a squirrel close up. My relationship has grown over time with the squirrels, and I still enjoy feeding them even though I already have more then one hundred photos of them on my computer. This was how my liking for squirrels started out and why they are still one of my favorite subjects to focus on.