My deep human yearning for nature.

In the north-eastern part of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region lives the great grey owl. Its beautiful but unusual facial markings make it one of the many species in this area that photography enthusiasts come to photograph. 

The typical period of daily activity of the great grey owl is longer than that of most owls. As well as being active at night, it can also be photographed in the morning and evening when the light is the most beautiful. It just so happens that the time I was shooting was the time when the great grey owl was brooding, and the male bird was more active in hunting prey. It often perches on tall treetops for the best vantage point, and when raising chicks it becomes more alert to the surrounding environment. 

Due to the long days at this time of year in this region, I needed to wait at the place where I knew the great grey owl foraged at about four o'clock in the morning every day. During the few days of shooting, the local weather was unpredictable, and I was fortunate to have taken pictures of great grey owls flying and foraging in different weather conditions (foggy mornings and sunny evenings) and different environments. As we all know, the eyesight and hearing of owls are very keen so I had to be very careful when shooting. Fortunately I was able to witness and capture some wonderful moments with this incredible bird.

This time on the Hulun Buir prairie, I was very lucky to meet a mother corsac fox and four baby corsac foxes. I followed them and recorded their lives with the SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens. The corsac fox is often referred to as "the elf that guards the grassland". For rodents that endanger the grassland ecology, the corsac fox is their natural enemy. Its sense of smell, hearing, and vision are extremely keen, and it can very accurately target and capture its prey. When I was shooting I often encountered scenes where the mother corsac fox was teaching the young foxes to hunt, but because they were still juveniles, the scene often ended with the young foxes play-fighting with each other!

During this filming process, I saw them cuddling in the early morning, playing and chasing at dusk, and I also witnessed moments of mutual dependence and intimate interaction between mother and children. "Emotion" has always been my favorite subject to shoot. I use the SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports to remember these moments and the warm feeling they gave me. I believe photographing wildlife does not only present the sublimation of emotion, but it also reminds humans of their deep yearning for nature.