White Eagle – White Lop Rabbit sleeping in a tall white vase

Rabbits have an incredible knack of staying put, no matter where you put them, provided they are comfortable of course. Rachael made sure the vase was stable by placing heavy rocks in the base and then made the top half of the vase super cozy with soft fabric and a cushion stuffed up to a level where there would be enough room for White Eagle to snuggle in safely. White Eagle felt so at home he actually dozed off on his cushioned little bed. Rachael set the studio Flash at the lowest level possible to create the photo and bounced the flash off the white ceiling in her studio, this made sure the flash was hardly noticeable for the little rabbit, making sure it didn’t startle at all causing the vase to topple. Rachael always has extra hands close by to keep their eyes on any movement, and so they can hold the vase in place, taking their hands off the vase for only a split second to allow Rachael to capture the image. When using studio flash with animals Rachael always makes sure she tests the lights when the animals are just doing their own thing in the studio prior to starting the shoot, this allows them to get accustomed to flash before being placed on set.

This image was published in Rachael’s book It’s a Zoo Out There.

White Eagle was photographed in the studio on Rachael’s 4x5 inch Toyo View Camera with Portra 160 Film using a large Elinchrom Octa Studio Flash bounced off the ceiling

Rachael recommends this image to be framed using a White or White washed Frame, with or without a white border.