Black Wolf, White Snow

Gallery: WildlifePosted February 8, 2010867 views37 comments

OK - this one's a monitor "tester" and may not look too good on LCD's (laptops, etc.).

I decided on a whim yesterday AM to risk "wasting the day" (tongue in cheek) by going totally against the odds of getting a decent shot (or even a shot at all) by setting my sights on the proverbial "needle in a haystack" species. Or, in this case, I went chasing those ghosts more commonly known as wolves. Long story short, missing the Super Bowl was worth it and I actually managed to FIND two pairs of wolf tracks and follow them until the actual "tracker makers" were still in the tracks! Even more amazingly, one of the two wolves wasn't terrified of humans (which is incredibly rare in my neck of the woods as it's open season on these beautiful animals year 'round, but that's another story).

No major "lesson" offered up today, other than (I suppose) that even though my chances of getting this shot yesterday was almost zero, it would even been less if I stayed in my warm cabin! What's that saying? Oh yeah, "F8 and be there". While I realize completely that probability of capturing a particular image is only a weak correlate of image quality and/or image value, there were so many odds stacked against me in producing this image yesterday that it is already destined to become one of my personal favourite images!

Subject: Black coated Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) laying in snowy field
Location: Southern Rockies, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 600mm f4 VR lens - handheld. VR on and set to "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/2500s at f4. ISO 400. +1.0 stop compensation from matrix metered exposure.
Crop: Cropped to pano from horizontal capture - about 70% of original image

All the gory details behind this image (field notes, all camera settings and processing details, conservation, etc.) can be found at:

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/mammals/wolvesandkin/.

All comments welcome - cheers...

Brad

Monday evening update: I've added a full description of this unique encounter with a wolf on my blog (8 February entry) - anyone interested in reading it should go here: http://www.naturalart.ca/voice/blog.html.

Comments

37 comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on February 8, 2010 at 4:16 PM

Looks great on my lousy laptop screen, especially the eyes. The frosty chin is a nice touch too.

The fact that you were able to follow the tracks and catch up to them is pretty amazing!

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 8, 2010 at 4:23 PM

Hey Max,

Yeah, it was an amazing encounter. Seconds after I shot this image the wolf got up and decided (with no sign of aggression or even curiosity) to trot right AT me. It approached to within about 15 feet (at the close focus distance of my lens) and casually hopped off the trail and proceeded to pass me (distance of under 10 feet) and then hop back on the trail immediately behind me (and continue away). I have shots of it closing in on me (with tongue licking its lips - didn't know this until after I looked at the images or I might have been concerned!) and then some full-frame head shots as it went around me). The shots are of pretty iffy quality, but at least record the event. At the end I was left with the oddest feeling - simply that the wolf considered me a mere inconvenience (like a log on a trail) and that I hardly rated in its world! Sure put me in my place!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on February 8, 2010 at 4:24 PM

absolutely gorgeous sight !

agree with max, what makes this special is that you tracked it down on foot !

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on February 8, 2010 at 4:30 PM

What a beautiful animal! Wish I had a few of these guys in my neighborhood. Very well done. Out of curiousity how far from your cabin did you have to go to get this shot?

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 8, 2010 at 4:35 PM

Hi Robert,

We currently have a pair of wolves (possibly 3) in the immediate vicinity of our cabin (I run into the tracks almost daily). But so far haven't been able to even get a glimpse of them.

I shot this image about 100 km (50 km as crow flies) from my cabin - these wolves are in an area where there's lots of other things (wildlife and landscapes) to shoot - which made it easier to justify the trip - lots of shooting options. But I went with wolves as my primary targets (not really expecting to find any tho').

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Joe Sulik on February 8, 2010 at 4:53 PM

Amazing image Brad, the fact that you were able to go out following those tracks until you found the wolves making them, as well as coming home with an incredible image of a wolf is amazing. We have several wolf packs in MN, but despite the many atempts, we've never actually succeeded in finding a MN wolf, although we did come very close. I think my favorite part of the image is it's eyes.

Registered on January 7, 2009, 51 Posts, 165 Comments

Comment posted by James Campbell on February 8, 2010 at 4:57 PM

Hi Brad, what a beautiful shot from such a special encounter! Great work

and doing it all on foot really makes it all the more worthwhile...

Registered on January 12, 2009, 48 Posts, 377 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on February 8, 2010 at 6:17 PM

Brad it looks almost perfect on my monitor. It had to be a fantastic encounter, isn't it?

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments

Comment posted by Jade Schiess on February 8, 2010 at 6:26 PM

Too bad you had to miss the superbowl but i can see it was well worth it! Great job on having eye contact with the wolf. I think that makes the picture so intense!

Registered on September 23, 2009, 7 Posts, 59 Comments

Comment posted by JACK NEAL on February 8, 2010 at 6:31 PM

Brad,

Great picture! Those eyes really get you. The snow and the ice on the wolf's jaw tells the story on conditions. Thanks for missing the super bowl!

Jack

Registered on September 26, 2009, 131 Posts, 554 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on February 8, 2010 at 6:46 PM

I love the way he is looking at you and the frost on his chin. I also love the way he is sitting in the snow. Even with all the snow in the image it doesn't look cold. I bet it was though. I would definitely say this was worth missing the super bowl for. It is so wonderful that you were able to find what you sought and capture such an excellent image to boot.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Colello on February 8, 2010 at 7:18 PM

Spectacular image Brad of a truly iconic species! Well done, what an experience this must have been.

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by mark cillo on February 8, 2010 at 7:50 PM

That sounds like a worthy reason to miss the game! Great work and cool story

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 8, 2010 at 8:02 PM

You missed Peyton Manning being intercepted for this?! Geez Brad. . . starting to wonder when you are going to get your priorities straight. . .

Another top notch capture and I wholly understand the "needle in a haystack" aspect. I went "Owling" for my first time yesterday (BEFORE the game) and came up with nothing. Every cavity I saw I kept envisioning a Screech or a Great Horned even though of course the odds were stacked against me. But that's why we do this - if we wanted guarantees we would go to the zoo.

As for it not looking good - the only thing I can pick out is the bright halo around the wolf and the grey textures between the wolf's ear and the OOF sapling on the left (part of that I'm sure is a result of the shallow DOF). I did do a threshold layer that shows the "halo". This is @ 233

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 8, 2010 at 8:14 PM

Hey Luke,

The halo is why I mentioned that the image may not look good on LCD's - they tend to show it more. LightZone (which is the app I use for my final tonemapping and re-lighting) commonly does this, depending on the pixel radius you choose to use. I removed most visible portions of it (for most monitors) by some creative blending. If I "do" anything more with image (which is likely), I'll clean it up a little more...

Cheers...

Brad

PS: Deep down I'm a geek...but keep that a secret - only wildlife guy I know who built his own website from the ground up with only a text editor and working with raw code and my own scripts

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by István Molnár on February 8, 2010 at 8:32 PM

Excellent composition.
István

Registered on January 7, 2010, 114 Posts, 704 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 8, 2010 at 9:47 PM

Great encounter Brad!!! Super Sweet photo too! Hand holding 600mm? Amazing

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on February 8, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Brad,

I am so unbelievably jealous. I would gladly miss the Super Bowl or any other sporting event to get this shot. Not only is it a great, up close shot of a wolf in the wild but a black one in a bed of white snow to boot. I just love the eyes and the composition of this photo...one of my favorite wolf photos. Congrats!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 8, 2010 at 10:39 PM

Hello,

This image is getting a little more attention that I anticipated. If anyone is interested in reading more about this unique interaction with a wolf, I've added a full description of the whole encounter to my blog(8 February entry), which can be found right here...

http://www.naturalart.ca/voice/blog.html

cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Olsen on February 8, 2010 at 11:40 PM

All I can say is WOW to the photo and story!
The eyes feel like they are going to pierce the heart, the snow on the chin, the wolf's position
and the complimentary pine to balance the scene.
Congrats and thanks for the story!

Registered on October 19, 2006, 306 Posts, 1571 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on February 9, 2010 at 3:09 AM

Excellent shot Brad! The fact that you tracked them and caught up with them, followed by that incredible interaction... what a day!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Neil Rossmiller on February 9, 2010 at 9:07 AM

Hey Brad,
Leave it to you to bring me out of my "Ski Photography" closet.

Shooting on snow a lot I noticed the halo right away, but didn't find it too objectionable.
The effort and determination for the subject speak volumes about your dedication to Nature Photography!

( PS: Deep down I'm a geek...but keep that a secret - only wildlife guy I know who built his own website from the ground up with only a text editor and working with raw code and my own scripts )

I'm not surprised!

Great work and story to start my day.

Neil

Registered on October 30, 2009, 156 Posts, 749 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on February 9, 2010 at 12:10 PM

What's so wonderful to me about this image is first of all, its a black wolf lying around in the snow like some great Newfoundland Dog, and second is the story of how it walked toward, around and past you on the trail. That's amazing. Priceless image.

"PS: Deep down I'm a geek...but keep that a secret - only wildlife guy I know who built his own website from the ground up with only a text editor and working with raw code and my own scripts" Well Brad, now you know another one. Did the same thing from scratch without knowing a word of html, learned it and went live in less than 6 weeks.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Kastendiec on February 10, 2010 at 8:51 AM

Brad
This image blows my mind, I love the story you shared about this image.
Thanks for posting this, you made my day.
Best,
Michael

Registered on July 8, 2009, 17 Posts, 93 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on February 10, 2010 at 5:15 PM

Excellent image and story to go along with it, a real gem. When was the super bowl on?

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on February 10, 2010 at 9:26 PM

Brad, I was taking another look at your shot and was reading over the stats and noticed the SS wa 1/2500 sec. Is this correct or should it have been 1/250 sec.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on February 10, 2010 at 9:30 PM

Robert,

Shot this one wide open at ISO 400 so it WAS 1/2500s. Lotsa snow there! I normally shoot WAY slower than this (even when hand-holding my 600) but was rushing to get a shot off using a pre-adjusted camera (i.e., set so I could shoot off a few quick shots even if I was in the woods with way less light). I backed off the ISO and stopped down more on subsequent shots...

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on February 10, 2010 at 11:06 PM

I think it amazingly great

Love the snow on the face and the great stare

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Carl Donohue on February 11, 2010 at 1:13 AM

Hey Brad

What Super Bowl? :)

This rocks - I'd love to have something like this. Must have been a great experience to see and photograph. Congrats.

PS: Deep down I'm a geek...but keep that a secret - only wildlife guy I know who built his own website from the ground up with only a text editor and working with raw code and my own scripts

uhhhmm ... that doesn't sound so 'deep down' at all. :)

Cheers

Carl

Registered on November 1, 2003, 46 Posts, 589 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on February 11, 2010 at 10:32 AM

Do I need to add, two thumbs up?

I suspect you have processed and tweaked this high contrast situation to the max, so now all you need to do is make a good print of this one for your office!

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Wintergren on February 11, 2010 at 4:54 PM

Looks perfect! Great shot and a beautiful animal.

Registered on January 24, 2010, 15 Posts, 174 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on February 12, 2010 at 1:10 AM

superb - the eyes are total engaged and the frosty chin adds. perfect exposure as well. nice work!

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Jonathan Sinclair on February 13, 2010 at 1:13 PM

Amazing image Brad! The eyes are so piercing! The snow on the chin is a nice addition, and I like the contrast of the scene with the black wolf white snow. The shrubs in the background play a good role of breaking up the blandness of the snow! I would say this shot was worth missing the superbowl as well!!

Registered on February 11, 2010, 35 Posts, 39 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on February 14, 2010 at 11:27 PM

Amazing image! I like the little bit of snow on the chin and the way the eyes portray a lot of power.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Lindy Martin on February 15, 2010 at 8:19 PM

Hey Brad - great day for you missing football - I would take a wolf over a football any day. You certainly have an uncanny ability to get the eyes that pierce right though the viewer! Good one!

Registered on March 10, 2009, 60 Posts, 169 Comments

Comment posted by Andrei Malashenko on March 22, 2011 at 5:27 PM

HI Brad, look at it this way. The Super Bowls will come and go and you're probably not going to remember anything that happened in any of the games. This incredible moment will stay with you for the rest of your life. Lucky you ! It's a beautiful photograph and looks great on my screen as well. Again, a striking photo and thanks for sharing. Best regards, Andrei

Registered on March 18, 2011, 13 Posts, 68 Comments

Comment posted by Phillip Tomkinson on March 24, 2011 at 5:20 PM

Hi a fine image I would love to see a wild one, one day.

Phil.

Registered on July 14, 2005, 194 Posts, 427 Comments