Bobcat

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 13, 2010204 views11 comments

Nikon D90 - 300mm+1.4x
f/6.3 1/800sec ISO 200

Seeing the beautiful photo's of cats in this forum, I decided to pull this pic taken last December of a Bobcat and rework it.

Technically its not very good and the clutter is a bit much, I just had to crop a little off the bottom and the left of the frame. I blurred the background and sharpened.

It was a very lucky find. First time I have ever seen one in the wild. I was walking down a path at the edge of a hill. I looked up and this guy was just staring at me and he was close. The encounter lasted one minute and i snapped 11 shots before he turned and walked away up the hill.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 13, 2010 at 10:41 PM

Great capture of a very elusive creature!
The BG doesn't bother me - this is where they LIVE.
Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on April 13, 2010 at 10:53 PM

Turned out looking really good Peter even with the harsh lighting! Nice and sharp.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 13, 2010 at 11:09 PM

I like this a lot Peter. The colors of the dried grass closely matches the cat's. I don't mind the harsh lighting, adds to the wilderness feeling. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one in the wild but others in the Hinton area have been reporting sightings lately, rabbit numbers and Bobcats in turn are high apparently. What part of the province was this taken?
(opportunities like this makes you wish for a nearly silent shutter doesn't it).

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Vaudry on April 14, 2010 at 12:12 AM

Thanks Sandy, Gary and Gary for your comments. I'm in Calgary and you are right about rabbits. The Bobcats are likely in this area because of the rabbits. Lots of jackrabbits. And again you are probably correct in thinking the curious expression of the cat is because it hears my camera shutter.

Registered on March 5, 2010, 12 Posts, 53 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Canning on April 14, 2010 at 12:43 PM

Full frame wild bobcat shot - how cool is that! Congratulations!

Registered on February 10, 2004, 88 Posts, 549 Comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on April 14, 2010 at 2:16 PM

Great to see another bobcat. I particularly like the way the face, the forelimb and ear tufts have come out.

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

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 14, 2010 at 2:39 PM

Wow, that sounds and looks like it was an awesome encounter Peter! The best thing is he stayed and posed at least long enough for you to take a few images rather then getting only shot sfrom its behind.

You did very well here; exposure looks great and I particularly like that despite the high sun angle parts of the eyes are visible. Your processing looks excellent and you did a good job on blurring the BG, if you would not have mentioned it I would never have guessed.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Joe Sulik on April 14, 2010 at 7:11 PM

Great shot Peter, a very different environment than what I'm used to seeing them in, but these cats adapt very well, and I'm sure they're found in all kinds of environments. What I think is really cool is the cats camouflage blends in to the brownish-red background, it has much more color in its fur than the bobcats I've been photographing in the badlands, which have very grey coats so they can blend into the cliffs and bluffs they call home. Your very lucky to have seen one up close, it took me two trips and hundreds of hours before I was able to get as close as you were. Overall great bobcat shot. Thanks for posting this.

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on April 15, 2010 at 4:29 PM

My main wish would have been for lower light to show more eye detail and eye color. That said, this is a wonderful and rare opportunity and you did very well with the circumstances.

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

Comment posted by Peter Vaudry on April 15, 2010 at 7:45 PM

Thanks Ken, Anand, Vincent,Joe and Lon for your comments. Since I took this pic last December I have learned more about this hobby and I'll be better prepared for my next encounter.

Registered on March 5, 2010, 12 Posts, 53 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on April 23, 2010 at 10:30 PM

Sweet shot of a rare encounter

Ken Archer

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