Otter in Winter

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 29, 2014162 views5 comments

I think I'm finally getting excited about winter. We just had our first snowfall, and I have a trip back out to Yellowstone scheduled in a couple weeks.

Maybe I'll have luck with otters again when I'm out there. They may be my favorite subject in the park, but they're not always easy to find in colder months, since they'll sometimes travel miles along rivers in search of thawed stretches of ice that can be used as fishing holes.

A few years back I was fortunate to catch a trio of them fishing a portion of the Lamar River. Many of Yellowstone's rivers are heated by thermal activity, and you can barely see how some of the steam rising from the water is beginning to obscure the subject here.

Canon 7D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x
ISO 400
1/1250th
f/7.1
(I don't usually like to upload larger images, but I included a 1200px photo this time since so much fur detail is lost in the smaller version.)

Max

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 30, 2014 at 10:14 AM

Hey Max,

For me this shot conveys "cold, cold, cold"! And it reminds me of how amazing otters and other wildlife are (in the context of the range of conditions they can endure). I like the inclusion of the icy slurry in the foreground..definitely adds to the chill I get when looking at the shot.

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on November 30, 2014 at 1:15 PM

Nice shot Max, the light layer of mist really adds to the scene here, and the details in both the ice and the otter are really evident in the larger version.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on November 30, 2014 at 8:18 PM

Everything about this says Winter. The ice the animal is resting on and the ice on its fur really tell a story. Techs are spot on. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 2, 2014 at 12:31 AM

Large version is much stronger in impact. Nice work.

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

Comment posted by William Bickle on December 3, 2014 at 1:02 PM

Hello Max

I too think along same as Lon & the large version Shows Much Better !

Cheers

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments