by Max Waugh
My clients and I enjoyed some good wolf viewing and occasional photo ops in Yellowstone this spring. It's become very difficult to have any sort of close encounter with wolves (by "close" I mean within 150-200 meters), so it was a treat to have a number of ~100 meter encounters throughout my time in the park this year. Of course, that's still fairly distant, so such sightings usually leave you hoping for an interesting environment or background from a photographic standpoint.
In this case, the alpha female of the Lamar Canyon Pack (designated "926F" based on her radio collar) was returning to the pack's den site and crossed in front of this small herd of bison. They were wary, but she paid them no heed as she passed.
Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x
ISO 1600
1/1000th
f/5.6
(Larger version available for viewing via print link)
Max
Comments
4 commentsExcellent shot of the Wolf & Bison, some great supporting info too Max. Looked at the purchase link image, I see you're at FAA.
I have some stuff there, but thinking of upgrading to your status. My PhotoShelter website's costing $30.00 a mth + 10% of sales..and I own my domain name. Hope I can save a few dollars, will let you know how it goes..
I love these shots of 2 species together like this Max, excellent comp. This is one example where a larger image would make a big difference I think in terms of both enjoying it and critiquing it.
Hi Max,
What interests me most in this shot is the sight-lines between the bison and the wolf - they are definitely keeping track of it (while the wolf almost seems to have a "Who me? Just minding my own business" demeanor).
You say "It's become very difficult to have any sort of close encounter with wolves" - which implies something has changed. So, what's changed? Purely curious...
Cheers...
Brad
Brad, wolf viewing (and especially photography) has become more of a challenge for a few reasons.
First, there aren't as many wolves in Yellowstone now. The population has dropped to about 50% of its peak from nearly a decade ago. This is due to a variety of factors, including increased hunting quotas in the states surrounding the park. If Yellowstone wolves wander beyond the park boundary at a certain time of year, as they tend to do occasionally, they can be hunted legally. So the population has been hovering roughly around 100 wolves, give or take, in recent years. This, according to wolf biologists, is actually in line with where they expected the population to eventually settle after reintroduction, but obviously this has led to fewer opportunities for close encounters.
The packs are less reliable as well. After over a decade of larger, more-established packs controlling defined territories in the park, they started splintering off into smaller groups and packs, and these new packs' hold on their respective territories was tenuous at best. So there's essentially been much more "turnover," as pack dynamics fluctuate, meaning it's harder to predict where they may be seen.
The final factor that hampers photography is other people. Like so many popular wildlife areas, local politics and differing priorities among parties who all happen to share a love of the animals can lead to the occasional difference of opinion. Misinterpretation of one's actions can lead to accusations of wildlife harassment--accusations often doled out by people who are content watching wildlife from far away at photographers who prefer to be closer to "get the shot." Personally, I've become more sensitive to this in recent years. I'm pretty laid back and try to get along with everyone, so on more than one occasion I've sacrified photo opportunities in order to keep the peace, even if I didn't believe my actions would have broken rules or been harmful to the wildlife subject in any way. Hooray for politics!
Max