The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
In January 2018 we arrived in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone a few days before the winter workshop with Terry Donnelly and Tom Kirkendall (and Mary Liz Austin). Driving our truck along the road we came to an abrupt halt as a coyote crossed in front of us. It scampered up the hillside and stopped, level with our windows, about 20 feet away. We couldn’t believe our luck! It posed for us as we shot out the passenger side window of our F150. We were incredibly excited. The blood on its snout, the luster of its winter coat, and the snow on its head drew our attention, and it wasn’t until after we looked at the images on the computer that we realized it was having a moment.
Technical Details
This was shot handheld with a Nikon D600 and Sigma 150-500 at 290mm. ISO 1250, f9.5, 1/500 sec. Processed in Lightroom CC, and then in Topaz Sharpener to compensate for a little bit of camera shake.
Joe, thanks for a good laugh. I had figured out what was happening and then I read your title. I am still chuckling. Do you have a medical background by any chance? This is by far the best roadside picture that I can imagine. The head and eyes are nice and shape. I don’t know what can be expected in terms of depth of field with a long lens like that. The coyote is not the only one that had a good catch.
Hi Joe, this a great behavior shot…you were in the right place at the right time and prepared for it. I saw some wolves in the Lamar Valley a few years ago, but they were only specks in the distance. I like the pose you caught and some nice detail in his coat. Another title might be, “Licking My Chops”.
Thanks! No medical training to speak of. I must have picked up “postprandial” from family visits to the hospital. My wife was sitting in the passenger seat with her D750 and Tamron 150-600 clicking away, and we had to do a little yoga to make sure we each had a clear shot.
Thanks Jim. This was the closest I’ve been to a coyote ever, and never just after eating. It really didn’t see us as a threat, which was good. We had a similar view as you of a lone wolf while we were there. Same view of a moose, way off in the distance. (In Kenya I’ve since been closer to mature lions.) The bison during our stay liked to sleep right in front of our cabin at the Buffalo Institute, so getting up to use the facilities late at night wasn’t always a wise thing to do.
My wife was sitting in the passenger seat with her D750 and Tamron 150-600 clicking away, and we had to do a little yoga to make sure we each had a clear shot.