The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
One of last year’s highlights was breaking my personal “Yellowstone bobcat curse.” After a handful of sightings (with no decent photos) and several near-misses over the years, I finally timed one of my winter visits right and was able to photograph one of these elusive felines in the park.
We were a bit late to the party, as this cat had been hanging out in this spot for over a week. I felt fortunate that it had a large meal (a deer, which had fallen off a high cliff above… nobody knows if the cat chased it off or simply stumbled upon it), and that the carcass was in a narrow canyon. So it had plenty of food and no other large scavengers ever discovered the site to chase it away.
Conditions on this morning were snowy and overcast, and when we arrived the cat was actually sheltering under the cliff before it wandered back down to its prize. Though I had rued missing the earlier photo ops others had when the carcass was still fresh and fully exposed, I ended up appreciating this more subtle view of the scene (only possible thanks to the fresh snow).
I finally timed one of my winter visits right and was able to photograph one of these elusive felines in the park.
Your long time pursuit paid off nicely here, Max. Although the extreme white snow had to be an exposure challenge the detail and overall bobcat color is wonderful…
Truly one of my favorite cats of all time a bobcat / lynx…
I was lucky to see, over many years now, a couple bobcat sightings at times in Joshua Tree NP. There is a JTNP website for wildlife sighting reports that I sent the GPS coordinates to. I’ve sent in a report on a bighorn and also a desert tortoise too in the past. The tortoise was in the middle of the Geology Tour Road so I moved it to the open terrain in the direction it was headed. Although a dirt back road people still drive way too fast on the remote area…
Well the snow is very white Max, but in this photo I think that it works really well to frame the other elements. The cat looks great, the little bit of detail at the bottom of the cats back adds a bit of depth and the hoof in the snow tells us the story.
Worth waiting for.
Congrats on this shot Max. I can commiserate because I’ve yet to get a good shot of a bobcat that’s visited my backyard twice this year. Love the over the shoulder look you caught and the fresh snow sets him off nicely. If more of the carcass were showing, it would take attention away from your subject anyway, so I prefer this image, where you have to explore a bit to discover the whole story.
