Canidae Central

SittingFox · Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:42 pm Post subject: New Coyote Photos

I took these during my recent trip to southern Alberta, to the prairie and its wonderful wildlife Smile

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James McCloud · Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:57 pm Post subject:

nice photos! i dont get many chances to photograph any animals. and when i do they dont turn out that good!

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TheWhiteFox · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:49 am Post subject:

Excellent photos. The coyote looks great in those pictures. Is this the second trip to Alberta or are these photos from your previous trip that you posted on here?

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UltraMetaloid · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:06 am Post subject:

James McCloud wrote:

nice photos! i dont get many chances to photograph any animals. and when i do they dont turn out that good!

All it takes is a little patience, McCloud. I know how tricky it is to get good animal photo's. Taking photos of the family dog at the dike, while he's barreling past me like a maniac on steroids, isnt the least bit easy:roll: but it -is- doable; it takes a little patience, and the fact that Lucky is somewhat predictable most of the time helps. Yeah, I said -most- of the time - you can never fully predict what an animal will do, and some times you end up with shots like

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, Lucky decided to turn around at the last moment and I cought him mid-turn, not what I originally intended, but still great...then there was the time I was crouching on the side of the dike to catch him as he ran along, and he decided out of nowhere to come check out me and the camera as he passed, and I ended up instead with a super-duper-close-up of his furry face Smile

, so needless to say, I scrapped that photo 'cause it was too blurry to do anything with...anyhow, all it takes is a bit of patience, and a bit of luck...It probably takes a lot more patience to photograph a wild animal, especially when it comes to finding an animal to photograph. I dont think I can give any advice on that, but perhaps SittingFox, the professional photographer here, mabye has a few tips if we ask nicely?

Anyhow, I aplogise if I went off topic there....SittingFox, those are excellent photos, I really enjoyed them, but I have a question; I notice in these pics that the coyote's body is all furry, while its legs are almost bare (or they look that way, anyway), and really stand out. Is that their natural look, or is it just the start of a summer shed or something?

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SittingFox · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 2:45 am Post subject:

Thanks everyone Very Happy

@WhiteFox - these are from my second trip to Alberta in 2007 but I've been there eight times in total since 2000, I think! I've lost count...

@James McCloud and UltraMetaloid - photographing large wild mammals (particularly ones as shy as coyotes) does unfortunately usually require special equipment. I have a really powerful telephoto lens and a camera that can shoot at fast shutter speeds and in poor light. My aim is to make sure I get pictures without encroaching upon or disturbing these animals.

Obviously that's less of a concern with dogs! Anyway, things I might suggest:

- use a tripod whenever possible
- avoid using the flash; the garden is much better than a dark house
- crop pictures to "fill the frame" with your subject (unless you want to set it in its landscape)
- if your camera has a "sports" setting, use it on fast moving creatures too!

Hmm...it's hard to say much more without knowing the type of cameras you use and what their settings are.

And yes, the coyote was moulting into his summer coat! Legs first, it would seem. PS that's a really cool shot of your dog in the middle of a bounce Cool

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