White Coyote at Yellowstone
Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:01 pm
Some quick background: With its abundant mega-wildlife, Yellowstone National Park is called the Serengeti of America and attracts more than 3 million visitors per year. This includes thousands of serious photographers from all over the world.
When they saw the coyote roaming through the distant sagebrush, a paparazzi pack of photographers rushed to this location, wishfully thinking this was the celebrity white wolf that lives nearby. Wolves generally stay at a distance, and out came the heavy combinations of big tripods and 600mm lenses. When the animal came closer and was moving fast, I abandoned the big rig and switched to the Sony 70-400mm, which I can hand-hold; it also gave me more flexibility and mobility to move ahead of the coyote for a better angle with the light. The camera was the Sony a900.
1. The coyote trots up the slope from Yellowstone's Hayden Valley.
2. Picking up a scent.
3. Taking a parting look at the approaching crowd of photographers, tourists, and a Park Ranger arriving to restore order.
When they saw the coyote roaming through the distant sagebrush, a paparazzi pack of photographers rushed to this location, wishfully thinking this was the celebrity white wolf that lives nearby. Wolves generally stay at a distance, and out came the heavy combinations of big tripods and 600mm lenses. When the animal came closer and was moving fast, I abandoned the big rig and switched to the Sony 70-400mm, which I can hand-hold; it also gave me more flexibility and mobility to move ahead of the coyote for a better angle with the light. The camera was the Sony a900.
1. The coyote trots up the slope from Yellowstone's Hayden Valley.
2. Picking up a scent.
3. Taking a parting look at the approaching crowd of photographers, tourists, and a Park Ranger arriving to restore order.
