Alpha Female

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 31, 2011444 views21 comments

Yellowstone is very good to me on New Year's Eve. As with the end of 2010, today brought me another of my top wildlife encounters ever in the park.

The Canyon wolf pack had killed an elk right across the river from the road in Yellowstone's northwest corner. I was too late to catch them on the kill before dawn this morning, but staked out the carcass the rest of the day hoping they'd return. And they did.

This is the alpha female of the Canyon Pack, a gorgeous white wolf I've been wanting to photograph up close for some time. She was the first wolf to return to the kill, and the only one not afraid to go in and grab a bite to eat with the crowd of onlookers no more than 25 yards away on the other side of the river.

This shot isn't perfect--the twigs obscuring her face are a bummer--but I preferred to show the nice reds in the willows vs. the nice reds from the carcass in my other shots of her.

Eventually, three other wolves from the pack followed her down, so there were opportunities to photograph grays and blacks as well. What a great way to end 2011!

Canon 7D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC
ISO 400
1/1000th
f/8
-1/3 exp. comp.

Max

Comments

21 comments

Comment posted by Guy Runco on December 31, 2011 at 8:52 PM

Congrats on a great capture Max, this is one of the better shots of her that I've seen lately. Can't wait to see more, Happy New Year!

Registered on September 9, 2008, 77 Posts, 705 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Harris on December 31, 2011 at 10:31 PM

Max, I think the wolf looking through the twigs conveys a feeling of caution on her part. I really like this image. I hope you get your chance for a clear image of her, but I really feel I would prefer this one. I feel it presents not only the wolf but also its environment and behavior.

Registered on August 2, 2010, 169 Posts, 741 Comments

Comment posted by Jaymes Dempsey on December 31, 2011 at 11:13 PM

Excellent shot, I don't mind the twigs at all; the only one that is slightly distracting is the very tip that arcs just over her head...but it definitely isn't a deal-breaker!
Jaymes

Registered on June 28, 2010, 47 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on January 1, 2012 at 4:30 AM

Beautiful image- A splendid animal and a great wintery palette on this one- Your composition choice is perfect as well, maybe you might consider also a slightly tighter crop (leaving the proportions as they are here)- My congrats and a happy new year, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 1, 2012 at 8:55 AM

Hello Max

congrats on this image. She is a beauty for sure. Showing her enviroment is my preference if the scene permits.
You had an opportunity to capture a Very nice image. perhaps another early morning is in store for you!?
You take away from the experience much more than an image and can learn the pack behaviours As well maybe capture some interactions . Great ending to celebrate the year. Looking forward to seeing more.
Will you be posting on your web some of these images?

Thanks for sharing

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Ralph Kerr on January 1, 2012 at 8:57 AM

My congrats Max. I really like this image, as I enjoy the habitat setting of wildlife photos. She is a beauty. I had a chance to see her up close a few years ago when that pack first formed. I agree that some slight cropping might strenthen the image, and I agree with Fabio in keeping the same proportions.

Registered on January 30, 2007, 369 Posts, 852 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 1, 2012 at 9:02 AM

Hey Max,

Congrats on both your experience and the way you ended 2011. Nice contrast in colour here - very fortunate that the wolf in the willows was of this colour!

Thanks for sharing this and hope your luck continues into 2012...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on January 1, 2012 at 12:53 PM

Congrats Max!!! I can't think of a better way to end 2011 either, a great experience with a sweet photo to go along with it. I hope the rest of your time there is as exciting.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 1, 2012 at 12:57 PM

Beautiful shot - the intense stare and colour of the willows is exceptional. Glad to hear there is anoither white alpha female after the last one's demise.
Wonderful shot - Happy New Year!

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on January 1, 2012 at 5:57 PM

Congrats on an awesome wolf image! I'm extremely jealous, as wolves are my favourite animals and I've wanted to photograph them for some time now. My family and I are going to Banff in January so who knows, maybe I could get lucky

!

I really like your comp, and the colours are just awesome! Her pose is great!

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on January 1, 2012 at 6:29 PM

Thanks, everyone. I'll be reprocessing the image when I get home, as this was done on my laptop, so I'll definitely experiment with alternate cropping.

Bill, it usually takes me a couple months to get my trip photos online, though I sometimes post previews on my Facebook page. I linked a few other shots from this encounter there already.

Sandy, you're thinking of the old Hayden Pack alpha female. This is her daughter.

She survived the purge several years ago when the Mollies Pack came in and killed both of her parents, and grew up to form her own pack (with a couple of ex-Mollies, ironically).

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Tonia Graves on January 2, 2012 at 11:57 AM

What an awesome opportunity you had here. I agree about the twigs, but this is still a really nice shot. I can't wait to see more from this series!

Registered on October 29, 2011, 92 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on January 2, 2012 at 12:39 PM

Happy New Year, Max. Great ending to 2011! This is quite pleasing as posted.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on January 3, 2012 at 10:30 PM

Wonderful shot Max! I don't find the twigs a distraction and especially like the contrast with her nice, white coat. It's so nice to see photos of her all grown up. We were fortunate to see her three years in a row as a youngster in the Hayden pack before her mom was killed. Hope to see more from your trip soon.

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 4, 2012 at 5:37 PM

Congrats on the capture Max! I am still waiting for my one moment of seeing a wolf in the wild.....very happy for someone to get a chance and photograph these amazing animals.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Anand Narayanan on January 5, 2012 at 3:03 PM

Gorgeous coat and a sublime setting

Congrats ! It rarely gets better than this

Registered on October 25, 2009, 110 Posts, 835 Comments

Comment posted by Jess Lee on January 6, 2012 at 9:58 AM

Ah, She is my favorite wolf in the park. Very nice job Max

Registered on November 1, 2003, 114 Posts, 929 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on January 7, 2012 at 9:40 AM

A special moment for sure Max!!! I love where you positioned the wolf in the frame and the environs make a nice contrast. Congrats!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Neal Cooper on January 8, 2012 at 12:26 PM

Max. This is a powerful image. I like all the colors you captured here, the white of the wolf, the white snow and the orange grasses. Great images come to those that have patience. Well done.! Do you have a larger image for this post?

Registered on June 3, 2009, 144 Posts, 306 Comments

Comment posted by Neal Cooper on January 8, 2012 at 12:26 PM

Registered on June 3, 2009, 144 Posts, 306 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on January 8, 2012 at 10:05 PM

I like the sense of place in this, Max, and in the wild we don't get to choose the type of vegetation our subjects move around in. The splash of colour is nice, though I wouldn't mind seeing some of those "other" reds

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments