Follow on to the last coyote image, where I mentioned how the image opportunites shifted to and fro as the animal and people interacted. Only a few moments later on from the previous image the animal left the roadside where it had been approached confidently by various people. As it went off into the brush the coyote approached fairly close to a family group which I had spotted ahead of the coyote and lined up on, with the lens prefocused where I guesssed the coyote would walk, and grabbed this shot, and captured not the only the coyote and the people together which was my intention, but also the immediate and unexpected parental response - one of apprehension tinged with fear - which I think is evident in this image.
Posted by jack chapman on January 30, 2009 at 2:55 PM
really like this image, you are right about this picture showing parental fear/apprehension, the man's gesture and the girl's pose is all that's needed to create an interesting story here
For me this tells a story.... I think this could be a very marketable image, the previous coyote image didn't really create any drama, this one does....
Posted by Lee Newman on January 30, 2009 at 4:30 PM
The Coyote looks very menacing in this image & the worried looking onlookers make him appear even more so.
Well seen oppertunity that tells a story.
Lee
Posted by Nigel Blake on January 31, 2009 at 3:41 AM
Excellent, a strong image that conveys the photographers intended story very well!
A really interesting image of an animal that in the US and Canada tends to evoke similar love em or hate em emotions to foxes here. For me the last shot that juxtaposes the human/animal interaction with this one didn’t work quite so well, due I think to the coyote being a bit too big in the frame and the shadow not being clearly defined as a human shape. This one works perfectly. The family’s posture and expressions are brilliant. A whole story in one photo.
Thanks for the comments. I agree this is by far the stronger image, by a mile, and certainly needs no caption to make the point.
The previous image was a real grab on the hoof as the animal moved along - I was moving, the onlookers were moving and I was just lucky to get it. However I was interested in the conceptual value of the image and what viewer responses would be and so far they've been polarized - with some folks really appreciating it for its attempt to do something different (and to a small degree succeeding) whilst others have loathed it, with one commentator strongly objecting, describing it as a "gimmick" and that the shadow "spoils a perfectly good portrait of a coyote" !!! Which is fair comment!!
This current image was more considered because I could see that there was a possibility of the coyote moving in a line past the people so I legged it to get into position and prayed. My hunch was correct, and the coyote trotted by, but I was not expecting the human response so eloquently conveyed by the bodily attitude of the parent and child.
Thats the magic of photography, 5% planning and 95% luck.
As you say, this shot needs no explaination, you have captured the interactio between man and beast superbly, even to the point of illustrating the fear which exists within most of us, when in the presence of a top predator.
Excellent shot, and great antisipation.
Posted by Andy Shepherd on February 1, 2009 at 4:50 AM
Discussion
8 repliesWell seen oppertunity that tells a story.
Lee
Cheers
Terry
The previous image was a real grab on the hoof as the animal moved along - I was moving, the onlookers were moving and I was just lucky to get it. However I was interested in the conceptual value of the image and what viewer responses would be and so far they've been polarized - with some folks really appreciating it for its attempt to do something different (and to a small degree succeeding) whilst others have loathed it, with one commentator strongly objecting, describing it as a "gimmick" and that the shadow "spoils a perfectly good portrait of a coyote" !!! Which is fair comment!!
This current image was more considered because I could see that there was a possibility of the coyote moving in a line past the people so I legged it to get into position and prayed. My hunch was correct, and the coyote trotted by, but I was not expecting the human response so eloquently conveyed by the bodily attitude of the parent and child.
Thats the magic of photography, 5% planning and 95% luck.
Thanks for the opinions, much appreciated.
Excellent shot, and great antisipation.
A strong image indeed, very well taken.
Andy...