John_Morey_Photography

A Cat of Many Names

Puma Concolor is the Latin name for the cat of many names, including Cougar, Catamount, Painter, Panther. Ghost Cat, Puma, Shadow Cat, and as Mountain lion. I c...
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Puma Concolor is the Latin name for the cat of many names, including Cougar, Catamount, Painter, Panther. Ghost Cat, Puma, Shadow Cat, and as Mountain lion. I cannot vouch for how each of these common names came into being, but it most certainly is due to some regard to regional differences in the massive distribution of this cat. When Europeans arrived in the Americas, mountain lions ranged from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, from the coasts of both oceans to the peaks of the Appalachians, Rockies, and Andes. The only large mammals more widely distributed throughout the western hemisphere were humans, so every Native culture except those in the Arctic encountered lions--a fact that contributed to the long list of names by which the animal became known to European settlers. In speaking of the many names of cougar, one folktale tells the story of Native Americans who would bring pelts to trade in what is now New York City. When the Europeans and white settlers would question why all only skins of females (given the lack of manes) were brought for trade, the Native Americans explained that the males lived far away in the mountains, playing a joke of sorts on the naÃ¯ve newcomersÂ—this is why cougars, who are not specific to mountain regions at all, came to be known as Â“mountain lionsÂ”.
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Canon EOS 60D

settings

Aperture f/6.3 ISO 400 Shutter 1/320

upload_date

May, 2014

Views

2391

Likes

+568

Awards

Chatter Award

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Contest Finalist in Call Of The Wild Photo Contest

Featured

Peer Award

+176

Superb Composition

+54

Top Choice

+39

Absolute Masterpiece

+36

Magnificent Capture

+27

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Superior Skill

Great Find

Virtuoso

Love it

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was captured in Northern Arizona, within the back country of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, after some snow had dusted the area in big Spring storm. While quietly waiting for my light to change on a different perspective, this cat came on the scene for a just a few short moments.

Time

The Spring storm had been going on most of the morning, making for poor conditions, but in the late morning the sky began to start clearing. I drifted away from my back country guides to check out some different landscape perspectives in a nearby area and sat down for a few minutes on this one scene to study it for a bit. That is when this beast showed up, unaware of my presence.

Lighting

Lighting on a moment like this for the short time it lasts feels like hardly a consideration, when you are quickly and quietly trying to catch any picture of this fleeting moment. As the cat moved onto the sandstone outcropping and started to move across, I was trying to contain my excitement and motionlessly tried to ready my big lens which I always keep with me for long distance landscapes. I didn't even have the time to change most settings, leaving it on a one-shot focus with a single point. Just as it was about the exit the scene, it stopped to smell a spot on the rocks, and then like it was on queue, stretched for a moment. As I started shooting in a burst mode, I caught its attention and then the moment was over as it ran off in a flash. Out of the burst of shots I caught, this one had the best lighting because the animal had heard me firing off shots and started glancing my way to see the distraction. If it wasn't for the one quick look, the lighting on the face would have been strained, because the light was coming from over my left shoulder, nearly perpendicular.

Equipment

Canon 60D, with f/2.8L II 70-200USM. Handheld.

Inspiration

I am a landscape photographer first, but all in Nature, as well as people being natural in Nature, is a happy subject for me. Thus I consider myself a wildlife photographer second. One of the reasons I enjoy this image so much and made it a part of my portfolio, and so many of my other wildlife subjects I stumble upon, is because it is important to me to capture not just the animal, but the landscape surrounding the animal. I’ve seen too many wildlife photographers get super-tight on their subjects to the point that they could have been shot in Anywhere, USA, and because I am landscape photographer first, I found that is not my style with wildlife. Of course the big problem sometimes with that approach is that you can end up easily losing the animal in its landscape, which is not the case here, thankfully. Leaving room for the animal to expand and move through the open scene felt better to me. The real bonus is in that last moment’s eye-catch, looking back into the scene as he is leaving, causing a bit of natural tension to the viewer. As a side benefit and inspiration to catching this image is what I can write about it. A Cat Of Many Names: Puma Concolor is the Latin name for the cat of many names, including Cougar, Catamount, Painter, Panther, Ghost Cat, Puma, Shadow Cat, and as Mountain lion. I cannot vouch for how each of these common names came into being, but it most certainly is due to some regard to regional differences in the massive distribution of this cat. When Europeans arrived in the Americas, mountain lions ranged from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, from the coasts of both oceans to the peaks of the Appalachians, Rockies, and Andes. The only large mammals more widely distributed throughout the western hemisphere were humans, so every Native culture except those in the Arctic encountered lions – a fact that contributed to the long list of names by which the animal became known to European settlers. In speaking of the many names of cougar, one folktale tells the story of Native Americans who would bring pelts to trade in what is now New York City. When the Europeans and white settlers would question why only the skins of females were brought for trade (given the lack of manes), the Native Americans explained that the males lived far away in the mountains, playing a joke of sorts on the naïve newcomers—this is why cougars, who are not specific to mountain regions at all, came to be known as “mountain lions”.

Editing

I shoot everything in RAW, thus everything needs to be touched a little bit before I convert into JPG. This one just had standard edits to contrast, shadow, highlights, and little saturation and sharpening.

In my camera bag

You will always find me with a Think Tank harness and belt system on, with two large holster bags one on each hip. Each holster bag holds a different setup rig ready to go with lens mounted and lens hood already deployed. On my right hip is Canon 6D with an f/2.8 24-70. On my left hip is a Canon 70D with f/2.8 70-200 and 2x extender. Other bags and accessories line the rest of the belt giving me even more quick options. The idea behind this setup is I am always ready for a moment. If I had to stop and fumble with switching out a lens or fetching other rig from my backpack, and this shot would not have happened.

Feedback

Always be ready before the moment for anything. I never scout anywhere, even for a few moments, without all my gear. You just never know what you will come across that you may never be able to recreate again. If you would like to know more about my rigs and the Think Tank setup, I am an affiliate partner and I can happily advise you in a similar setup. Please feel free to contact me.

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John_Morey_Photography

A Cat of Many Names

Puma Concolor is the Latin name for the cat of many names, including Cougar, Catamount, Painter, Panther. Ghost Cat, Puma, Shadow Cat, and as Mountain lion. I c... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow John_Morey_Photography

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Puma Concolor is the Latin name for the cat of many names, including Cougar, Catamount, Painter, Panther. Ghost Cat, Puma, Shadow Cat, and as Mountain lion. I c...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.