Manipulated Wolf
Mar, 2017Views
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Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in Montana at a Ranch for rescued animals, called the Triple D Ranch. There are several wolves in their pack and the owners are very careful to keep their pens and habitat as close to real life as possible.Time
This was taken early in the morning when the wolves were playing and just having fun. The mosiquitos were just annoying so keeping your mind on the shot was hard to say the least. The shadows from the forest trees where the Ranch sits was just perfect with simple light shooting through the trees. This wolf walked right into my frame and I captured this image.Lighting
I love to wait for good light and while this was early sun the light was being filtered by the forest trees. It helps cast shadows over his back and make him stand out even more. His fur was just striking on how thick and long it was. He was playing really hard with his brothers so this was a short stop, as he looked right at my lens and then he darted off. Luck is always a factor in shooting animals.Equipment
This was shot with a NikonD70. The lens is my 200-600 Tamron. Shots f/5 at 1/1000.Inspiration
I am also a Fine Artist so I photograph everything I paint or draw. This was a trip for Photography and Art and the Ranch was the setting of a life time for both of my favorite things to do. The Ranch has some amazing animals and they take care to move the animals into friends and neighbors land so you can photograph the animals in their natural environment. Its a great place to photograph animals you may never see in the wild.Editing
Yes I did manipulate this image in photoshop which took approximately 40 min to complete and about 20 steps to get this effect. I actually watched several videos to learn the process. Its an obvious manipulation and part of the reason I did it was his great fur, which helped make this image work.In my camera bag
I have several lenses which I have in my bag as a must. I have a 50mm 2.8 , for portraits, a 18-105mm 3.5 for standard images and a 70-200 2.8 for long shots. I have a mid-zoom lens 55-200mm 1.4 which holds depth really well when shooting landscapes.Feedback
Because this wolf was not in the wild I didnt have to track him, however I have tracked animals for photography and like anything worth shooting it takes a huge effort to really get that one great shot. With this wolf I had to shoot him like I was at a football game and I was shooting athletes in full run. Its really about persistence and just waiting for the animal to make a curious pose or look. This guy just happened to stop about 50 feet from me and he came out of the shadows and the light hit his face. I grabbed the shot and zoomed the lens and grabbed 3 more. This is one of those lucky frames. While these animals are captured they get to have these outings where they can run for miles in a safe environment, its well worth the trip and visit.
