Rare Bobcat Encounter: Capturing Wildlife Moments with Precision
A common regret that can happen with any photographer is when a moment happens and there isn’t a camera to be found (iPhones don’t count).
So when my wife told me she just saw a bobcat outside, I knew there was a slim chance I could see him. I grabbed my camera and went out the door.
Sure enough… there he was.
Before I dive into the details, let me back up a few steps. I live right next to a rather large green belt, so it is pretty common for me to see various birds and woodland critters around my house. But a bobcat was not something I ever expected.
Just like a mountain lion, if you see a bobcat it is most likely because they allowed it — they are that elusive. I’ve only ever seen one before, and that was decades ago.
This entire opportunity came about as my wife came home and told me she briefly saw what she believed was a bobcat outside. We walked out front and down the street, and she showed me where it came from and where it went.
We headed back into the house and I just couldn’t let it go. I was too curious and too intrigued. I took a Quick Look or two out the upstairs window and I saw him! I ran downstairs to get my camera and head out the door.
Thankfully, I have a habit of always having my camera ready to go when I’m at home. It just sits in my office with my 200-600 attached at all times. You never know, right?
As soon as I exited my house, I dialed in my camera settings — auto ISO, high shutter speed (plenty of daylight) and the right focus tracking setting. Finally, I toggled eye detection to “animal” and was ready to go (I love my Sony A1, BTW).
The first thing I noticed was a very loud crow and a very loud Northern Flicker. It seemed like they were yelling at each other. If I have learned anything from birding, it’s that the birds will often tell you when a predator is near.
I decided to follow the noise and keep my ears and eyes dialed in for any movement or sounds.
The next thing I see is the bobcat, walking down my neighbor's fence. I was about 60 feet (18.29 m) away, so I crouched down and fired away. The bobcat didn’t seem to mind me too much. Gave me a few looks, climbed down the fence and walked away.
I followed as best as I could but lost him almost immediately. After walking to the end of the street, I decided “that was it” and starting walking back home. But you know what? The crow would not stop squawking.
I looked towards my neighbors yard and I can see movement, and sure enough, he was back. The bobcat doubled back and re-entered the yard, obviously preoccupied by something. I stayed on the other side of the road, crouched down and just waited.
He exited the yard and saw me, creating a few brief photo opportunities. Then he walked down the road a bit more, exited the bushes and went down the hill. At one point, he just walked about ten feet away from me. I was a bit nervous, but we were both professionals and didn’t seem to mind each other.
The bobcat did one more loop and then left, never to return. The entire sequence lasted about five minutes and I took about 340 images.
I was grateful that I was prepared and didn’t fumble any camera settings, further solidifying my growing confidence and familiarity with using my gear.
Editing these pics was a LOT of fun. I chose the ones I felt struck me the most and also summarized my experience. I was very excited about this encounter and very fortunate I was able to get the photos that I did.
When editing wildlife, I try to stay as true to the animal as possible. Every effort is intended to showcase the animals' presence without introducing any artificial distractions. If there is an opportunity to increase the focus on the subject, I’ll do my best to accomplish it without overdoing it.
Examples are dogging and burning the right areas to guide the viewers' eye, using a simple vignette, and finding the proper crop that balances the subject and the location.
If I could share any advice from the experience, it is having your camera ready to roll, knowing what settings work for the scenario, and being able to dial it in quickly. Finally, with a bit of luck and a splash of persistence, hopefully you can experience something similar.
I haven’t decided which one is my favorite, but I have a feeling that the image of the bobcat looking back in the bush will be the one. This was the last photo I took, and he glanced backwards, took one last look, and then gave me a nod of approval that would have made Jeremiah Johnson proud.
