Coyote, Exit Glacier Road, Seward, Alaska.
I know, this is just an ordinary snapshot from a point and shoot camera – hey even photographers can take snap shots! But, check out how close this coyote was from me Monday morning during a long cross-country ski – maybe 20 feet away! But more on that latter.
For exercise, I love to skate ski. It seems like I often see cool stuff, but my main camera and lenses are so darn heavy, they get left behind. I wanted a little camera that I could throw in my pocket and forget it was even there, but one that captured decent images in raw, and that is how I ended up with the Panasonic DMC-LX3. — Panasonic DMC-LX3K (Black)
I gotta say, this little camera is a lot of fun to shoot with. It has a wide, really fast Leica lens which is great for low light and indoor photography. Heck, at f/2.0, I don’t even have a 35mm lens nearly that fast! The thing will focus down to a fraction of a inch which makes it fun for messing around with macro stuff as well. It does a great job handling tricky exposures and even has a HD video mode.
When I started looking at point and shoot cameras, I wanted one that had a good image quality (10mp plus), and could capture images in raw mode. It seemed like I had two choices, the Panasonic LX3, and the Canon Powershot G10
I have a number of photographer friends that own either one or the other, and everyone seems to be very happy with the choice. The nice thing about the Canon, it has a bit more of a telephoto zoom and more mega-pixels ( 14.7 vs. 10.1 ). The drawback with the Canon; the lens is slower and the camera is a bit larger and heavier – so that ended up being the deciding factor for me.
So back to the coyote. I have seen them from a distance up towards Exit Glacier on many occasions; I have even had them follow me, but they always maintained a respectable distance between us. When I saw this coyote I stopped and sat down to make myself less threatening. I then tried making an occasional small vole like squeak with my mouth – something I have tried, but have never been successful with in the past. This time, the coyote turned and walked right towards me! He actually passed by me on the side of the trail, and then approached me from behind. At this point I got a little uncomfortable and stood up. He didn’t run, in fact we just looked at each other, probably both equally curious about each other. The coyote then got distracted by something off in the forest – that is the moment of this photo, and then slowly walked off. Little experiences like that are what make being in the outdoors and nature so awesome.
So now I want to load up the heavy camera gear and head back – of course you know I don’t have a chance of finding anything then!
Comments 21
I’ve gotten similar shots of some coyotes here in Jackson Hole. They’ve seemed harmless enough when they’re up close. I don’t think they intend to take anything down larger than them by themselves.
Author
Hi Mike,
Yeah I think you are right – probably just curious, but when you are by yourself a long way from the car, I started to second guess.
I love Jackson Hole, you live in a great spot.
Thanks,
Ron
A few years ago I had one come up to me on a road in yellowstone, we were within 3 feet of each other and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but we just looked at each other. With him right there I couldn’t seem to get my camera focused and didn’t get a picture but, my son did.
Yeah the first one I saw up close I got a little nervous when he started making his way toward me. I stood up and he ran off. I saw another one also in Yellowstone and he was in a hurry to get past us.
But yeah I do love living here in Jackson – lemme know if you’re ever in the neighborhood!
Author
Thanks Mike, I well – I would love to get back.
Hi Dennis – wow 3 feet! It isn’t very often you are too close to even focus with wildlife. Thanks for sharing.
Ron
I always chicken out first before anything gets that close. I gotta get over that! Nice story and image.
Ron – excellent post and photo. I know what you mean about skiing with heavy gear. I might look into this camera for the same reason you did. There are definite benefits to owning one of these types of cameras. It’s often a matter of getting a shot or not!
The coyote story is great too. We have them at our house. However, I never encourage them to stick around. They are pests! But, out in the wild like you experienced would be awesome!
Have fun with your new toy (oops – I mean equipment)!
Author
Thanks Roberta!
Thanks Sherri,
That is a good point; it does become a matter of getting the shot or not. Fortunately it turned out to be a fun little camera on top of it.
Ron, I’ve sold a few shots with the LX3 and LX2, and shot some family portraits with the LX3 at a wedding really look clean and sharp. I even had an LX3 converted to IR recently. Its a great little camera. Phil
Author
Hi Phil,
I knew you owned one – great to hear you were able to sell images from the camera. I’m not surprised, the image quality seems fine at least for magazine use. It does a great job with family photos and inside stuff. Converting one to IR is a great idea.
Thanks,
Ron
Funny, this was my Christmas present 🙂
Author
O yeah, lol.
Awesome image, Ron. Never been skate skiing, but sounds like a lot of fun. Especially if you get to say good morning to Wile E. 🙂
Hey Ron,
Very cool. I hear ya on the weight and portability of camera gear. I think this will bt the year I finally succumb and get a little P&S for the backpacking trips .. of course, I’ll probably simple end up carrying both and making it harder on myself. But being able to just grab a camera out of the shirt pocket and take a shot is a big plus.
Nice lookin’ canine.
Cheers
Carl
Author
Thanks Laurent – it is fun!
Hey Carl – yeah it would be nice to have a camera that fits in your pocket so you don’t have to drop the whole pack to take a picture – you’ll end up carrying both!
Ron
Great story, Ron. I love the rare encounters coyotes on my hikes. What a privilege to be able to share the outdoors with them.
– Dan.
Author
Hey thanks Dan.
Sounds like a great camera Ron. At least you weren’t relegated to use a cell phone camera for this photo.
I always had a hard time applying the “always take your camera with you everywhere” for nature photography. Because that means taking the tripod, assorted lenses, backpack, etc, etc if I really wanted to be prepared. But there has been more than one occasion, like this one, where I wish I at least had something. So I take a little one with me usually now as well, if for anything just to savor those special moments.
Author
Hi Mark,
Yeah, I have always had the same mindset, and still suffer from it a bit – it still doesn’t seem to be a “real” photo when you hand hold a point and shoot.
Hey Ron,
It’s not a “real” photo .. but it’s better than “no” photo. 🙂
Cheers
Carl