The Coyotes

Coyotes and prairies just seem to go together. Most coyotes I’ve seen over the years are half starved scraggly looking critters. Very few ever look reasonably healthy, but, a few years ago I encountered a family of these interesting canines while visiting Oklahoma’s Tallgrass preserve. They were the most beautiful coyotes I’ve ever encountered.
     It was late spring, but quite warm as the summer season was approaching. That area doesn’t receive all that much rain even during a wet season, but that year it was particularly dry with considerably less spring rain than normal. I had spent the better part of the day hiking around taking a few pictures and simply enjoying just being out and amongst this marvelous landscape. As the last half hour of the day began to settle toward its final farewell, I hiked about four hundred yards to the top of high grassy knoll. My intent was to watch and hopefully capture one of those legendary prairie sunsets as it played out across the rolling panoramic that spread out in front of me. This was my pre-digital days and I was still shooting film and by this time in the day my film stock was beginning to run low. I had maybe eight or ten images left that I could take.
     About a quarter mile to the south ran a dry creek bed than cut across and through a lower section of the landscape. It was characterized by steep banks and rocky soil…and because it had been so dry that year…very little water. As I sat on that grassy knoll, I happened to notice some movement along that creek bed. With my lens zoomed all the way out I could just make out three coyotes as they worked their way along the edge of the creek. Too far off to effectively take any pictures, I tried to keep an eye on them with the camera and lens but within a few minutes lost sight of them.
     The sunset progressed over the next ten or fifteen minutes to the point where the sky was beginning to turn golden. I isolated a few cone flowers against the sky and snapped a few shots. I was down to maybe two or three images remaining when I again noticed some movement south of me only this time it was closer…a lot closer. About fifty yards away on the edge where that grassy knoll dropped off more steeply to the south stood one of those coyotes standing broadside staring at me through the tall grass. Thirty or so yards away from that one stood another one facing me his head held high to see over the edge of the knoll. As far as I knew, neither one of us had seen the other until that moment. The light was really low by this time, but I grabbed my camera hoping to get to use the last couple of images to capture these guys. I snapped off a couple quick shots just as they both scampered off. In their haste, I spotted the third one trailing not far behind.
     I’ve never before seen coyotes that were as impressive as these. Their tawney coats were magnificent and full with dark brown and black blotchy areas across their shoulders and neck accenting the lighter buff and reddish color of their undercoat. Their heads were big and eyes were keen. Their bodies appeared larger than most ordinary coyotes.  For a moment I thought they might have been a family of Red Wolves, but the Red Wolf is extinct in Oklahoma now and has been for over 50 years; their habitat destroyed, and numbers decimated by the misguided theory that predators were bad and should be shot on sight or poisoned. By 1930 their numbers dwindled to but a scattered handful in two locations…the Ozark/Ouachita Mountain area of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, and along the wooded areas of southern Texas and Louisiana…and in many cases they actually inner bred with coyotes producing a larger hybrid. Fortunately, a few of the remaining Red Wolves were captured and they have undergone a captive breeding program since the late 1980’s and have been reintroduced into suitable habitat in North Carolina. Maybe someday, they will return to Oklahoma.
     Because of their size and color, the coyotes I encountered certainly appeared to have some of that Red Wolf genetics in their makeup. In my heart I wanted them to be Red Wolves, but realistically, I understood the probability of that was very low. I continued watching them for several minutes as they trotted off toward the setting sun in search of their evening meal…a couple of times along their route they stopped and looked back at me before moving on.
     Unfortunately, the quick pictures I took were not very good…blurred as the light was very low…so I don’t have any images to share. Even so, the mental images I have of these magnificent creatures are still vivid and alive.
     Coyotes are one of nature’s most successful and adaptive critters…much more difficult to get close to than one would think. As I continually return to the Tallgrass Prairie I always hope to encounter a few more of these guys. On my last visit I managed to catch sight of and hear the howls and yelps of a family of four or five.  Not sure if they were from the same group, but it was in the same area. 


In my mind’s eye I still hear the coyotes howl at dusk, and visualize the ghosts of the Red Wolves as they drift across the prairie.  Anyone out there with their own coyote encounters?...I'd love to hear your stories and see any photographs you may have.

Creating an Emotional Visual-Dialog

I stood on a high grassy knoll overlooking Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie one late spring day.  The visuals were stunning in depth and impact...yet the photographs I took at the moment fell well short of what I felt emotionally. Something was missing and I was disappointed that my work from atop that hill just wouldn't make the cut.  But...all was not lost for I learned an important lesson as a result.  I began to evaluate what I was doing more closely and took a hard look at why those images did not portray what I was feeling.  After comparing that set of images with others that I know generated more emotion, I began to see a pattern.  What happened was that one set of images failed to generate a Visual-Dialog.  Even though what I was observing first hand was stunning, I failed to capture the emotion of the moment.

Visual Dialog in a photograph means that when someone views the image, they are moved emotionally by all the elements present.  Those elements are what transforms a visual moment into a place and time where the viewer can interject themselves into your vision.  Numerous things contribute to that effect, even so, what I've discovered in most of my favorite images and in other similar images are six elements that are common to each.  These six elements are used in various combinations to build Visual Dialog.

Let's take a look.

Drama:
All effective images contain an element of Drama.  What Drama refers to here is that element that defines the impact of the image.  It adds depth, meaning, and purpose.  It provides what is called an Interest of Conflict...not to be confused with Conflict of Interest.  All good drama's contain conflict...it is what dictates interest.  A photograph is a visual story and drama within it can appear in many forms.  Things like Light vs Dark...Hot vs Cold...Sad vs Happy...and even more subtle forms like desire...searching...mystery.

Drama is partially determined by the theme of the image and is defined by the quality of the light.  Drama can often be quite subtle or it can boldly jump off the page.  If the image is structured just so, the viewer will generate their own idea of what the drama is...simply by interpreting the variables contained in photograph.

Symphonic Melody
Symphonic Melody (SM) is the engine that drives the impact of the image.  It determines the character and flavor of the image...and even the drama.  Color and contrast are often two of the most important elements that define SM and they can often be associated with mood.  Ask yourself...What is it I want to capture here?...then search for ways to isolate that mood...or generate that SM.  Look for color, look for angles, look for expressions of atmosphere...then use the tools on your camera to capture its essence.  SM is a way of blending the physical elements into an emotionally expressive image.

Boldness
Boldness adds another level of depth to an image by combining unique textures, forms, lines, colors and contrasts with the various angles and qualities of light.  Composition is a critical element in defining boldness and contributes to the overall strength of the image.  Boldness is what takes an ordinary situation and turns it into an extraordinary moment.  Look for strong reference points, but remember that boldness doesn't necessarily always mean big and dynamic...it also includes defining something in softer and more subtle ways.

Simplicity of Purpose
A common theme throughout this blog...whenever you are photographing, always think in terms of simplicity.  Simplicity of purpose is what melds all the elements in to a single homogenous composition.  Nothing in the image is wasted and everything is there for a reason.  Simplicity doesn't mean a lack of complex details...it simply means everything in the image works toward telling the single story.

Story
Too many story lines in an image will confuse the viewer.  Ask yourself..what is this image all about..then focus on those elements.  Story is the Visual Dialog the viewer sees.  Combine light as your canvas...composition as your theme...and subject as your story.  Story ties in with all the other elements we've discussed.  Story can be straight forward...like excitement...fear...beauty...or it can be more subtle...something like...what happened here...or a poignant reference to an event or look in someones eyes...or the mystery of what's around the bend.

Impression
Impression is your personal interpretation of a moment of light.  Impression requires a strong understanding of how to use light to enhance the story and subject.  Light is what applies the impressionistic interpretation of the vision you have...it is through impression that you determine how you want the image to look...not necessarily how it actually looks while you are viewing it.  Impression implies that the image you create captures the essence...not necessarily the exact duplication...of what is there.  A good example is photographing wind...you can't...but you photograph the effects of the wind.


Creating emotional visual dialog in a photograph might sound like an overtaxing dilemma, but once you begin to think and apply those concepts, it actually becomes more instinctive and requires less thought than simply reacting to the situation...almost like how an athlete reacts without thinking about what he's doing.  The idea here is to simply get you to thinking more critically about what you doing.

Keith