Gray wolf, Denali National Park

Gray wolf portrait, Denali National Park, Alaska

Gray wolf portrait, Denali National Park, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark III, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/500 sec @ 4/f, ISO 1000

Generally, getting too close to a wild wolf is not a problem I encounter often when photographing. However, in this case, a wolf from the Grant Creek pack in Denali National Park walked directly towards the vehicle I was traveling in late one evening. They often travel down the park road, I presume for ease of travel. I had on a 500mm lens, and this is about the only frame out of a handful that was in focus. Maneuvering a long lens on a moving subject at such close distances is challenging. Especially with a subject moving erratically among willows and grasses. I particularly like the eye contact in this scene, and the in focus/out of focus areas work well to direct the viewer’s eyes right to the wolf’s eyes.