Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A MIssed Opportunity

Deemom recently had a bobcat picture on her blog. This jogged my memory and I decided to post this picture, which was taken, near the Hick’s Run Elk Viewing Area in Elk County, in late September of I believe 1999. At the time I was shooting film, the camera was a Canon Rebel X and the lens a Sigma 170-500mm.

At the time I shot Kodak print film and carried one camera with ISO 200 film for good lighting conditions and one with ISO 800 for low light shots. I turned the film in to a local drug store for processing, but they sent it to the Kodak Lab in Rockville, Md. so it should have been processed correctly.

In most cases the ISO 200 film was great, but the 800 was a different story. I would no sooner than decide that I would never shoot another roll of it, than the roll that I had just shot would come back and the results would be very good, so I would shoot another which would range anywhere from barely usable to being a total disaster. It usually was not a matter of the negative not being printed correctly, but the film itself was not developed right and was grain and muddy in appearance.


I was walking through the woods toward an area that a large bull elk frequented when I saw two young bobcats running toward me but angled so that they would go past less than 20 yards away. In this case everything was loaded against me. I only had two or three frames remaining on the roll, the light was poor, and the range was very close. To top things off this was one of the times that the film was ruined in processing. I emptied the camera at one of the cats and then slammed my camcorder on the tripod and tried for a video sequence, but only got a fleeting shot of one of the animals as he ran out of sight.

I like little about the picture except that it remains the only still photograph that I have taken of a bobcat that plainly shows what the cat looks like.

How I would love to have the same opportunity again with a DSLR and 70-200mm lens!

7 comments:

Kerri Farley said...

Wow Willard....just to have the opportunity to capture a frame of this animal is Wonderful in itself.
I have never seen one of these in the wild...I would be scared to death if I did :)

Anonymous said...

Oh this is so good to see, Willard. These animals are really becoming rare and hard to find here in Ohio. I don't think one has been reported in this part of the state for ages. Maybe down south along the Ohio river, but not here. I am so glad that you still have them there where you live. Amazing creatures all.

DeeMom said...

Willard, Great shot much closer than out friend got, For Sure a bobcat.

Still remember the sounds they make, makes your blood curdle

Thanks for remembering

Bet your blood was rushing as you saw this.

Tom said...

I did something same a week or so back with a fox.. I was pleased to have seen it but so annoyed by ho the pictures turne out.
At least you saw one and have the proof.
Thank you Willard for your concern and comments while I have been ill... I have sure missed stopping by and commenting on my friends blogs.

imac said...

Great to see a Bobcat photo, wow you get such great animals to photograph.


Thanks Willard for your advice on the owls, much appreciated.

ASHE said...

Are you sure that isn't Ansel???

Gretchen said...

I've never been lucky enough to get a photo of a bobcat. Every time I've seen one, it was running too fast for me to get the camera up. Of course, I've always been driving the car, too.