Yoink

Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan

To capture the three different species in one frame is unique. To capture this interaction and stop the action in one 35mm film image is nearly impossible. Everything lined up, including the eagle's approach, slowing down for a split second and the shutter actuating exactly at that moment - at 1/1000th of a second!

"Yoink" is a unique image that was the result of an interesting and lucky interaction. I had photographed otters at the Narrows in Prince Albert National Park on a number of occasions. When one otter would catch a fish, it created quite a ruckus as they fought among themselves for possession. Occasionally I had seen an eagle swoop down and snatch the fish. It would perch in a nearby tree and then watch for the right moment to score a free lunch. Eagles are very good at being opportunistic when it comes to food. Unfortunately, the otters were often too far away to get the right shots. On this particular evening the otters were close enough to get some good images. I was hoping an eagle might show up and glassed the area to see if I could spot one. However, none were visible, so I went back to photographing otters. All of a sudden something came into my view-finder and I hit the shutter as quickly as I could. My heart sank because I was pretty sure the eagle was too fast for me to have captured it. The eagle had snatched the fish right out of the otter's mouth. It was the perfect split-second image. The otter looks like he is wondering how the fish did a disappearing act.

Limited Edition 8x10 and larger to 25 SOLD OUT 

Available 5x7 only