First Encounter

When photographing wildlife, I’ve learned that preparation isn’t just helpful… it’s everything.

I often call this my “3-second moment,” because that’s truly all it was.

Up until that day, every wolf encounter I’d had resulted in nothing more than fleeting glimpses… a tail disappearing into the trees, a hind end vanishing into the brush. Wolves are masters of remaining unseen, and I had come to accept that most of my images would reflect just how elusive they are.

That morning, I had pulled over to adjust my camera, recalibrating my settings as the light began to shift. It felt like a small, routine pause… but it turned out to be everything.

Within moments, a beautiful grey wolf suddenly crossed the road right in front of me and disappeared into the forest.

Heart racing, I drove to where it had entered the trees, hoping for just one more glimpse. Through the branches, I caught sight of it moving back in the direction I had just come from. Instantly, I remembered a small clearing I had passed moments earlier.

I turned around and made my way back, not knowing if I was too late… or if I’d missed my chance entirely.

But within seconds of arriving, there she was.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, calm, aware, and completely breathtaking.

She paused just long enough… just a few seconds… for me to capture this image before silently slipping back into the safety of the forest.

Had I not taken that brief moment to adjust my camera for the changing light, this encounter would have come and gone like so many others… unseen, unrecorded, just another story of “almost.”

Later, I learned that this wolf was believed to be the alpha female of the Bow Valley Pack at the time.

And knowing that… makes this fleeting 3-second moment feel even more like a gift.

-Stan Masters

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