A Q&A with a Yellowstone Photographer, Part 2
Recently the Flat Creek Blog visited with Tanner Perkes, a wildlife photographer of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, to learn what it took to capture such fabulous images. All images in this blog are his. You can follow him on Instagram: @perkes_of_the_outdoors. This is part 2 of 2 of the interview. Read part 1 here.
Q: What is your favorite animal to photograph?
A: As a photographer, this is a really tough question because I love the variety that comes with the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. If I had to choose one it would probably have to be Grizzly Bears. They have been my favorites since I was a kid. The rarer the animal the more interested I am in photographing it. So now I love to look for all kinds of rare wildlife like wild cats and mustelids.
Q: Is there an animal you’re still looking to get a shot of?
A: The animal that is at the top of my list to see and photograph would have to be a lynx. I am maybe a little obsessed with looking for wildlife cats. I have photographed mountain lions and bobcats and a lynx is the only cat species left in the Rockies that I haven’t seen. While they have been known to be present in Yellowstone, they occur at such low densities that I will most likely have to travel to find this cat.
Q: Is there a perfect shot you’re hoping to get someday?
A: A shot that I have been working towards would probably have to be a clean image of a mountain lion walking towards the camera. A shot that I missed in the backcountry of Yellowstone by one second when my brother and I camped out at a mountain lion kill for 8 hours. Ever since missing that shot it’s been my goal. I have been able to get mountain lion photos where I have a clear shot of their faces but nothing quite like that opportunity. I will add that it is important to me that the cat is acting naturally. I don’t use hounds, bait, or calls in my photography. Just good ole fashioned tracking, blinds and a whole lot of patience.
Q: What is your favorite photograph you’ve taken?
A: This is another tough question to answer as a photographer. I can’t say I have one. What I will say is the photos that become my favorites usually have a great memory attached to them, usually involving experiencing something amazing with my family. Two photos stick out in my mind. One is when I took my brother and his kids on a “wildlife adventure” to look for bears. They live in Texas and don’t get to experience this stuff very often. We had an incredible encounter with a grizzly bear in the fall colors in a national forest where I had never seen them before. I got a great pic of it but the fact it was with them and that they were so excited makes the memory and the photo really special. The other is of a bobcat that my brothers and I found while snow machining in Yellowstone’s interior. We had the cat all to ourselves and it was such an incredibly rare experience I got to share with my brothers.
Q: Have you ever stayed at the Flat Creek Inn?
A: I sure have. I got to live there for three summers in college as a seasonal worker, which was one the of the most special times of my life. Since then when I stay in Jackson it’s become my go-to hotel.
