2020-05-01_N-Photo_the_Nikon_magazine

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
Above: This puma
was minutes away
from catching a
chulengo (a baby
guanaco).

Left: After a
successful hunt,
the puma drags her
kill away to a more
private location.
The chulengo will
provide her with
food for a week.

Bottom:
A Patagonian grey
fox mother and
cubs play outside
their den, high
up in the Andes.

PAUL GAINS


Tamron 150-600mm on the D500.
It’s light enough to hand-hold, which is a
consideration when hiking great distances
in the Andes mountains. I also like being
able to zoom out when wildlife gets closer
than expected. I mounted a Tamron
70-300mm on the D7000 for landscapes,
but also carried the Nikon 17-55mm.
Every session brought successful
puma encounters. We spent one day with
a mother puma and her four cubs, and were
blessed when two of the cubs came to us
for protection as a large and dominant
adult female threatened their mother.
The absolute highlight, though, was
witnessing a hunt on the last evening.
Through his binoculars, Roberto had
spotted a young adult puma on a ridge.
We hiked about 3km up and around her
position, so as not to spook her, and then
watched as she lay in wait. A herd of
guanacos slowly moved uphill towards her.
I was in perfect position when she struck.
Besides publishing photos and selling
the occasional print I enjoy presenting my
photos to audiences of university and high
school students, in hope that my
enthusiasm is an effective tool in
promoting wildlife conservation.

For more of Paul’s work, see:
http://www.paulgainsphoto.com

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