It is the worst trying to hold the lens still, when you feel the mosquitos landing on your hand starting to sting
Remember this moment, when you peacefully lay in bed on a warm summer evening, you close your eyes and want to finally relax and slip off into dream world……. and then suddenly you hear this single little mosquito flying around your head. You hear the ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ziiiiiiiiii coming closer to your face and you try to feel where this damn mosquito lands, so you can hit yourself over the head and hopefully smash the little bugger. Most of the time however your face may flinch in anticipation of the oncoming hand, giving this mosquito just enough time to escape its fate.
Well now multiply this mosquito by a thousand, NO! by tenthousand and you may be able to imagnine the kind of hell you might find yourself in on an arctic river in summer. The noise level of mosquitoes resembles a concert of dog wissles that are just within the realm of the human ear.
So you are still with me? – ok; then you imagine my idea to wade through a river and sit patiently in the tundra near a wolf den to see if I might get lucky to get a photograph. Well yeah, this is the thing with me. If I have a glimpse of hope, my will can be pretty strong. ( Read about my story on PATIENCE )
So what was I after? I had know about this wolf den the year before. Together with my pilot we checked the location this year again to confirm that the wolves were actually still present. We did one round over the den and saw a grey wolf peacefully resting on the river bank. I got one image and this observation gave me reason to come back. When we planned to come back in July we thought about mosquitoes; I bought a mosquito net last minute, because I had forgotten mine. Thank god! As we arrived at the river and flow over the den site we still saw a black wolf nearby. That wolf never even looked up but just shook his fir. It was a sign. As soon as we landed, we know what was going on. This poor creature was so miserable, it could care less what we were all about. Aerial wolf-hunters? Who cares! Put me out of this misery!
Grey Wolf watching the den. Nikon D3x, 70-200mm/f2.8
Good thing we were of the other kind! Longer story short: After crossing the river, I sat down near the den for a couple of hours. For some reason the mosquitoes always found away to work their ways to my skin. I tried to stay calm and the dream of the wolf images kept me pretty upbeat. The bigger problem for me was that I saw not much sign of activity on the river bank. The sand seemed not disturbed from tracks of playing wolf pups, nor was there an obvious path where they would emerge. I checked out different angles but I just could not convince myself that these wolves would ever appear in the open, if they were there at all. So I decided to leave, one of the many times where a hope for an image did not result in success.
Maybe it saved my life, that there were no fresh signs! With my stubbornness I may have stayed out there until the mosquitoes would have sucked the last drop of blood out of me and just left my dried up outer shell – mummified; of course with camera in hand.
I HATE MOSQUITOS they have some sort of obsession with me!!
Wow…Photographing wolves in the Arctic! that has got to be the greatest experience ever!
I have survived swarms of mosquitoes in mangrove forests (no mosquito net on my case) they were millions and millions and millions they got in the ears, mouth, nose, camera lens….when you slapped your face to kill one like a dozen died along too…but to what effect! it was a never ending struggle.
I still go every year to photograph birds there.
wish ill see a wolf one day.
Yes, I am fascinated with wolves. Where do you go in the mangrove forest? Sounds rewarding……. despite the modquitoes!
The best mangrove forests in Honduras are down south, great for bird photography during migration, also for nocturnal mammals and other small swamp critters.
Last night I was tortured by that single mosquito. I will think of your story tonight.
Sorry you didn’t get your image, but the shot of you covered in mosquitoes is a keeper.
Yeah, those single little mosquitoes! Did you get it or did it bug you all night?
About the image I did not get …… it is all about the experience. If it worked every time, it would get boring. There would be little excitement. I am fortunate though that I have photographed wolves, including pups, in the wold. I will write about that sometime.
I grew up on St. Simons Island in Georgia, so I’m far too well acquainted!
Next time I’m sitting in meditation and a mosquito decides I’m fine dining….I’m going to remember you and the wolf! I’m not even joking! It will help……..
Have a Great One!
Hey Forrester,
I really think I need some of your meditation skills. Just to be in the moment without a camera in hand. Looks like you are in the middle of a great project! This is a lot of discipline!
Urgh, I hear you about the mosquitoes.
There’s one in my bedroom that steadfastly refuses to leave! It’s a terrible creature that likes to bite me at night, then fly up to buzz around my ear, like some sort of triumphant irritation.
I feel your pain but in a much more domestic setting and a fly rather than a mosquito. I’ll make this brief.
It matters not what outdoor establishment I’m eating at or enjoying a beverage of choice, If there is a fly within a hundred miles, it will find me.
I try to remain clean. I don’t roll in garbage before venturing out. I use deodorant not as a cover up but as a deterrent only. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
Well, if this is the way it goes for you – then you better stay far from the arctic. Or maybe mosquitoes behave differently from flies…….
Made me LOL!!
I JUST HATE MOSQUITES
You’ve tried to show us the grey wolf, but what did realy atract us? The mosquitoes.
Hello Aurea,
yeah it is funny this way. I never got this intimate connection with those wolves. I have photographed them in other places and it worked out.
It is just funny, because so many people have a intimate “connection” with mosquitoes. I never had so many people click on my blog. But I guess it was featured.
I just looked at your blog. Wow, you must know about music. I would like to find some bands to ask for musik I could use with my little videos about what I do. I then would link to them and credit to them….. any ideas??
What is your email? I will send you a few pictures when I actually was able to photograph the wolves. That might be a little cuter then the mosquitoes
Ouch! That looks pretty bad. Hopefully, the bugs aren’t this bad everyday.
Good luck.
And I thought the black-flies were bad enough! Have you considered using some garlic ? Glad to see your not mummified !
Nonetheless it was actually ” Fun” watching you cross that river!