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Iamidaho — Misery
Published: 2009-04-24 06:46:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 4417; Favourites: 277; Downloads: 89
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Description
This is an image that may not receive many favorites or appreciation but it I personally find it a very insightful and powerful window into the reality of the harshness of life.One of the most amazing things about wolves is out of all the animals I have photographed in the Rocky Mountains, there eyes are the most communicative, I have seen bravery, curiosity, happiness, tenderness and many other states of mind in the eyes of wolves, but this animal only carried with it sadness, fear, and misery. Truly a brokendown animal struggling for life.
This is male unidentified wolf that was traveling alone that has a very serious case of mange, It had a horrible limp in its walk, his ribcages could be seen through its bare mangy skin, open sores covered its body and its tail was merely a stump of skin. Unless situations dramatically improve for this animal he is near his end.
Sometimes in wildlife photography I fear we focus so hard on capturing the beauty of wildlife I feel we create for our viewers somewhat of a fantasy world of beautiful sleek skinned and healthy animals.
The truth is life is incredibly fragile and precious, and the balance of life and death in nature is razor thin.
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Comments: 76
Poor little wolf. Just because he/she doesn't have a nice coat doesn't mean they don't deserve no lovings.
I once went dog sledding and one of them was really small and had mange or something so he had no fur on his bum/back area. But, despite that, he was still the lead dog and he was ooberly nice!
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stunning and sad at the same time. very well done.
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This is beautiful yet heartbreaking at the same time. Amazing photography and amazing work.
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An uncomfortable image but you could not have captured the animal's suffering more effectively than with this shot. Highly professional.
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poor wolf! 
nature can be so crule...
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I agree with your artist comment that we focus too much on the health, and the beatification of wild life, and this is showing the reality. When you see his eyes you can't help but think of man's best friend when he looks at his owner when he is near the end.
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Somehow i'm amazed how you got the emotion of this scenery on the photo. Honestly it's a beautiful shot on it's own way.
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This is such a powerful and meaningful shot
as well as your words. Life is a delicate
balance, and it's a tough world out there
for most.
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Your photography is awesome and displays the true nature and reality of wildlife.
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Thank you. Exactly the message I try to protray with my work. Nature is beautiful, powerful, heartbreaking at times and simply awesome.
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Couldn't agree with you more! You've just put into words exactly what I was thinking...
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A great photo of an unsightly subject - and a point well taken.
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Thank you for posting this. Your shots are inspirational and beautiful to me. I'm glad you included the not-so-gorgeous aspects of a wolf's life as well.
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This is one of your best shots of wolves I must say... Never have I seen so much emotion in the eyes of animals... Excellent work
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You're messages are beautiful and clearly written. Everything said is obviously a true beleif and leaves an unmistankingly haunted or relishable quality. I love your photos and your words behind them; thank you for sharing them.
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This is one of the most powerful photos I have seen. I definitely agree with the description. The title says it all.
Very, very well done.
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thank you, it really carrys with it a lot of empathy for the animal, i hope to see him again some day
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This is a sad picture, but true, and I think it deserves recognition. You're truly right, people usually only see the "good side" of nature. Wild animals don't have health clinics or doctors unless they're in a zoo.
I'd be interested to see if you see this wolf again. Wolf eyes are always so very intense.
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I really hope to come across him again later this year to shoot a photo of his recovery, its hard to tell what will happen though every year about this time I run into a few loner wolves that had a rough winter, wolves that travel alone cover HUGE distances so its often hard to ever see them again..did you know that a wolf from yellowstone was in Colorado a while back?
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wow! That's insane. I know they can cover large distances, but that's really far!
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amazing insight into the trials that wild animals face, even wolves, revered for their strength and tenacity. but nothing is unbreakable...truly a breathtaking shot.
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well said! i really like that quote.
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I think this photo is the most striking and in it's own way more beautiful than the other images that show the "perfect" animals.
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awh... poor wolf... he looks so terrible...
his eyes really speak "help me? please?"
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Awwww, Poor thing..
My eyes teared up when I saw this.
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It's sad... I want to make him feel better !!
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im glad you appreciate what i write, its an integral part of each image i capture.
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I could tell.. keep it up. The words make the pictures whole
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A wonderful shot; I think it shows the desperation and hardships this single wolf has faced in life. It shows the other side of wildlife; not all is beautiful on the outside but always determined to live.
It's a wonderful capture.
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What a powerful photo!
I hope it gets plenty of 
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and yet he continues to walk.
I think we can all learn something from him.
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I think humans have a horribly flawed grasp on what thier relationship with nature should be. In order to understand that they must NOT interact with wildlife, people must first ACCEPT what nature is without our interference- both beauty and suffering.
An amazing capture. You've captured both extremes of nature's spectrum here. This may be my favorite wolf picture of yours so far, simply for the unvarnished realism of it.
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A very powerful piece, and I find it beautiful and heart wrenching all at the same time.
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you are very right. people never see or they ignore the harsh-ness of life. this is a very very very captivating photo. im finding it hard NOT looking at it... its sad depressing and amazingly insightful into the "real world" - the way of the world, the "survival of the fittest"
i prop you for posting such an emotional picture.
looking at his eyes makes me want to cry
a very well taken photo, his posture just added to the effect.
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Lovely shot. Truly captivating and incredibly insightful.
I see sadness and a knowing look in those eyes. Not so much fear...maybe a hint of misery due to the advance stages of death but not enough to show that he has been defeated. He's still fighting, still roaming and still slowly dying.
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wow... powerful image. his eyes definitely say it all
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Wow.. this is so sad, I want to adopt him and nurture him!
^kkart pointed me in this direction after reading about a little Yorkie stray I found and rescued. Now my eyes are all watery and I want to go rescue the wolf. My heart always goes out to mistreated beings, animal and human alike.
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Get this man a DD! Glad to see you're putting the new gear to good use. Very powerful image, and a concise and useful message. This is a picture that really is worth a thousand words. Excellent photography Nate.
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Thank you for the compliments, my favorite part about this picture would have to be the fly that is just above his back leg, to me it somehow just completes the whole image!
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I guess anything I say about this would only echo other's comments. I am glad on one level you have captured this; on another, I feel pity for this fella, who most likely is not with us now. Such is life.
Thanks for sharing.
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