News and reviews

During late September I was running a trip for Natures Images to Finland to concentrate on the iconic predators that roam the wild forests along the eastern border of Russia. This is the third time we have run this trip but in the past we have been in early July. This year I wanted to try and photograph these beautiful mammals in the autumn colours. This is a high risk trip and you can spend many hours sat in a small hide waiting for something to show up. During July you have light for most of the night so stand a much higher chance in getting images but during late September it is dark by 7.30pm and it is a long cold night waiting for morning. I have spent many hours sat in these hides and I have failed more times than I have had success but once you have got the bug you just can’t give up. We were based at two locations for this trip with our targets Wolf, Bear and Wolverine.

Our first stop was at a remote location near Kuhmo which is owned by a good friend of mine Lassi Rautinen. Lassi has been feeding Bears and Wolves for many years now and his hides offer the best chance in seeing these elusive predators in the wild. Wolves were the main draw for our group and during our week in the hides we had some fantastic encounters on most nights. It is so exciting seeing a wolf edging its way out of the forest and into the clearing. The wolves in particular were very active during the early part of the evening.

We had four individuals visiting the feeding site and it is an amazing sight watching them make their way across the clearing. The Alpha Male would always lead the way followed by another large male. The Alpha female was always the last to appear as she seemed more nervous. At one point we had four wolves in front of our hides and you have stop and pinch yourself, it is just hard to believe that you are witnessing one of Europe’s most elusive mammals.
Most of the nights the wolves would turn up once the sun had set behind the forest so the light levels were low, meaning high ISO’s. Modern digital cameras produce amazing results at high ISO’s. In the days of film or even early digital models it would have been impossible to get these shots. On one evening though the light was exquisite and the wolves decided to come out a bit earlier. The light was amazing as it filtered across the swamp and as the wolves stepped out into these pockets of light you can kind of pray for light like this and with such a beautiful subject.
During the middle part of the trip we then headed further south to another location to try and photograph another elusive mammal, the Wolverine. This site is fantastic for this species and that’s why we make the effort to go. Again I have spent many hours in the hides waiting for this powerful predator and it is such a thrill to see one in the wild. During previous visits I would have to wait in the hide all night for maybe a ten minute glimpse, but not on this trip.
Within the hour we had our first wolverine turn up and throughout the afternoon we had eight different individuals turn up. It was constant with so much activity; this site has just worked so well this year. We had a female with her two cubs turn up and they gave us the best opportunity. Like I said it is amazing to see these wonderful predators in the wild. This was a new location for me as I have only been to Ero’s original site; this is so much better with better light and setting. So after such a successful session with the Wolverines we headed back to Lassi’s for another go at the Wolves and Bears. You are probably wondering where my Bear shots are but I didn’t manage to get any images of them as they would only come out at night. It was a bit disappointing as I really wanted to capture the Bears in the autumn colours but hey that’s why Finland keeps drawing me back. I will finish off with a few more Wolf shots though and to be honest I feel we had such a good luck with the wolves because they can be very difficult at times. Thanks to the guys that came on this trip with me as you knew it was a risk but I think it paid off.