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Anyone that has followed me or my work over the years will be aware of my obsession with photographing Wolves. It is hard to explain why but Wolves just do something for me, they are super intelligent and so secretive and elusive and the challenge of getting an image of a wild wolf is so difficult, probably one of the hardest subjects that a wildlife photographer can choose.

So, I decided a long time ago to rise to the challenge and slowly but surely, I have finally been getting the results that I have always wanted to achieve. Over those years I have mainly been getting results in either Finland, Alaska, or Yellowstone National Park. This set of images were taken in Finland.

Now it is impossible to get results like I have without the help from others and over the years I have had a lot of help from other photographers. When working in Yellowstone I have over the past few years been working with my good friend Stan Tekiela. Stan’s knowledge of the park and more importantly the wolf population is amazing and over the past three trips I have run with him we have had some tremendous encounters. I usually put that down to being in the right place at the right time, but it has not been the case, it has been down to Stan’s knowledge of the wolves and the park. The same can be said of my images of Wolves that I have taken in Finland and without the help of Lassi Rautiainen I just wouldn’t have managed a single one.

I first met Lassi back in 2005 and at the time he was the only photographer that was getting continually good results of photographing wolves in Finland. He had been photographing them for many years and so his knowledge was second to none. So, I went over to see him and over the course of the 10 days in one of his hides I had a brief single sighting of large male wolf. It was the first time I had seen a wild wolf and I was hooked. Those first images were nothing special but nevertheless I was so pleased of my wild wolf images and just couldn’t believe I had finally saw one.

The following year I returned, and I have been going back to Finland ever since. Some years I got lucky and had some amazing opportunities and others I came back with nothing. I never got down about blanking as I always say, ‘well there is next year’ and so on and so on. I wish I could spend my whole time in these hides but that’s not possible, so I just look forward to going back. Over the years I have photographed many different individuals and different packs. Alpha Males and females come and go and then new Wolves with new dynamics take hold. It has been fascinating watching these close bonds between family members and heart-breaking watching them end.

My last two years visiting Finland have been the most successful period for me personally as in 2018 a new Alpha Male and Female took the dominant position in the area, and they have been very successful in producing pups. As a result, the pack has expanded and so these young wolves have offered a fantastic opportunity for photography. The White Alpha male is also very relaxed in visiting the hides in search of food and I have to say he is one of the most handsome males I have encountered. I missed a couple of years because of the Covid pandemic but these two trips have been so productive.

Last Autumn whilst I was there the dominant pair had reared six pups and these pups had a close bond so would always visit together. Sometimes it felt like wolves were everywhere and the opportunities were just amazing. I just couldn’t believe it and had to pinch myself that what I was seeing was wild wolves. I have always loved visiting Finland in the Autumn; it is a brief season, but the colours can be fantastic and this rich palette of colour acts as a perfect backdrop for these wonderful predators. The weather can be unpredictable but usually there is a lot of cloud around producing rain. Although the daylight hours are brief at this time of the year when the sun does show itself the light can be glorious at times.

One of the nicest feelings in photography is when your subject is so relaxed and one young wolf went to sleep in front of my hide. He was so close I could hear him breathing and eventually one of his brothers came over and two Wolves were just metres away. Difficult to get any images but it was an amazing experience and one I won’t forget.

It is not long now until I go back in late September, and I am so looking forward to it. Catching up with the pack and to see what dynamics have changed over the course of the year. If you’re interested in joining me this special trip, then please get in touch because I am planning on going out in 2025 again.

Danny.