Wildlife photo wins first place in Yahoo News and Flickr winter scenes contest
David Renwald's shot of a coyote in Yellowstone was among more than 700 images submitted
David Renwald’s patience in freezing temperatures and snow in Yellowstone National Park paid off. His photograph captured a coyote sitting among grass poking from the snow in a moment that evokes seclusion, concentration and calm.
The photo, titled “Placid Coyote,” won first place in Yahoo News and Flickr winter scenery photography contest. Renwald’s work was among 711 photos submitted from 357 entrants.
“Coyotes lead a tenuous life among the wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park,” Renwald, of Portland, Ore., told Yahoo News. “This female and her mate were hunting on frozen ponds when she decided to sit on the edge of the rushes and scan the landscape and maybe listen for a wolf howl. I watched her for quite a long while and then had time for only two photographs before she trotted off. The temperature that day reached a high of minus-18 degrees.”
One of the judges, a Yahoo News photo editor, said: “'Placid Coyote' was clearly a winning photograph for me. It stood apart from the other pictures in its confidence with a minimally balanced palette and a composition that tells an ongoing, compelling story. I kept going back for a look, because this open-ended photo kept my mind buzzing.”
Arnold Chao, another judge and an editor at Flickr, added: “Renwald’s wildlife portrait possesses astounding clarity of a peaceful moment in nature. The blank-slate snowy background shifts my attention to the complementary colors of the lone coyote and wisps of dried vegetation, and the captivating crisp detail of it all elevates its illustrative quality.”
Renwald won a $500 Amazon.com gift card. The four runners-up each won a $100 Amazon.com gift card. They all receive a Flickr T-shirt. If you are interested in learning about future contests or would like your photography to be considered for publication on Yahoo websites, please visit Yahoo News: Your Photos group on Flickr.
Below are our four runners-up: Rebecca Adler’s “Snow Day in Central Park”; Anna E. Cramer’s “Winter Sun”; Ritu Vincent’s “Matterhorn Sunrise”; and Paul Cockrell’s “Clearing Storm.”
See the semifinalists in this Flickr gallery.
