Sonoma Nature Photographer Takes First Place in International Competition

By Anna Pier 

Leo Dale captured this stunning image of a bobcat with prey at Point Reyes at dusk last January. He was notified in November that he was awarded first place, Youth Division (10 -17 years), in the Nature Photographer of the Year competition offered by the international nature photography organization, Nature Talks. 

Dale explained that he caught the image in a “pretty brief encounter” at the end of an afternoon out at Point Reyes National Seashore. It was getting dark and he was about to leave the park when he saw this cat. He added that a couple of other photographers that had been shooting this cat had stopped because of how dark it was getting. “But I used a panning technique, so the shutter stayed open for longer (1/13th of second, in this case) which let more light in and allowed me to keep shooting later in the evening. So I was probably only with this cat for about ten minutes when it successfully caught a gopher, and trotted across an open area as if showing it off.” 

The young photographer, currently a freshman at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, submitted these notes to the competition judges along with his photo:

“I am very lucky to have spent dozens of hours in the field with bobcats along the California coast. As with every subject, there are certain highly improbable shots that you may dream of but never succeed in capturing. This picture, a sharp panning shot of a bobcat with prey, was one of those dreams.

Unless stressed, bobcats typically do not move anywhere with much speed, making it difficult to capture panning images. They also do not often display their prey across large, open areas. Additionally, for a clear panning image, the bobcat must be moving almost directly perpendicular to my camera lens, and I must track the cat’s gait perfectly. So, on this cloudy evening, when I managed to get myself into position with this bobcat and all the details above went according to plan, I was thrilled.” 

Leo is the son of Sonoma Ecology Center’s Richard Dale and Caitlin Cornwall. His marvelous image of a leaping Chinook salmon in Sonoma Creek was the December 19, 2024  cover of the Sonoma Valley Sun.

He is enjoying his first semester at Colby, in particular an Environmental Studies class including field trips to the Maine capitol, Augusta, and to Acadia National Park.

Instagram@leodale_wildlife