Coyote in Chicago

It wasn’t until I captured this shot that I even realized Chicago had a large coyote population.  Mostly out of sight and out of mind, as the lockdown began in the city, so did the wandering of wildlife.
But let’s back up a bit and get into the details of how this shot came to be, what made it take off and what happened since.  It was a crisp spring morning and I decided to head out and test my new camera, a Sony a7rIV.  That’s right folks, for those that care, I have officially switched from Nikon to Sony.  I have no real brand loyalty so I use the gear that lets me work quickly and efficiently.  With a new camera in hand, I set out to take a break from portraits by capturing empty streets and get a feel for my new equipment.

The Coyote Shot

As I drove south on Lake Shore Drive (aka LSD), I decided to exit on Michigan Avenue.  The street was almost empty and I decided to pull over and wait for the right moment.  In the meantime I began dialing in some camera function settings and keeping warm in the car.  As the street cleared, I began to step out of the car and noticed something strange…silence.  It’s rare to hear silence in the city, let alone on one of the busiest streets.  It’s one of those moments where you simply enjoy the moment, hearing virtually nothing except the hum from buildings.

The silence was short-lived as within a few seconds I could hear the familiar sound of nails running on pavement.  For anyone that has a dog or other animal they walk, it’s a fairly familiar sound and my initial thought was that it was a dog.  As I turned my head I realized that what I saw was not a dog, but a coyote.  Having lived in the suburbs, there were more sightings of foxes and coyotes there, but a city first for me.  Not wanting to scare the coyote, I ducked back into the car and shot through the windshield.  Initially I didn’t think much of the image because of the motion blur on the coyote, but thought it was novel enough to share.

The Spread

Without much thought, I posted the image in just one sub on Reddit and that’s where it all began.  Within a few minutes, the post had skyrocketed in views and comments.  Folks were sharing and resharing the shot over and over making its way across all social media platforms.  This lead to two things, media outlets asking to use the image in their broadcast and individuals requesting prints.  The shot was licensed to The Late Show, Today Show and dozens of other outlets including a Jeep commercial!

During that time I decided to also do a limited edition 17×22 print for individuals that reached out.  The series is limited to 100 and while most have sold, there are still a few numbered and signed prints left.  And while the moment has passed, if you have questions or interest in a print, please reach out to michael@novophotography.com.