There are moments in the field that feel less like photography and more like being quietly invited into another world. This was one of them.
It happened near the very end of our final session of the 2025 Better Than Bosque Workshop, earlier this December. The light was already sliding toward evening, that soft, honey-warm glow that Bosque does so well when the day begins to exhale. We were just starting to think about wrapping things up when this female coyote stepped into view.
She stood tall in the grass, bathed in that last, low sunlight, lifted her head—and called.
Not a quick yip or passing note, but a long, soulful call that carried across the landscape. It stopped all of us in our tracks. Cameras came up, then slowly lowered again. This wasn’t just about the image anymore.
Coyotes are deeply family-oriented animals. They live in tight-knit family groups—often a bonded pair with offspring from one or more years—and cooperation is at the heart of their survival. Both parents help raise and protect the pups, hunt together, and maintain their territory. That bond was on full display here.
She didn’t sound casual. She sounded anxious.
Her calls had urgency, as if she were checking in, making sure her mate knew where home was, where the family waited. We watched and listened in silence, fully aware we were witnessing something intimate and real. There was a collective sense among the group that this was special—one of those rare moments you don’t plan for, can’t script, and never forget.
Then the light finally faded. We stayed a little longer, just soaking it in.
About twenty minutes later—after sunset, when cameras were mostly away—we saw movement again. Her mate appeared in the distance, slowly making his way back toward her… with a noticeable limp. Suddenly, everything made sense. Her concern. The calling. The waiting.
No drama. No spectacle. Just a family reconnecting at the end of the day.
It was a magical way to close out this year’s workshop—quiet, emotional, and deeply grounding. Moments like this are why I keep coming back, year after year. And sharing it with such an incredible group of people—patient, respectful, fully present—was truly the icing on the cake.
Some images stay with you because they’re beautiful. Others stay with you because of what they mean.
This one will stay with me for a long time.