After returning to San Francisco from Sydney, Australia, freelance photographer Loren Elliott quickly noticed an unusual urban feature: numerous signs warning residents about coyotes.
Having developed a passion for wildlife photography, Loren previously documented animals such as koalas and platypuses that survived the devastating Australian wildfires of 2020.
He wondered if he could produce a similarly compelling visual story focusing on San Francisco’s urban coyotes. His efforts culminated in striking images capturing these elusive animals navigating the city’s golf courses, baseball fields, and residential areas.
Curious about Loren’s approach, many reached out with questions on how he managed to photograph coyotes in such a densely populated environment.
To gain insight, an in-depth conversation with Loren revealed the challenges and techniques behind his success.
In the fall of 2023, Loren made several attempts to photograph coyotes at Bernal Hill, a well-known habitat for the animals, but initially spotted none.
He admitted to doubting the feasibility of the project, observing that warning signs seemed more common than actual sightings.
Just as he was about to abandon the project, on the morning of November 3, 2023, he heard a coyote’s howl while hiking a hillside trail. Following the sound, he discovered a coyote awakening from rest and communicating with its pack.
Loren captured a memorable photo of the howling coyote bathed in morning light as a jogger and passing car moved nearby.
That moment confirmed to him that this was a story worth pursuing.
Much of Loren’s work involved using remote cameras—tools often employed in professional sports and political events to capture close-up shots from a distance.
He refined this method by practicing with his terrier mix, Boots, at home, utilizing a camera feature that automatically tracks and focuses on animal eyes. This allowed him to photograph coyotes from approximately 100 yards away without disturbing them.
This technique produced the project’s iconic image of a coyote overlooking the San Francisco skyline, as well as candid shots of coyotes investigating the camera before walking away.
Loren ensured all cameras operated silently and avoided using flashes, prioritizing an ethical approach that respected the animals’ natural behavior.
He also employed drones, flying them at distances that kept the coyotes unaware while recording footage of their movements and play on fields such as St. Mary’s Park.
In early 2024, Loren presented the story idea, which aligned well with interests in highlighting the unique facets of San Francisco’s wildlife.
Collaboration with wildlife experts and San Francisco Animal Care and Control staff enriched the narrative, particularly after meeting Phoebe Parker-Shames, a wildlife ecologist at the Presidio Trust.
She recounted an incident involving the nighttime shooting of an aggressive coyote, which required a necropsy to determine potential causes of its behavior. Viewing the frozen animal’s body left a lasting impression.
One missing element of the story was capturing images of coyote pups. In spring 2024, under Parker-Shames’ guidance, Loren installed a waterproof, infrared motion- and heat-sensor camera near a known den in the Presidio.
While the setup recorded an adult coyote leaving the den, no pups were observed, and since pups are only born once a year in spring, the effort could not be repeated immediately.
The following spring, lacking access to the same equipment, Loren tried a different approach.
With Parker-Shames’ assistance, he placed a remote camera near a stray golf ball close to the den at Presidio Golf Course. Camouflaging himself on a ladder behind a tree, Loren patiently waited over six hours.
His persistence paid off when he captured images of playful coyote pups, siblings of the previously shot adult, interacting with the ball.
With these photographs, Loren completed a vivid portrait of San Francisco’s resilient urban coyote population.
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