Earlier this week, photographer Eric Smith was making a cup of coffee at home when he spotted the perfect shot out his kitchen window. A pack of coyotes was moving through the hills behind his Los Angeles home, perfectly silhouetting themselves against the Hollywood sign. He grabbed his telephoto lens and ran for the聽door.听
“I carefully opened the front door as they passed by, and climbed the hill across the street,” says Smith, a creative director at CBS EcoMedia. “I knew when he passed in front of the Hollywood sign that I was going to have a special picture. There are聽at least 30 images in this sequence, but I chose this one because I like the coyote鈥檚 profile with his eyes closed, as well as the juxtaposition to the letters behind him.鈥
Coyotes are a common sight in the Hollywood Hills, where Smith lives鈥攁long with mountain lion, deer, and hawks鈥攂ut they're聽mostly afraid of people and fairly elusive. Still, wild animals are such a presence that聽 has become a popular group on Facebook where neighbors discuss and commiserate. Missing dog posters go up daily on telephone posts in the neighborhood.听A local mountain lion called聽P-22 was聽聽a couple of years ago.听Lately, he鈥檚 been聽.听
This isn鈥檛 the first time Smith has successfully captured wildlife on his camera. Last year he photographed engrossed in his smartphone.听You can see more of Smith鈥檚 photos , or follow him on .