Renowned wildlife photographer Steve Winter has captured stunning photographs of one of North America's most elusive wildcats – the bobcat. Known for their stealth and ability to avoid human contact, bobcats present unique challenges for photographers due to their speed, agility, and natural camouflage abilities. However, Winter's expertise and use of advanced camera trap technology have resulted in remarkable high-resolution images that showcase these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Winter employed wireless photo traps to document bobcats at The Nature Conservancy's Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve in northwestern New Jersey, approximately 60 miles from New York City. His exceptional photograph of a bobcat kitten graces the cover of Nature Conservancy Magazine's 2025 Issue 3. The project captured these wildcats in various conditions, including nighttime scenes and snowy environments, providing rare glimpses into their secretive lives.
The significance of Winter's work extends beyond artistic merit. Fifty years ago, bobcats had completely vanished from New Jersey. While wildlife scientists successfully reintroduced them, these felines now face new challenges from climate change and increasing urbanization. As environmental journalist Sharon Guynup, who is also Winter's spouse, explained in the cover story, these cats will need expanded territories to survive in our changing world.
Winter brings impressive credentials to this project. Born in Indiana, he began his career at the Black Star agency before transitioning to nature photography. For over three decades, he has served as a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, specializing in big cat photography. His accolades include BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year, and top nature story honors from World Press Photo. He's also a two-time winner of Picture of the Year International's Global Vision Award.
In 2022, Winter founded Big Cat Voices, an organization dedicated to advocating for large felines. "My contribution is through storytelling: photos, magazine articles, and documentary films," Winter explains. He hopes his work will inspire audiences to help protect big cats worldwide.
The 700-acre Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve serves as a crucial habitat stronghold within what conservationists call "Bobcat Alley" – a vital corridor of protected land that The Nature Conservancy and partners are working to establish in northwestern New Jersey. This greenway supports iconic mammals including black bears, red foxes, and state-endangered bobcats, connecting critical migratory habitat between the Kittatinny and Highlands mountain ridges, which are subranges of North America's Appalachian Mountains.
Winter's technical approach involved setting up camera traps in narrow pathways, using ultra-wide 10-24mm lenses with weatherproof housings for both cameras and flash units. The system triggered five-frame shots when bobcats crossed an infrared beam, with aperture settings controlled by the flash. When asked about the project duration, Winter admitted it took "longer than I thought," describing bobcats as "a bit skittish." Weather rarely interfered except for rain, which tends to curtail bobcat movement.
The photographer observed interesting behavioral patterns during his documentation. Camera flashes would cause some bobcats to pause momentarily before continuing on their path. Curious sub-adult bobcats occasionally stopped to investigate the camera equipment, often smelling the boxes. Despite his decades of experience and global recognition, Winter still encounters technical challenges. "Voodoo, I call it voodoo," he says when describing wireless equipment malfunctions.
Beyond their ecological importance, bobcats hold significant cultural meaning. In Native American traditions, the bobcat symbolizes persistence, independence, and clear vision, though it can also represent greed and selfishness. The animal serves as a mascot for Texas State University and Ohio University. Alex Snyder, senior photo editor at The Nature Conservancy and a double-degree graduate of Ohio University's School of Visual Communication, expressed enthusiasm about working on the bobcat story, stating, "I jumped at the chance to work on a story about bobcats."
Other photographers have also been drawn to these elusive creatures, though success stories remain rare. Field & Stream's August 15 list of "60 Craziest Trail Camera Photos We've Ever Seen" included several bobcat images, but sharp, in-focus shots are uncommon. Wildlife photographer Randy Robbins wrote on PetaPixel in 2021 about his three-year quest to photograph a bobcat, explaining that encounters are typically fleeting: "It's usually a fleeting glimpse, as they see you about the same time you see them and then they disappear into the woods."
Sarah Killingsworth, a wildlife conservation photographer and filmmaker based in Marin County, California, has developed a particular passion for these animals. She told Bay Nature in 2021, "Bobcats live throughout the Bay Area, and the march of development into their habitat has forced them to adapt to an increasingly urban life." Killingsworth has observed the same bobcats over years, including "a truly special mother who has raised multiple litters of kittens in a suburban environment." Her technique involves using long lenses from considerable distances, such as photographing kittens from across a street while they waited on fences and tree limbs as their mother hunted for food.
Conservationists and New Jersey wildlife officials have praised Winter's bobcat photography for documenting both the species' recovery and its natural beauty. The work serves not only as artistic achievement but also as vital documentation of wildlife conservation success stories. Perhaps the most fitting description of bobcats, beyond their renowned stealth, is their patience – a quality that photographers like Winter must also possess to capture these remarkable creatures in their natural element.
