Spectacular Camera Trap Photo of Mountain Lion Shows Downtown LA Behind

Aug 30, 2024

Matt Growcoot

A mountain lion stands on a rocky hillside, looking back over its shoulder. The background features a sprawling cityscape under a dusky sky, with the city lights just starting to come on. Vegetation and dry grasses surround the lion, emphasizing the natural habitat. — A mountain lion in the Verdugo Hills, August 21. ISO 1600, f/7.1, 1/40 of a second.

A photographer has captured a spectacular picture of a mountain lion in the Verdugo Hills with downtown Los Angeles sparking behind it.

“Camera trapping is the most frustrating photographic technique but when it works, it’s freaking amazing,” Johanna Turner tells PetaPixel.

Turner’s camera trap was set up in the Verdugo Mountains, a small island of habitat (19 square miles) north of L.A. surrounded by freeways and dense development.

“I’ve been using camera traps in the Verdugos for over 10 years. There was a resident mating pair of mountain lions there between 2010 and 2021 but they have both since died. I’ve been fascinated by the thought that another lion would find a way in so I left some cameras up,” explains Turner.

Three deer stand on a hillside with dried bushes and plants in the foreground. A brightly lit cityscape stretches out below them in the background under a night sky. The scene contrasts the natural environment with the sprawling urban lights. — Three bucks at the same spot a few weeks earlier.

A coyote is captured mid-leap in a grassy and flowery terrain at night. The cityscape, with twinkling lights, stretches out in the background under a dark sky, highlighting the contrast between wildlife and urban environment. — A flying coyote.

In that exact same location, she also captured coyotes and deer which perhaps explains the mountain lion’s presence there.

“It’s a beautiful spot, and all the wildlife I’ve seen there over several years has produced some great images. But this mountain lion means so much more to me personally and to conservation efforts for the species,” says Turner.

Camera trapping involves leaving a device in a remote location and hoping for the best. In this case, Turner used a Canon 6D with a 17-40 mm lens attached. Two off-camera Nikon speedlights illuminated the cougar.

“ISO is fixed to allow the shutter to be fast and hopefully not get motion blur when there is some ambient light,” explains Turner.

“In darkness, the shutter stays open to allow the city lights to expose well and the flashes take the shot of the subject and foreground.”

Two deer, an adult and a fawn with spots, stand facing each other on a hillside at night. The background features a sprawling cityscape with numerous illuminated buildings and streetlights under a dark sky. Wild plants and grasses surround the deer. — An adult and fawn deer.

Turner has to hike out to check the cameras but images such as the mountain lion makes the effort worthwhile.

“It was a complete surprise, followed by panic that maybe the focus wasn’t sharp or something would be wrong with the shot because I was only seeing it on the LCD on the camera in glaring sun,” she says. “I immediately texted a few friends and told them my hands were shaking.”

Turners adds that she isn’t worried about her cameras being stolen while left unattended because it is “locked up to a secure metal post and is on a somewhat overgrown animal trail that isn’t good for hiking”.

More of Turner’s work can be found on her website and Instagram.

Image credits: Johanna Turner