A cold stare

I like this shot! Though a somewhat standard pose, with the difficult chore of finding a suitable background (extremely difficult with animal shots), the photographer manages several things I like. First, the out-of-focus background highlights the main subject, which is in solid, sharp focus. Second, the viewer's eye is drawn to the wolf's head, where the "action" is. As opposed to the fluffy, furry, dog-like body, the gaze is, if not full of malice, chillingly feral. The eyes, with their dark pupils and amber irises (unlike most dogs), make you pause--this isn't a dog you're looking at, but a fierce cousin. Third, the slight "lean" of the wolf's stance gives the impression of tightly harnessed kinetic energy, conveying imminent movement, as if it could leap away from, or toward you at any moment. Even if taken at a zoo, this photo gives the sense you are in the wild, confronted by a true predator, wondering how the encounter will resolve. A fine piece of photo art to be sure, that makes you look at "Rover" a bit differently, knowing his lineage.