SLO LIFE Apr/May 2020

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Wild-Eyed Encounter
BY JOE PAYNE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAKOTA LAMBERSON
The unmistakable pitch of a ground squirrel crying out a life-or-death
warning was the first hint something was out there. But as San Luis Obispo teen
Dakota Lamberson peered from the passenger seat of his mother’s car while they
meandered along the wooded road, all he could see was a group of deer.
“We were pretty sure that [group of deer] wasn’t the reason the squirrel had
alarmed,” Lamberson said. “Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a bobcat walked
across the road and went up the hill on the other side.” As soon as the cat
appeared, it was gone, vanishing among the browning vegetation in a caramelcolored
ripple along the hillside.
On that 2018 afternoon, after an unsuccessful search for great horned owl along
the winding path of Hi Mountain Lookout Road, Lamberson’s mom cruised in
the direction of Santa Margarita Lake. It was Lamberson’s first visit to the area,
and it was a lucky one. “We hiked up the hill and split up to watch for the bobcat,”
he recalled. “For the next three hours, we kept catching glimpses of it through the
trees.”
Once Lamberson made it, alone, to the top of the hill with his camera, a pointyeared
head popped up from behind a rock and locked him with a penetrating
gaze. He captured a few shots immediately, then took a couple of steps back, as
he was “too close.” The cat didn’t move, clearly squaring the kid up, and accurately
assessing him as no threat.
“He sat, I stood, for over three minutes like this,” Lamberson said. “It was very
unreal. I was super excited but trying to stay calm…I couldn’t believe it was
happening.” Eventually, the feline retired down the hill, leaving the youth holding
a camera loaded with photos and a head swimming with endorphins.
Up to that point, the budding wildlife photographer had spent plenty of time
outdoors with his parents’ camera, catching shots of birds, big and small, or more
common mammals like deer or squirrel. The bobcat was a milestone, he shared, as
predators are much more difficult to find, let alone photograph well. “I had spent
so much time dreaming about getting close to a bobcat or some unusual animal,
so when I was finally there photographing it, I kept having to remind myself that
it was really happening,” Lamberson explained. “It is still at the top of my list of
wildlife encounters. Elusive animals are always more
exhilarating to photograph.”
Now, the steely-eyed bobcat is just one of several
feathers in the fourteen-year-old wildlife photographer’s
proverbial cap. His website (dakotalamberson.com)
showcases many incredible images, from black bear
to bighorn sheep in Yellowstone National Park. Last
year, he won a high honor in the youth category of an
esteemed wildlife photography competition.
Although Lamberson isn’t old enough to have a
learner’s permit or his own cell phone, his work and
approach illustrate a mature passion. He hopes his
photography can aid conservation efforts and raise
awareness, both in the San Luis Obispo area and
beyond. “If you don’t put a face on an animal that you
are trying to protect, then it will just seem like some far
off creature. But if you tell people it is in their backyard,
and show them a photo of it, they will connect to it and
be more likely to protect it.” SLO LIFE
JOE PAYNE is a
journalist, as well as a
lifelong musician and
music teacher, who
loves writing about
the arts on the Central
Coast, especially music,
as well as science,
history, nature, and
social issues.
32 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | APR/MAY 2020