Photographer Vishal Subramanyan on the Magic of Mountain Lion Families

Mountain lions are some of the Bay Area’s most elusive residents. Seldom seen but always present, they establish vast territories, roaming through forests and foothills. While adults tend to be solitary creatures, mountain lion kittens stay with their mother for up to two years, learning how to hunt, travel, and survive on their own. It’s a life rarely observed, let alone photographed. But on a quiet, POST-owned property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, wildlife photographer Vishal Subramanyan managed to get a series of dream shots. With a little luck and a lot of patience, his camera traps captured some stunning family portraits we’ll never forget. (Read more about our ongoing collaboration with Vishal Subramanyan here and his photography on POST-protected lands here.)

A TWICE-IN-A-LIFETIME PHOTO OP

For three or four months, wildlife photographer Vishal Subramanyan had been monitoring a POST-owned property in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The wooded landscape had become a key site for his DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) camera traps — high-end rigs designed to capture crisp, color images of hard-to-spot animals. “I’d seen several individual mountain lions on my scouting cameras,” Vishal explained, “But never a whole family.”

That changed one gloomy afternoon last winter, when Vishal and his dad hiked the slope to check on his equipment. That morning, one of his DSLR camera traps had captured a remarkable scene: a mother mountain lion and her two older kittens striding down a private road through the forest. “They didn’t walk in the best direction for the camera,” Vishal lamented. “The photos weren’t great, but still — just knowing they were there was amazing.”

CIRCLING BACK TO THE CAMERA TRAP

Vishal made the usual rounds for a couple of hours, adjusting camera angles and swapping out batteries. He and his dad hoped in vain that the other cameras had glimpsed the feline family. As twilight set in, the pair headed back down the trail toward the car. When they approached the camera that had captured the lions that morning, Vishal hesitated. “I had this bad feeling I’d put the wrong battery in,” he said. “It was almost sunset, and I’d already been there earlier, but I decided to double-check.”

It turned out his instincts were correct. The battery he’d installed just hours earlier was dying. While replacing it, he figured he might as well check the memory card. What he saw stopped him in his tracks: “Just 15 minutes before I came back, the whole mountain lion family had walked by. We were probably right next to them the whole time and didn’t even know it.” There were no sticks in the way, no awkward angles — just a mother and her kittens advancing through the redwoods.

“I’d captured mountain lions before,” he said, “but never like this. This was exactly what I’d been hoping for.”

A Q&A WITH VISHAL SUBRAMANYAN

POST: What was it like realizing you were just minutes away from a mountain lion family?

VISHAL SUBRAMANYAN: That day I had a lot of gear to carry up, so I needed a second hand. When my dad and I saw the mountain lions on camera, I was jittering with excitement. The wild part was that the lions had walked in the direction of my car, so to get back, we basically had to follow their tracks. Honestly, just knowing they were in the area was really exhilarating. 

When I get media requests about mountain lions, the first question people usually ask is, “Aren’t you scared?” But the truth is, I’ve never felt threatened by them. These animals just want to survive. I hope the images I capture help shift people’s fear into fascination — and appreciation — for what is a really incredible, adaptable, and awe-inspiring animal. 

POST: Mountain lions in the redwoods — that’s not something you see every day. Why is it so rare to capture high-quality photos like these?

VISHAL: Redwood forests are really dense. Even with camera traps, it’s not super easy to get photos of mountain lions or even bobcats. That’s what makes it even more special when you do get a good photo — those moments are so fleeting.  I’m hoping to share a glimpse into that hidden world — these moments we don’t usually get to see. To me, photos of mountain lions in a redwood forest are like California in a single frame. 

POST: What do you think drew the mountain lions to the property?

VISHAL: When I saw that they’d walked by that morning, I figured they were probably on the move — maybe passing through. If I was lucky, I thought they might circle back in four to six weeks. That’s usually how it goes with mountain lions. But this time was different. They showed up three times in the next few days, which really surprised me. That’s what made me guess there might be a kill site nearby keeping them in the area.

POST: What would you say to someone who sees an image of a mountain lion on a road and feels uneasy about how close these animals are to people?

VISHAL: You definitely want to be aware and take precautions, especially when you’re out in areas where predators like mountain lions or bears live. Go in groups if you can and stay alert. But it’s also important to keep things in perspective. These animals really want nothing to do with us. They’re just trying to survive in their habitat, same as we are. I spend over 300 days a year out in the field, in prime mountain lion country, and I’ve still never seen one in person! 

POST: Why do you think it’s important to share images like these with the public?

VISHAL: Seeing photos like this can help people develop a deeper appreciation — not just for wildlife, but for the environments these animals depend on. Mountain lions are such an important part of our local ecosystems. They’re the last remaining apex predator in the Bay Area. And beyond their ecological role, I just think all biodiversity has intrinsic value. Mountain lions have just as much right to be here as we do.

They also represent something bigger. In a lot of ways, mountain lions are a symbol of California’s wild spaces — and of the conservation issues we face, like habitat fragmentation. One of the big things POST works on is habitat connectivity, and mountain lions really highlight why that matters in the Bay Area and beyond.

These images were taken where, just a few months prior, a female mountain lion was struck and killed by a car nearby. So yes, it’s amazing to witness local creatures like this, but I also want it to be a wake-up call. As long as wildlife habitat is fragmented, mountain lion families like this will stay at risk. They’re a beautiful sight to see–and we have a responsibility to protect them.

POST: Amazing. Is there an image that you would love to capture next? 

VISHAL: Last fall, I was part of a scientific expedition where we got the first look at a species of shrew that had never been seen in photographs alive before. The creature I’m hoping to photograph next is another really small, poorly known mammal called a tree vole. California voles are a pretty common burrowing species that hikers are accustomed to spotting on the trails. We also have an endemic species of vole that lives only up in the canopy. It spends its whole life in the trees and never comes to the ground. This weekend I was actually setting up camera traps a hundred feet up in the canopy to try to capture them! 

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Rare images like Vishal Subramanyan’s invite us to think differently about the seldom-seen lives unfolding all around us. Even in places like the bustling Bay Area, these animals are quietly moving through, trying to survive. As we work to protect their habitats and reconnect fragmented landscapes, we also have a chance to deepen our connection to the natural world. With the help of tools like camera traps — and the patience of photographers like Vishal — we can begin to see the unseen, and remember that people and animals are coexisting in the same amazing story.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES

There are a few easy ways to get project updates and photos. Keep an eye on POST’s blog, and follow us on Instagram at @postlandtrust. See more of Vishal’s wildlife photography (with stories from the field in the captions) by following @vishalsubramanyan on Instagram.