When did the real passion for photography start?

I can think back on several occasions….mostly while a camera was to my eye or the likes of Moose Peterson or Joe McNally encouraging a group to “get out and shoot”

Or times like this week.  It appears that the prominent photography store in Utah and the west may hang a couple of my photo’s in their store.  They asked me!  What an honor.  Which photographs do I send to them?  Do I really have anything worthy of hanging in their store?  Really this an honor. Especially for the likes of me.  I am not a professional.  Yes a pretty darn serious amateur.  But I don’t sell.  Haven’t even tried.  The pic’s won’t be for sale. Display only I guess.  Huge prints.  Giant “murals” on the walls.  And my name on them.  Almost embarrassing.  Yet a great honor.

Have to decide what pics to send.  What a journey. I went back many years and started to review some of my favorites.  Every pic has a story.  Every single one of them has a story and emotion connected to them.  Stayed up several nights looking and remembering.  The night before the deadline to get the digital form of the photo’s to them I was up until 3:00 a.m.    Wow.  A great adventure all over again.  It was fun.  I ended up sending quite a few photographs to them.  Mostly because of my low self esteem about my photography.  I am my worst critic.  Who knows how they will react.

Many years ago I bought my first 600mm lens.  A manual focus lens.  A behemoth.  Big heavy and sharp as a tack.  The first morning in Yellowstone the lens and I were up long before sunrise.  With just a little light reflecting from the sky I captured this MONSTER!

I was shaking worse than I can ever remember.  Looking through the monster lens at the biggest elk I have ever seen.  I almost forgot to fire the camera.  Then he let loose.   Click, click, click.  Three shots is what I remember.  My first long lens shot…..

Late that afternoon I carried the lens along the Madison River in Yellowstone.  Following another Elk.  Wanting “that” shot.  Just seconds before the sun set over the ridge he bent down and quenched his thirst….and mine.  What a beautiful animal.

I never will be or ever want to be a video photographer….it’s too difficult!

But enjoy what I witnessed…..

Bull Elk, Cow and Calf!

I thought I had seen it all.

All cameras are aimed at the Bull Elk.  They are performing.  By myself just off the Madison River and near the Fire Hole River I witnessed a first for me.  The Cow Elk having a “cat fight”.  Really………

These two ladies stood on their hind legs and proceeded to slap each other.  Incredible. I was so shocked I almost missed the shot.  The cows have always proven to be a great mother to the calves.

Last spring I witnessed wolves tracking and “collecting” an elk calf.  In the process the cow fought until there was no obvious way to save the calf.  She injured one of the wolves.  The battle went on for about an hour.  Even when the calf was mostly ingested she was still attacking the wolves.  There is amazing interaction between the calves and cows.

This day my camera caught on several occasions the calves and cows looking up.  Smelling?  No planes above.  Not sure.

Maybe just wishing they could escape from this BIG pain in the ………….neck?

Elk do the craziest things!

Elk love is in the air – Kinda.

September is when we pack in the park to hear and see the Elk during the rut.  What a show.  Do the cow elk care?  Not much.  Holy cow (or elk in this case)?  The bull’s are crazy in love.  Their whole life revolves around the “act” with the cow for weeks.

Little food.  A lot of running.  Fighting other bulls.  During the rut the bull loses a ton of weight. Past years I have focused on the extreme actions.  This year I was moved by the appearance of being tired.  Exhausted.  Yet getting up and going at it.  A later post will show a video taken with my D3s that shows how extreme their actions are.  I need to figure out how to get the video from CF card to the blog.

The majesty of these animals always blows me away.  This year it was very difficult to find the bull and his girls.  Found a wonderful area up from the Madison near and on the Fire Hole river.  I witnessed something I have never seen before…..post to come.

It was late in the day.  Perfect light.

Photography is all about the light.  Elk are a little more of a challenge to shoot in this type of direct light.  There is great risk of great contrast.  Especially when posting to the web.   In person it was incredible.  It was if the bull was posing for me.

This experience is almost spiritual.  We have a lot in common with the actions of the Bull.   Being a witness for several hours (a snippet) of a bulls day shows me their passion for their life progression.  Sure it’s instinct.  But do we not have the very same instinct, even with our “greater” intelligence.  The basic instinct to progress our lineage is common with the Elk and Man.

The bull feels the passion.  Desires the passion.  And exemplifies the very term “passion”.  To the point of literal exhaustion………….

A little different this year!

No Electricity at Fishing Bridge RV.  A fire closed Dunraven Pass where it’s most likely to see bear.  Warmer than normal so wildlife is scarce.  A big new lens to get used to.  Lost my debit card to a hungry ATM.

I WOULDN’T TRADE THE TIME FOR ANYTHING!

Only two days left to get more of…………

A lot of incredible and very funny experiences.  It’s gone to fast.  Tonight I moved to West Yellowstone…WI-FI, Electricity, water, flush toilets, showers and lights.  But little time will be spent here.  My time will be out with the wild “critters”.  Where I love to be!

Winter in Yellowstone Park equates to critical survival skills for the wildlife there.   Food sources for wildlife in the middle of the food chain are limited if not dormant.  Temperatures can be so low that blinking and breathing are a risk for some animals.  The avoidance of being a meal for another species is ongoing and stressful.  The photo above shows how the conditions may be.  I took this shot in a blizzard.

Imagine the winter conditions and carrying a load like this elk does on your head.  Tired and weary.  The photo reveals the exhaustion that exists.

Why do these elks stay together?  There are herds of elk cows and the bulls are elsewhere.   For protection?  I am not sure.  In this case these two probably represent the survival of the fittest.  Their reduced size and huge antlers tells a story endurance.

Look close at the elk’s coat and neck size.  Even his stride seemed labored.  I look forward to seeing this one in the rut.  He will be back at the top of his game.

More Yellowstone Wildlife Tomorrow!