The degree of success of any given photo adventure depends on several factors…the weather, the subjects, the season, the time of day and of course, the LIGHT! Wildlife photographers put in their time, pay their dues, go out often and come home lucky every now and then…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR
Every time I hear how lucky I am, I wholeheartedly agree knowing that in part, I make my own luck by being in the field as much as possible. The same goes for a group with one week to make all the images they can of any given location. We were in Yellowstone National Park at the prime time for the fall rut and with the promise of fall color. Sometimes mother nature throws you a curve ball and arrives early or late and there are the times when the photo gods shower you with goodwill in the form of one great subject after. This last week was just one of those weeks. Sure, we had some down time where we simply enjoyed the wildlife, the scenery and each other’s company. And when the action got hot and heavy, out came our big guns to capture the moments.
With the rut in full swing, the toughest bull will fight off the others winning the rights to a harem of cows to pass on his lineage. It’s a full time job for the bull to keep the cows together and to keep interlopers away. We enjoyed several opportunities to witness and photograph this behavior…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR
I often discuss that it’s not necessary to have the longest lenses to get the shot in wildlife photography but, the fall rut is a prime example of when the longer the better is true. The rule in the park is to remain twenty-five yards away from elk. In the fall when the bull is full of testosterone and working overtime to keep his harem together, that rule may be conservative. The bull can get so riled up that he will charge anything in his path. We stayed well out of range and used our long lenses to fill the frame. Looking through my lens and knowing that I wasn’t the object of this guy’s attention still made me do a double take at the look in his eyes…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
Luckily that look was directed at a wayward cow that he quickly got back in line…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
We had fog two mornings along the Madison River. The first morning was shaping up to be perfect with two bulls in sight and a light ground fog to add mystery to the scene. Within minutes of our arrival, the one bull had driven his harem across the river and into the woods for the day while the other, younger bull simply wandered off while the fog thickened to pea soup. Our second morning we had just the right amount of fog to add mystery and the sun burned through adding a beautiful quality of light to the scene and the elk stuck around long for us to photograph them this time…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
A ride down the Canyon towards Gardiner one afternoon produced a herd of Bighorn Sheep ewes and lambs. It’s always worth the stop to work them as they nimbly hop around on the steep hillsides…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
Bighorn Sheep are known for living on rocky cliffs. I like to compose the frame to emphasize their preference for height. Their coloring blends in perfectly with their environment…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
When they are against the skyline, they are much easier to spot…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
Our fortune continued with a cooperative Mule Deer Buck we found grazing in the forest. The challenge was to find the best composition to accentuate his antlers…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR
A coyote who was mousing in a meadow…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
And in between wildlife sightings we continued to work the beautiful landscape. From the fireball of a rising sun early in the week when the air was thick with smoke from nearby fires…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
To the luscious colors of the forest undergrowth lit by filtered sunlight…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Tangle Creek never fails to produce an image or two…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
And the cottonwood trees in Lamar Valley simply became more vividly yellow as the week work on…
Nikon D4, AF-S 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 VR
Whether it was the positive vibes and great attitudes that prevailed all week, the fact that we had paid our dues with all the hours in the field or simply that we were in the right place at the right time, we got our Wolf!…
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
Nikon D4, AF-S 500mm f4 VR with TC-14E II
The week flew by too fast, new friends were made and our hard drives are filled with images to remind us of our Excellent Photo Adventure in Yellowstone during the fall rut. Stay Tuned.
wow…the wolf look so menacing, esp a black one! Love the antlers alit. The fall colors are spectacular and esp liked the Tangle Creek photo. And Mr Rutter looking right at your camera was certainly undaunting! Good group of photos Laurie…thanx for sharing
Thanks, LInda. She (the wolf) was a beauty and totally unconcerned at our presence. She was headed back to her pack (Canyon) farther down in Hayden Valley.
Wonderful shots. Keep them coming.
Thanks, GAry.
A wolf! I’m jealous.
It really was special!
Wow, even photos of a wolf! Looks like another awesome adventure with Laurie!!
Thanks Ken! It was a great week!