Photos takend 5/15/2008~8:34P.M.~ F5.6~ISO 400~1/25sec~Sigma 50-500mmThe evening sun was nearing it’s final descent over the pine covered slopes of Yellowstone National Park. The tension between these two massive beasts was almost palatable. The thick dust rising from their thundering hooves filling the air. Deep bellows fill the meadow along Yellowstone Lake, reminiscent of a long ago time when these magnificent beasts roamed North America numbering in the millions. This virtual clash of the titans sends shock waves reverberating across the pristine landscape. After several minutes the adversaries break away from one another and with a piercing glance in our direction the victor prances off into the evening shadows confident of his superiority in these still wild plains.
A few weeks ago I posted a photograph of a bison. The comments on this photo where classic. Many of you put your own captions to the picture guessing and asking why he was looking so perturbed. Well, I have finally gotten around to posting a few of the photographs that I captured from the safety and comfort of my car, prior to that one. I think that these photos will explain why this magnificent creature had so much attitude, emanating from his very core.
A few weeks ago I posted a photograph of a bison. The comments on this photo where classic. Many of you put your own captions to the picture guessing and asking why he was looking so perturbed. Well, I have finally gotten around to posting a few of the photographs that I captured from the safety and comfort of my car, prior to that one. I think that these photos will explain why this magnificent creature had so much attitude, emanating from his very core.
Photo taken in Yellowstone National Park~3/25/2008~F13~ISO160~1/500~400mm
I came across this healthy young wolf last March. It had just finished filling it’s belly and was chasing a coyote around the hillside away from its supper, when they both came over the hill and side-hilled along the road right next to the jeep… a photographic dream come true..
Photograph taken in Yellowstone National Park 5/13/2008~F7.1~ISO400~1/320~450mmA picture of health and fitness, we came upon this fabulous black bear traveling alongside a road in Yellowstone National Park. As we rounded the corner and pulled off to take a few pictures, a “bear jam” was already building.
People seemed to start loosing their minds, as well as common sense, in an effort to see and photograph this wonderful predator. Men, women and even children would dive out of their cars, trucks and motor homes and run down in the ditch to get a little closer.
They weren’t getting any better pictures than if they had stayed inside their vehicles or at a safe distance, quietly and calmly, take their pictures and moved on.
This guy was heading someplace and was NOT in the mood to be mobbed by the paparazzi and made this clear by stomping his feet and clicking his teeth, an unheeded warning to those that continued to pile out of their vehicles.
I am amazed at just how blind people can be to the silent communication and warnings that these animals give. A few weeks later we took our children to the park because our youngest wanted to see Old Faithful. On this trip I watched a young (late teen to early twenties) man take his small camera and run down into the ditch and beyond the trees to photograph an “obviously” wounded, young bull bison. Hello! The bison turned and bluff charged, telling him, very clearly, to Back Off! Well this young man ran and hid behind some trees, sending one young girl from his party fleeing, almost in tears, back to their car (Utah plates). He yelled a few obscenities about how much the bison had scared him, but still didn’t have enough sense to back off farther. The bison was still posturing and clearly letting this young man know that he was quickly loosing patience and did not appreciate this intrusion. So, I hollered at him. “ Hey, you better get out of there, that is not something to mess around with” This young genius completely ignored me putting everyone in danger, so I told him a bit more forcefully. The young man finally emerged from the trees, flailing insults in my direction(I am sure his mother would have been proud) , when my husband stepped out of the car, the young man’s brain seemed to reengage, and he shut up and got back in his car.
I AM a mother and can’t just stand by allow him to get smeared, could I? (wink) I did have my camera with me…..
Just kidding, there is no way that either my husband or I would have just sat there and let this kid get hurt because of his lack of knowledge. After all, our boys were in the Subaru with us….
People seemed to start loosing their minds, as well as common sense, in an effort to see and photograph this wonderful predator. Men, women and even children would dive out of their cars, trucks and motor homes and run down in the ditch to get a little closer.
They weren’t getting any better pictures than if they had stayed inside their vehicles or at a safe distance, quietly and calmly, take their pictures and moved on.
This guy was heading someplace and was NOT in the mood to be mobbed by the paparazzi and made this clear by stomping his feet and clicking his teeth, an unheeded warning to those that continued to pile out of their vehicles.
I am amazed at just how blind people can be to the silent communication and warnings that these animals give. A few weeks later we took our children to the park because our youngest wanted to see Old Faithful. On this trip I watched a young (late teen to early twenties) man take his small camera and run down into the ditch and beyond the trees to photograph an “obviously” wounded, young bull bison. Hello! The bison turned and bluff charged, telling him, very clearly, to Back Off! Well this young man ran and hid behind some trees, sending one young girl from his party fleeing, almost in tears, back to their car (Utah plates). He yelled a few obscenities about how much the bison had scared him, but still didn’t have enough sense to back off farther. The bison was still posturing and clearly letting this young man know that he was quickly loosing patience and did not appreciate this intrusion. So, I hollered at him. “ Hey, you better get out of there, that is not something to mess around with” This young genius completely ignored me putting everyone in danger, so I told him a bit more forcefully. The young man finally emerged from the trees, flailing insults in my direction(I am sure his mother would have been proud) , when my husband stepped out of the car, the young man’s brain seemed to reengage, and he shut up and got back in his car.
I AM a mother and can’t just stand by allow him to get smeared, could I? (wink) I did have my camera with me…..
Just kidding, there is no way that either my husband or I would have just sat there and let this kid get hurt because of his lack of knowledge. After all, our boys were in the Subaru with us….
5/16/2007~F6.3~ISO400~1/50~500mmA quick post tonight to ask you all to be patient with me, as my computer crashed. Thankfully I was reading a fellow bloggers post a few weeks ago and was advised to back all my pictures up onto an external hard drive! Thank you Thank you Thank you! However, I am using a new platform and new (to me) p.c. so it will take me a bit to get my photo programs loaded and working again. I was messing around tonight and figured out how to shrink this picture for upload so I will continue to post photos each day.. I did however, loose all my feeds, and emails, (pout) so it will take me a bit to get you loaded into this computer, and caught up on your blogs. To all my family and friends that follow this blog, please email me so I can re-add your email to the new address book. I am getting the old pc repaired, luckily it was a manufacturer defect and they are going to fix it free of charge, even though the warranty had expired.
Thanks to everyone, and bare with me, it shouldn’t take long to get things organized once again.
When is enough, enough? When I sat down to find a post for today, I came across this photograph and I remembered the words of one of my oldest and dearest friends. “You are going to be a statistic! I’m going to read about you getting eaten in the newspaper” she used to say.
At times in our lives we all push the limits, and sometimes those limits HAVE to be pushed to attain specific goals. I am sure that to those looking on, the things we do may seem dangerous and even at times foolish. Take Steve Erwin for instance. The man was an amazing person, but you cannot tell me that you didn’t see it coming! Hello, Crocs and Alligators?? When I look back on his life I am taken by what an amazing person , wildlife advocate, father and husband he was, what an inspiration! He lived his life to the fullest and took his family along for the ride of a lifetime, instilling in them a sense of family and purpose.
Marty Stouffer, another inspiration. I grew up watching Wild America, and my children also loved the show when they were young. There just isn’t anything like it on television anymore. His footage is spectacular and timeless. He has a way of always putting you right there in the center of the action, giving you a true and realistic perspective of actually being a part of nature. This man continues to capture some of the most spectacular footage I have ever seen, let alone hoped to photograph. He has GOT to have nerves of steel and a truly adventurous heart. As for Austin Stevens, the snake man…. See croc hunter above..
We all need to know when to quit, for our own good, as well as for the good of those who love us.
I think we draw our own personal boundaries, and those boundaries vary depending on our experience in reading the signals that nature gives us. Whether it be photographing wildlife, driving a car/motorcycle, rock climbing, skydiving or any of the other dreams that we all hold, we have to ask the same question, when is enough, enough? As long as we stay true to ourselves and experience, entering these situations of our own free will, armed with as much knowledge as possible, and not fall prey to pure pressure or the spontaneity of the moment, then by all means, Live! We all need to remember to live a little. Sometimes getting your heart rate up is a good thing! Reach for your goals and don’t be afraid to take chances now and again. I don’t ever want to look back at life and say “ I wish I would have…“
I for one am enjoying the ride, not to say that I don’t look back at times and wonder what I was thinking, but the important question is, would I do it again? You bet I would!
Canon Rebel XT, Tamaron 100-400mm lens/ F8 1/200 ISO 300 focal length 330mm some buring on photo so converted to BW
It is once again the time of year when the natural world around us begins to shed. The snow on the mountain tops starts to melt, shedding torrents of water into the rivers and streams. The animals shed their long winter coasts for newer, shinier, finer fare for the summer. The winged creatures molt their worn and tattered feathers for brighter less brittle ones. Those with antlers, the deer, elk, moose, even the horned antelope, endure yet another kind of shedding. They shed the magnificent head gear that has brought them so much attention over the past seasons, and begin to grow a new, and hopefully more impressive crown of glory, that will signify their health and vitality for the coming year.
We as humans are not at all immune to shedding. While some may shed excess hair from the winter’s months, the shedding that humans do is usually entirely different. As the spring weather warms the air around us, we tend to find ourselves looking at our surroundings a little differently. We begin to “spring clean” and start shedding those “Things” that seem to accumulate and clutter our lives. We shed our winter clothing for lighter jackets, and venturing out to enjoy the warmer, more inviting world outside, and hopefully, begin to shed the extra pounds that just always pile up over the winter.
Photo taken with Canon Rebel Xt digital/ Sigma50-500mm F11, ISO250, 1/500 500mm with some minor cropping (3-25-08)
It is that time in the early morning, the coldest point, when the temperature continues to drop and every breath and even the most silent of movements echo and crack in the still morning air. That time just before daybreak when the world is filled with a mind numbing cold. A time when every living thing, seems to pause as Mother Nature holds her breath in silent anticipation of what the rising of the sun will bring. I humbly attempted to capture this fantastic moment in time with my lens. I sit and watch as the light casts a faint glow over the ridge tops, giving pale light to the frozen valley that is stretched out before me. I’m amazed at the number of animals that continue to call this harsh and unforgiving land home, even when the relentless, icy grip of winter holds tight, despite the inevitable change of the seasons. Deep snowdrifts remain piled on the westward sides of the surrounding hills, in places reaching depths of 12 to 15 feet. The daylight sun, which now seems so far off, combined with harsh winds, has formed a thick crust over the drifts, making easy travel for the soft-footed predators like the wolf, mountain lion, and recently awakening bear. For the deer, elk, buffalo, and other hoofed animals, breaking through this layer of crust would lead to a slow and certain death. In other places, the bitter winds have blown the snow away, revealing bare ground below and making food more accessible to these hardy creatures of the high country. With the recommence of spring to these high lands, the elk have begun to return and forage in places where man would be hard pressed to even consider a chance at survival. I watch the silhouette of this bull elk as he feeds across this frozen ridge, and I marvel at their ability to survive and even flourish in such an inhospitable place, a place bursting with hardship and beauty.
I came across this coyote hidden behind a large and oddly camouflaging snow bank. I snuck up as close as I could get trying to capture some decent photos. I did not dare move out into the open for this coyote would be sure to vanish as quickly as he appeared and with the falling snow, I knew I would not be able to focus quickly enough to capture the moment. I continued to take photos hoping that he would move into the open where I could get a “better” shot, when in the distance another spirit dog materialized from out of the snowstorm, allowing me to capture this image, he (or she) quickly disappeared into the thickening blanket of white. I took a moment to just absorb the silent, surreal beauty that seemed to envelope me, before silently backing away from the scene, trying to leave no more of a footprint on this coyote’s soul than he had left on this beautiful, snow covered forest…
Ok, so actually, I dove, uncontrollably shivering, back into my Jeep, quickly cranking the heater up as high as it would go. It’s “supposed” to be spring for goodness sake! I know, the truth of the moment just didn’t have the same poetic ring to it …Later, back at home, in front of my computer with a hot crackly fire and a steaming cup of tea I was able to get my frozen fingers thawed enough to type… (LOL… Sorry I must be tired…lets try that again)… Later, as I reviewed the images that I captured, I WAS able to reflect on the beauty of the moment, and really appreciate the fantastic opportunity.
Ok, so actually, I dove, uncontrollably shivering, back into my Jeep, quickly cranking the heater up as high as it would go. It’s “supposed” to be spring for goodness sake! I know, the truth of the moment just didn’t have the same poetic ring to it …Later, back at home, in front of my computer with a hot crackly fire and a steaming cup of tea I was able to get my frozen fingers thawed enough to type… (LOL… Sorry I must be tired…lets try that again)… Later, as I reviewed the images that I captured, I WAS able to reflect on the beauty of the moment, and really appreciate the fantastic opportunity.
This young bison was took advantage of the moment and stopped to nurse from its mother in the deep snow. This youth is lucky to have such a loyal and nurturing mother as most Bison calves are weaned at around 6 months of age. Soon this mother will be preparing to give birth to the next generation and I doubt she will remain quite as tolerant with this particular individual.
These graceful beauties ordinarily stay in large herds migrating with the seasons, but with April’s fast approach, they will begin to break away looking for a place of solitude to give birth to their calves. The young are born spotted and nearly scent free helping to insure their survival from predation. Once the babies are strong enough to escape predators, (generally within a couple weeks) the cow will once again return to the added protection of the herd.
