When I lived in Colorado, I was ever on the hunt for a great photo of a bugling elk. The best opportunity to get this photo was in the fall during rutting season, when the elk come down from the high peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park into the meadows, and the males compete to win a harem of females. I took many trips to the meadows - lawn chairs and picnic dinners, visits with park rangers, and long expectant waits for something amazing to happen. But only once was I able to catch the drama before it was too dark to see, and then, at that distance across the field, with the light fading, there was no possibility of a good photo. We moved to Tennessee and I forgot about getting that great photo.
The very next fall after we moved, I was back in Estes Park - the gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park - for the Scottish Festival and a visit with friends. Before heading down the mountain, I stopped at Starbucks, which sits on the riverwalk that runs right through the center of town. Waiting for my tea, I noticed a crowd gathered along the river and decided to investigate. On this sunny afternoon, right in the middle of the Big Thompson River, surrounded by a harem of females and babies, was the largest bull elk I had ever seen, bugling for all he was worth, and focused so intently on being magnificent, that he was oblivious to the crowd. It was a jaw dropper that I'm happy to report was all captured on my iPhone. Got my great photo at last.
"September's Call" was juried into the Mountain Oyster Club's National Juried Art Show and Sale in Tucson, Arizona in 2014.
When I lived in Colorado, I was ever on the hunt for a great photo of a bugling elk. The best opportunity to get this photo was in the fall during rutting season, when the elk come down from the high peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park into the meadows, and the males compete to win a harem of females. I took many trips to the meadows - lawn chairs and picnic dinners, visits with park rangers, and long expectant waits for something amazing to happen. But only once was I able to catch the drama before it was too dark to see, and then, at that distance across the field, with the light fading, there was no possibility of a good photo. We moved to Tennessee and I forgot about getting that great photo.
The very next fall after we moved, I was back in Estes Park - the gateway town to Rocky Mountain National Park - for the Scottish Festival and a visit with friends. Before heading down the mountain, I stopped at Starbucks, which sits on the riverwalk that runs right through the center of town. Waiting for my tea, I noticed a crowd gathered along the river and decided to investigate. On this sunny afternoon, right in the middle of the Big Thompson River, surrounded by a harem of females and babies, was the largest bull elk I had ever seen, bugling for all he was worth, and focused so intently on being magnificent, that he was oblivious to the crowd. It was a jaw dropper that I'm happy to report was all captured on my iPhone. Got my great photo at last.
"September's Call" was juried into the Mountain Oyster Club's National Juried Art Show and Sale in Tucson, Arizona in 2014.