What about the old “don’t get between a mom and her cubs” thing? There are lots of really bad myths about bears that I think were started with one simple thought in mind, be respectful of them! Obviously after spending a week in the field with these giants, I’m safe and sharing their story with you (with more to come). The one thing I want to impress on you right now is this very simple thought which will keep the bears and you safe and bringing back the stories. When in their world, all critters for that matter, remember you are a guest in their home so act like a great guest. You’d be surprised how welcomed they will make you feel, over and over again!

Bighorn sheep are one of my favorite critters to spend time with and photographing having spent decades with them. I know their world really well but most think of them as living in one place. High up on a cliff. And while that is where they feel safest, that’s not the only place they live. We found them last week on a knoll in Yellowstone amongst the bison and pronghorn. It was as far from a cliff as you can imagine. They weren’t up high but rather, out in the open on the flats. The photo below is how most saw (it was your basic Yellowstone car jam) them at that time and while there is nothing wrong with that click below, the stage wasn’t really set for this regal critter.

Above you can see the photo I desired and one I couldn’t get until the last moment. I saw the stage but had no star! The entire herd had moved through, none going up to the edge of the knoll where there was an opening in the pines with the distant mountains in view. I was hoping for an animal in that aperture to give a sense of space, height, wilderness. Finally, literally, the last ewe ventured to that spot I wanted for the star, it was the perfect stage. No, it doesn’t show it living on its vertical world but it does show them to be at the top of it. Being picky about the background can make an impact in your photograph. Because the background is the stage.

I’ve seen it a hundred times but it never gets old. All wet and shivering, its up and going and following mom right after birth. Probably the onl times its cute, there is nothing like a baby Bison. They have just started to drop and this week I’m hopng to get a whole bunch more time with them. Will be a challenge with all the magic that is Yellowstone but it will be great fun in the process!

With the biggest challenges being overcome it left just one, the light. The creepers were keeping to the dark recesses of the forest, not ideal for photographs at all. Luckily I had my own light with me, the Profoto A10 attached to the Z 9 / Z400f4.5 rig. I just kissed the Brown Creeper with light, just enough to bring out its color, not enough to even create a shadow and that’s all it took to bring it out of the shadows. As it turned out there were a pair of Brown Creepers. I thought chasing the one at The Ranch was a challenge, I never tried photographing a mating pair. I was greedy and wanted that frame with two creepers in it. I never got it but I had a ton of fun as they ran me ragged!

In telling their story, I start by getting down on their level looking for the background setting that stage for our star. I then think about that background. At times, I might want a soft blur to the water like you see above. Other times, I might want everything crystal clear like you see below. It’s all a matter of shutter speed. Always shooting in Aperture Priority makin the change is as simple as opening up or closing down the aperture. Lying there in the wet sand, one grows a great appreciation for the keeper of the tides.