I first saw his magnificent head ornament as he grazed with two smaller bulls at late dusk. Then I saw the short hind leg and knew it was “tripod” a bull elk I’d heard about and seen in a recent newspaper photo. I chose an ISO of 1000 to make a few images of him on August 21 in the minutes available before darkness came to the meadow.
This was yesterday morning in which two of my favorite subjects offered an image I could not ignore! I woke at sunrise and grabbed tripod and camera and hit the deck barefoot. The temperature was 49 degrees F, but I didn’t notice my cold feet until I’d spent 25 min. watching and photographing the moon setting alongside lions head. I love the way the shadow of the mountains behind me slip away to reveal the a radiant lion as the sun rises.
Some people say they can’t see the lion in this over 9,000 ft rock outcrop, but I know he’s there for he motivates me to get out of my warm bed and photograph. The lion performs well with clouds and fog, snow and trees, and early light. I adore him with the moon. Some people do morning yoga salutations to the sun, but my morning salutations often point to the lion on my western horizon.
Beautiful little rufous arrives in July and the property disputes begin as he tries to claim ownership of all the feeders, flowers, and the good lookout perches. The Broadtails give way to him and sneak in to sip when he’s not watching. The smallest of our bird community, Rufous is only here to rest and feed for a bit on his long migration south, so the broadtails who stay all summer only have to put up with Rufous ruling for part of their time here. I’ve read Rufous is the faster and more agile flier and my natural light shutter speeds confirm this.
A small plant which grows in patches around my home. The wildflower guide book says to 2 feet high, but the key word is “to”. Most around my home are six to eight inches high with a long cluster of tiny white flowers lasting briefly in early June.
It’s been a cool June so far with rain and low temperatures. The cloudy days are just right for photographing wildflowers.
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