 Have you ever wondered what the last thing a fish sees before going in? Tonight was dinner at The Olive Garden. The usual dine there consists of their famous salad and Zupa Tiscana (Zupa-the best soup in the building). Tonight - water with lemon, bread sticks with oil and vinegar, salad, more bread sticks with oil and vinegar, more salad, stuffed chicken marsala, more bread sticks with oil and vinegar, more water and chocolate Gilato (italian ice cream). After the wheel barrel ride to the car, a ride home and some rest I realized that I ate like a bear just out of hibernation. And boy am I feeling it Did you know there are pelicans in Yellowstone? Pelicans do not have teeth. When Pelicans dine they swallow their meals hole like snakes. And can they stuff their belly's. If I could only swallow hole foods. It would leave me more time to work and play. Heavy on the play.
 This young Swan was almost as curious about me as I was of him. My time in the swamp paid off. He brought his foraging to me. Dunking regular his head would rise and what looked like diamonds ran down his neck and back. Click on the image and notice all the specular reflections from the drops of water. A beautiful animal that always draws attention from passerby's. I was fortunate this day to be so close (about 250 feet). Another day of being blessed by the beauty of one of God's creations.
 Nikon D-200, 600mm lens, f/4.0, 1/80 second, exposure comp +.50, ISO 100 Families that play together stay together. How does someone describe a family of otters antics? Oxbow Bend....as mentioned before this has to be one of my most favorite places to photograph. On this late beautiful afternoon I waded (again) into the river. Anticipating the nightly return of the wiener dog shaped, keystone cop acting, comedians of the animal world. The limits of my wading was determined by that place on a man where tippy toes are needed. Just before that critical low temp adjustment I set up camp. At least one hour in the water. Gives new meaning to cold and wrinkled. My Gitzo tripod works very well in this slow moving water. The river bed is made up of small rocks. I lowered the tripod so the camera and lens were just above the water. At times people will canoe past me. Really nothing is said other than "beautiful day huh?". I have noticed that this part of the river has an incredible ability to carry sound some great distances. Sometimes not far past me people in kayaks and canoes break out in laughter. I have walked down stream a few times to figure out what is causing the laughter. There's no way it's the big, fat, bald and old guy in shorts, almost waist deep in water, bent over like an old man looking through a very long lens at an empty shoreline. Otters hunt almost constantly. At least these guys. When not hunting they are playing. I mean rugby style, your going to get it, wrestling. On land, on water, under water it's all play. The phrase "the harder they play the harder they work" holds true here. In the photograph notice how they are touching. Either by their little webbed and clawed feet. Or like mating snakes all tangled together in a frenzy of fur and water! They are a close knit family. And for me a total blast to photograph. Even if my legs were numb. During this family photo session one or more otters would look interestingly at me. It was pretty normal. Just kinda keeping track of what I was doing. No harm no foul. Then I heard what was a slight splash behind me. I was having so much fun I did the ultimate NO NO in photography. I was not checking all around me. Many photographers have missed shots because they were NOT keeping an eye all around them. Behind me were these two beautiful ladies. They came walking up the stream because some humans had appeared at the shore opposite the otters. These ladies were pretty nervous about me. Nervous is better than laughing. I turned and took about six or seven frames. It was incredible peek-boo light! The late day colors were at their peak. The deer were at full attention. The river was calm enough to project a painted reflection of these beauties. I stood very still and watched the deer. They soon were on land and off in the woods. Another lesson learned. Never stop checking all around. Next time IT may not be as beautiful or friendly.  Nikon D-200, 600mm lens, 1/200 second @f/4.0, Exposure Comp -.67, ISO 100
It does not get any better than this:
 Nikon D-3, 24-70 f/2.8 lens @ 32mm, shot at 1/15 second, f/22, ISO 800, EV comp. -.67
Unlike speeding down State Street at 8o mph, in photography rules can be broke. First let the record show that I never drove down State at 80 mph. My speedometer was not working at the time it's just what the officer claimed. How many times have we heard do not split a photo in half with the horizon line. Well I put it to the test tonight. After yesterdays adventure I was still feeling confident about good light and good subjects. The essence of our hobby? Is it to see things our own way? Or do we try to emulate others? Individuality is supreme here! My reflections (photo humor?) may not be liked by all. It is my signature however. In the photo above even-though the horizon line is slightly off center it works for me. No this is not an attempt at self glamorization. The trees on the left and the ice patch in the water on the right break up the horizon line. If these elements where not present the photo would have been static. Utah has incredible sunsets. With the Wasatch Range opposite the sunset incredible colors are absorbed for all to enjoy! This meets my second assignment for photographing natural color (no manmade color present in the photo).
 I was wondering around the WEB today at lunch and found this site:
http://www.lookgoodinpictures.com/ Check it out!
 Windy, extremely cold and sunny! Three hours to Ballard and three hours back. Our new store in Ballard has frozen lines inside the store. It was a must that I make the trek to eastern Utah. I have been in the office for two weeks and getting a little cabin fever. Of course the purpose of the trip today was to determine a scope of work to get water back into portions of the store. I rarely travel without camera in tow. I loaded up a little more gear today. Six hours on the road and no chance to shoot..I don't think so! I have a fiduciary responsibility to full-fill my responsibilities with my employer. The photography part is a benefit of the travel :) No photographs on the way out. West bound was another story. The temperature was about 9 degrees. The wind was blowing about twenty to thirty mph. The art created on the snow was very original. Waves of snow was created by the winds.  Earlier my driving skills were challenged. When at highway speed the ABS brakes were thrown into full test mode. My peripheral vision was at peak performance. At the roads edge was an adult Bald Eagle eating at a deer carcass. I have been around eagles enough to know that they think as long as the human metal objects keep moving there's no problem. Stop and off they go! We drove past the big bird turned around went past again turned around and as we passed I photographed it. Not too good. Drove past again. Turned around drove past turned around and approached slowly then stopped. A few frames made it to the sensor. Then he flew back to that line in the sand. It was BEAUtiful! I am always humbled by this incredible animal.  This was his second take off to the new farther line in the sand. 
Dinner!  The above skier was making the best of the high winds. It was remarkable to watch. At times the skier would let the kite pick him up and carry him for distance then drop back to earth cruising across the snow.
My efforts to accomplish this weeks assignment of rule of thirds is represented here. All the shooting today was consciously directed to that rule of thirds composition. It was fun. Oh the porcupine hair! Penny. You'd have to see it to understand. It's the new style.
Mondays are a blast! This crazy bird runs on the water. I don't know the name or anything about the bird but that it is a "fisherbird". Just like the cartoons this little feathered guy has legs that seem to go in a full circle like a windmill. At top speed it's head drops and into water it goes. Sometimes bringing up a small meal. It is hilarious to watch. A lot of effort for a meal. Mondays I find myself on a dead run. All the problems of the weekend have blossomed and my forgotten to-do list has reappeared. No task must be forgotten. In my case tasks will be forgotten if not written down. And I hope somewhere I can remember where I wrote them. Penny has new clothes, and everybody else is refreshed from two days unplugged. It's not just a girl thing to have new clothes everyday. Today a lot of men prefer the same. I don't personally know any one I have just seen them out there. Like the water sprinter bird we start each week on a dash and usually end the week coming up for air. Some weeks are successful and others are not as successful. This photograph was taken at Oxbo bend in the Tetons. Regular wildlife there is moose, eagles, deer, coyote, and otters. Oh yes and the water sprinting bird. The water is very slow moving there. Often I find myself thigh deep in water photographing all around me. Definitely one of my favorite places to shoot. My two best tools for this type of shooting (standing in water) are my photography vest, and tripod. I can carry most the equipment I need in my vest including, bug spray, bear pepper spray, water, and some food rations (twinkies or ding dongs). The tripod has two purposes - 1) to keep the camera stable 2) to keep me stable. The tripod has been my walking stick on many occasions. It takes a lot of time to collect photography equipment. I have been collecting equipment for nearly 30 years. Much has changed and been replaced. Especially with all the new technology available. Expenditures can become extreme. I decided long ago that as long as I working every monday through friday I could save for my hobby. Every Monday I stop to thank God that I have a family to provide for, and incredible people surrounding me at work. My hobby is diverse and challenging. Thank goodness that I wake every Monday - the alternative would not acceptable.
It was one of those beautiful walks in the woods. I was following the sounds of elks bugling. My education of elk biology came somewhat by the master of Elk-President Gary B. This man is as big as an elk and knows enough about them that you would think he is family. I have been with him twice when he places an instrument in his mouth and proceeds to "talk" to the elk. He must be calling them names or something because when the elk show up they are not happy. In fact they are ready to fight. The one thing that Gary explained to me was when the elk raises their head, open their mouth and raise their lip, they are smelling the cow. The cow once a year is ready to mate and produces a sent. It makes the bulls crazy. On this day I wanted to photograph some of this craziness. Little did I know I was going to round a corner of the trail and be close enough to a six-by-seven bull to pat him on the nose. He was not happy! More like dizzy with craziness and anxiety. Have you ever been in a situation where you think you might be in a place that is not safe, but the circumstances warranted a stare or pause? When this behemoth approached I thought where is Gary when I need him? Then it happened. The bull raised his head. Threw back his lip and opened his mouth. Yikes! Holy Cow! What is up with that mouth? Is there teeth in there? For a second I thought this thing could not hurt anything. Wow - the goofiest dental hygiene on the planet. I'll bet his breath smells somewhat like the sulfur pots nearby. Here's the rub. There's no cows around. The only thing within eye sight that has four appendages used for walking and eating was ME! Did I have a similar scent as the attractive cow? Was my appearance appealing to him? Now my body is shaking from fear. Just long enough to photograph BULL TONSILS then he bolted. One of the strangest experiences I have had in the wild. I plan on sitting with Gary B and letting him explain this one to me.
 18-200mm lens at 120mm, 1/125 second @f/5.6, Aperture Priority
Is it art?.....
The bottom of the photograph sure looks like a water color painting. The natural growth above the water line is colorful. But the reflection dominates the image. Somehow the reflection though overpowering in the photograph is interesting. Not much of a photograph compositionally. To me just pleasing and serene. In a discussion today it was expressed by myself that landscapes are difficult for me. I can usually land the light correctly. Great effort is made to not have my landscapes too busy. The fewer the distractions in a photograph the better for me. And what is the subject? All questions that the one holding the camera created. My subject here is the reflections.
My personal assignment this week is to find color in these dreary cold days. D.P. what is yours? It's OK I can handle two assignments. Rules for me: Colors have to be natural, or at least reflected in a natural way. No man made objects.
 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens shot at 24mm, 1/13 second @f/22, ISO-3,200
I love where I live, I love the seasons..... There is a glimmer of light at the end of this winter tunnel! Spring is just around the corner. It's nearly the end of Jan. Wildlife are out there today..it's just not the same as that early morning. It started at about 4:03 a.m. A short drive from Jackson Hole, Wyoming was a steep hike up the mountain to my pre- determined spot. The objective was not to disturb the birds. Not just any bird. An Osprey family. Mom and three teens (teens defined by "get out the nest it's time for you to leave"). An Osprey's eyesight is superman times ten. Unbelievable! I'll get to that in a minute. The mountain climb was only about 1/4 mile. Yet so steep I literally used hands and feet at times to progress upward. Thanks to my MP-3 Photo-pack , my hands were free. No moonlight to help I stumbled a lot. I had to be as quiet as possible. My route up the mountain had to be one of stealth. The last thing I wanted was to go to this effort and have the birds freak out. It took about an hour to get to my nest. I was eye level to the Osprey nest but a good distance away. My pre-planned trip was a success thus far. Except the sun had not risen yet. I had to stay as motionless as possible. It was cold. Especially after the sweaty hike up. As the light soon rimmed the mountains I could see the birds. They were motionless and somewhat huddled in the middle of the nest. I could not yet make out the parent from the youth. Just before the sunlight broke over the mountain ridges the adult flew off. The young watched as it flew down the canyon. I took several photographs of the young but they were mostly facing away from me. Just like teenagers they were all over the nest, jumping and testing their wings. A lot of youthful energetic gestures. I guess one method for adult birds of prey to invite their young out of the nest is to bring in twigs and branches. The idea is to make the nest not very comfortable. (On my website I have a photograph of the adult bringing in a big branch. It did this several times.) After some time the adult flew back to the nest. As just mentioned it dropped of a big stick. I was real proud of myself for not disrupting their habitat, home and psyche. Until the adult landed. Like I had set of a bomb, or stood and while waving my arms yelled "hey stupid look at me", the adult stared me down, barking like a skinned dog encouraging the kids to stare me down also. I had not even flinched. My firing hand would raise to take the pictures. Killer eyesight is understatement. Ok! no fat head jokes! It was incredible. I was not moving except my firing finger. I was getting cramps in my finger and all my phobias! I had sat motionless too long! Osprey make sounds that I have never heard before. I really expected the adult to attack. If looks could kill I would not be writing this blog tonight. (click on the picture below and check out the eyes) It was serious. Now I had to get back down the mountain with out disturbing the little bird family. It turns out the antics was like a bear charging (a story for another day), or Penny offering me candy that she made but won't eat herself. "Make a move buddy or your dead!" I was fortunate to take a lot of photographs that day. My knowledge base of wild animals behavior doubled. So I am looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. Spring. When new life abounds and we photographers are "Giddy".  600mm lens at f/4.0, 1/1250 second, ISO 200 Aperture Priority
Spring, and summer, and fall, and the great outdoors in shirtsleeves HURRY UP!!
Nikon D-3, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens - Shot at 24mm, 1/125 second @ f/22, -1.33 exposure comp, ISO 200 Digital Darkroom - nik COLOR Efex Pro 2.0 - Infrared Black and White
My daughter is going to kill me.... Tonight just before sunset I rushed to Antelope Island. It's only 35 minutes from my home. Wildlife is prevalent there. I have not had my eye to the camera for at least a week. Withdrawal was prevented tonight. It was beautiful! Definitely was a Black and White scene. The air was frigid. Ice crystals formed on most plants due to the inversion. Buffalo were abundant and the coyotes started their nightly serenade. I really enjoyed the hour or so I had there. The break definitely was needed. I hope to back very early one morning and attempt to corral some morning shots and more QUIET!
 600mm lens - shot in JPEG, ISO 800, 1/125 @ f/4.0
Of the thousands of pictures I have this is my favorite. What were the conditions? - 6:03 a.m. and close to 22 degrees. September the month of the annual rut. And I found the monster of them all. Someone told me once that this guy was a Boone and Crocket trophy elk. I have no idea what Boone and Crocket is but I know after many years of watching elk this guy was B-I-G big. I have on my website a modified version of this shot. I took it through NIK software and gave a "midnight" look. The shot above is untouched except for the conversion to black and white. The early sunrise gave backlight to the elk. The rim light over his back and defining his "rack" helps the elk pop in the photograph. The large aperture gave softness to the plants and background. Almost a look of a painted scene. The backlight enhanced his breath shortly after bugling. The large aperture also defines the focus on the elk. The stars were aligned for me that morning. Just another time I was blessed and fortunate to be at that spot. I was the only photographer there that morning. It was one of those experiences where I was thrilled that when I left the beauty and wonder of that animal will be their for others to witness. I have been back to this area many times looking for this guy. With other particular animals I have returned and with some hiking, and multiple visits find them again. A good friend and neighbor of mine loves wildlife and we have traveled together to Yellowstone to photograph and enjoy the wildlife. On one occasion we looked for the big guy. Dave had seen the photograph and wanted to witness it himself. Dave, his wife and I headed out looking and listening. While resting at one point we heard a lower than normal bugle. I mean a lot lower than normal bugle. It was as though Barry White was bugling. Dave and I looked at each other and smiled. Well, Dave got a glimpse at him. I did not. Again, no guarantees that it was the same elk. I hoped it was. If only we could have watched it in a clearing as it moved it's enormous antlers back and forth as it listened intently to other buglers. Daring anyone to challenge his size, and experience. He seemed to stand taller like he knew he was the dominate male. What a beautiful animal. What a beautiful part of nature. Almost an extreme. My hope is to cross paths with him again.
 Nikon D200, 1/125 second @ f/5.6, ISO 100, 18-200mm lens @200mm
Light. I have heard more lectures about light than anything else in Photography. I guess without it there's nothing to shoot! What is really incredible is trying to make the final photograph look just like how we remember it. Cameras do have limits. Unlike our eyes and incredible body. I learned that I am drawn to subjects with a lot of contrast between them and their background. It is appealing to me. Much like my first gander at my wife some 33 years ago. A double take or two and I am thinking how can I make this a good photograph. In my wife's case how can I accomplish that "I married up" thing. Why talk about the tomatoes above and not wildlife? Because I was able in this instance to better control some specifics of the light and subject. Too much exposure and the specular highlights on the tomatoes would burn out. Too much depth of field and the stairs in the background would be a little too obvious. My neck almost broke while passing this subject. It yelled at me "take my picture stupid". It may never win a contest. But it is one of my favorite still life. I exposed on the tomatoes and ensured that no highlights were warning me of an overexposure anywhere. Bracketing one stop over and one stop under, three shots were made. It turns out I used the exposure that the camera liked best. Of course I was shooting in aperture priority. In my digital dark room I dropped the exposure by about three quarters of a stop. Then dodged the tomatoes and the metal fence rails. The shot was made very late in the day. Pica-Boo lighting was what made the shot dramatic for me. Rays of sunlight where being filtered through trees along the sidewalk. Very little dodging had to be done. One note that also made this shot good for me...there was just enough light reflecting from above the stairs to bring the background up and add depth to the photo. Just another one of those times I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
 600mm, 1/640 second @ f/4.0, 400 ISo
Six days of work, stress and play deserves a day of rest!
 Low tide, knee deep in water, a big smile on my face - Hoping salt water will not get on/in my camera. This was shot from a tripod with a Nikon D200 - Metadata= 18-200mm lens, 2.2 second exposure (yea for the tripod) (and slow moving star fish) @f/16, exposure compensation of +.67, ISO 100, lens at 95 mm focal length, camera set on adobe RGB, Depth 8 and White balance set at auto. Oh! and the finished file is 28.81 MB. Digital is cool. We are fortunate to have the tools we have. Auto focus, vibration reduction, NIK software, and many other tools for the digital photographer. The photo above was shot on an overcast day. The star fish and other critters are more under the rock than on the side. It was pretty dark. The tripod in my opinion is in the top three most important tools for a photographer. We are preached this all the time. How many times have you seen a photographer hand holding a shot with a tripod close by? OFTEN for me. With all the neat, cool, and expensive tools we may acquire it still comes down to our own interpretation of the photograph. Yes there is the rule of thirds and other basic ideas of how to compose a photograph. Take the time to see what the light is doing on your subject. Which direction is the light coming from? Is it harsh or soft, warm or cold. My time trying to learn all this is spent by studying the great photographers. The best know their equipment (tools) well enough that their only thoughts are on the subject, light and composition. Not necessarily in that order. Take the time to make your self an assignment. Like shoot a subject that is backlit with a lot of contrast between the subject and what is behind the subject. Or use depth of field to focus on the subject. Try a silhouette. I am and will tomorrow.
 So this guy is for real! A human statue that painted himself with some kind of white mud. Nothing would make him flinch. Barely even wink. What the heck is he up to? This picture was taken on our trip to Brazil. On the boardwalk at Rio de Janeiro. I took a bunch of photo's of this guy. It was late night. The makeup was cracking but he wasn't. Who knows. Only the man statue knows for sure. Maybe a protest. Or maybe an advertisement for a facial mask. I left a few dollars in the box in front of him. He at least deserved that for putting up with me. If we could only crack and then wash it off. Life really is fragile. Sure we are all dying. But when? I was told today that I have agoraphobia. Huh? The only phobia that I have is that I have a phobia. I count truck axles while driving on the freeway. Everybody does that. Who doesn't count the steps when going up or down them? Unlike the man statue I have a smile most the time at work. I travel a lot. I am always looking for ways to be active. I set things in motion to always have something to look forward to. I think I just started the last several sentences with "I". I never was good at english or sentence structure, or verbal communication. Ask Don he'll tell you. Who cares I love life and my hobby. I hope to live long enough to look back and say I have really enjoyed the ride. That could be tomorrow.
 Why do wildlife not feel remorse like we humans do? Or do they? On my web page and in one of the MOM series blogs is a picture of a Black Bear on a rock. For a couple of years my relationship with this bear become somewhat intimate. Not in the human sense. She was almost accepting of me and some other photographers. Even when nursing with an eye on me she allowed the swift clicking of my camera shutter. As usual my very long lens gave me significant distance from her. She taught me that she loved to eat the dandelions. For hours she would eat and rest for short periods. If I kept my motions to almost nothing she would close an eye. For moments. I worried at times that my presence (at least 90 yards away) was bothering her. Overtime the realization was that she just always was wary about noises and movements all around her. I really looked forward each day to searching for her. Spending hours pre sun to post sunset inthralled with her. This day was different. Most of the day was searching, waiting, listening and watching for this beautiful black bear. A great commotion was playing out some distance from my position. I was not sure what it was. Except I knew it was animals fighting. For fear of approaching to close I stayed where I was. The moaning, growling and what sounded like wines lasted for a long time. Maybe as long as 30 minutes. It would crescendo then stop. Periods of silence would make me wonder even more what had happened. Then the silence did not end. My comfort level with approaching the area was very low. It could have been a quarter of a mile away or a much greater distance. It was not safe to venture that direction. Back at my car I was still wondering what had happened. It takes some time to unload my gear. This late in the day I start by unpacking my backpack. The accessories I carry in my photo vest get returned to their cases. My attention was not on my surroundings. Down the road about 1000 feet is a pond that wildlife frequents morning and night. As I glanced at the pond I noticed a cinnamon black bear coming down off the mountain. Incredible! I have only a few photographs of a cinnamon bear. As fast as possible I gathered everything up and ran down the road. Of course I crossed the street so the bear was not totally freaked about this "keystone cop" running at him The mountain sheltered my approach. A beautiful animal. Not everyone gets this opportunity. It seemed as though he was limping and moving slower than normal. Is there a normal speed for a bear? Anyway, something was different. My first look through the lens revealed the answer. The bear had been in a fight. One eye was damaged. Several patches of hair was missing from his back and sides. Blood was in his fur. His forehead was matted with blood. He approached the pond as seen in the photo above and just stared at his reflection in the water for quite a while.  THEN HE DRANK...................It seemed as though drinking was difficult. Every time he would lift his head a large sum of water would run out of his mouth. I'm not an expert but it looked unusual. As though he was having trouble drinking.  AFTER drinking he waded into the water and DROPPED down! As he rolled to one side he looked over at me with what seemed like no concern that I was there. His eye looked terrible. Was he enjoying the water? It was probably cool and by the color may have had some soothing chemicals in it. The bath lasted for a while.  WHEN out of the water his limp was more pronounced than before. The typical full body shake to discharge water from the body did not happen.....  HE went directly to this spot where it appeared animals had been rolling and disturbing the ground. The bear laid out flat. Soon he gyrated back and forth. Rubbing his underside. Especially his face. What was he doing.? Is this the local pharmacy? Chemicals in the soils mixed with the pond water ensuring pain relief? I am not sure. Not sure anyone would know.
The next day I spoke to the park Ranger. He said the black bear had not been seen that day. He felt that the cinnamon had fought and killed the black bear. For the next several days no one saw the black bear. A year later the same ranger told me that in fact the black bear had been killed. Obviously they had no proof that the cinnamon had killed her. The worst part of the event is that she had cubs. The cubs were never seen again also. A sad time for this photographer. But life goes on. I hope to see the cinnamon this year. Maybe he has fathered with another bear. Let's hope so.
  In the world of Nature and Wildlife Coyote MOM's get a big 10. Not like most all mammals Coyotes get a double whammy. Working around the clock. An amazing event to watch this curious animal "mine" for rodents. Hunting to survive and feed five little mouths takes all kinds of methodology, genetic makeup, patience and a wobbly head. Yes a wobbly head! Often the coyote follows paths in the wild created by routes of deer, elk, bison, or other coyotes. While trotting down the trail with some place to go........... What is it with animals and their ability to travel long distances and return to the same spot where they defecated three days earlier? Without a GPS. I am telling you.... and we say we are the higher beings! Anyway back to the coyote bobbing down the trail. Stop. Look down. With the body motionless the head turns about 10 degrees clockwise then slowly over to 10 degrees counterclockwise. This is repeated over and over. The anticipation of something great is seen in the eyes of the coyote. Kind of like my grandson's eyes when the word ice cream is mentioned. A cross between fire and lust! Then suddenly the coyote jumps straight in the air and drops front paws first to the ground like a drop hammer compaction tool. Instantly paws are flying, dust is spewing, then out of the carnage is a mouth full of dinner. Chewing like the coyote was enjoying his first Dagwood sandwich the delectable critter is dinner, desert, roughage and a shared meal all in one. Ok here is where my vote of 10 plays out. Mammals (not all) nurse their young. As does the coyote. Five mouths tearing at the nipples. I'll bet that OUCH in coyote is "YELP". Here is the kicker............just when she has had a gut full of nursing..LOL. Gut full.... Sorry stupid humor. Immediately after nursing the pups are nipping at her mouth. You guessed it. "MOM spew up some of the critter for us". "We are starving!" Then off again to bobble, dig, chew, nurse and spew. A vicious cycle until MOM says "enough!" "Your on your own" True dedication. True love. True undying commitment to the continuation of the species. Wow if we could all have the dedication.
 A giant pachyderm mother gently nudges her cub. The month long walk in the desert to get water is almost more than the little elephant can endure. Scratching of the face, biting the neck, and claws in the ear are normal daily occurrences of the ever patient lion mother inflicted by her cub. An usually long tongue cleaning the whole body of the newborn infant Giraffe that just fell about six feet starting it's own life. Body jarring jabs at the nipples of the bison mother by her ever hungry calf. MOM... The bear above had just nursed two cubs. As if in a moment of personal rest she climb the rock, dropped her chin, then was motionless in a sprawled out position. A portrait of her is on my web site front page. The cubs tried desperately to get to her. She seemed to enjoy the moments of peace. Her eyes seldom left my position. One cub figured that on one side of the rock access to MOM could be obtained. That ever enduring shot of MOM bear rubbing forehead with the cub emphasizes the only way for the bear to show affection. Through gesture. It's a good thing bears have not figured out text messaging. There is no formality, affection is king! Nurturing the game. Protection the genetic code. I have enjoyed many hours and even many days admiring the ability of this particular mother bear to prolong the lives or her offspring. In the next couple of days I will post a photo experience I had related with this bear defending herself but probably more so her cubs. The cruel yet natural side of Nature........
 What is the role of a Mother? Witnessing motherhood in the wild is inspiring. Man (both men and women or "humans") can learn from the lesson taught by these "wild" parents. Yelling or persistent vocal address is not an option. All is taught in silence and gesture. Eating and self preservation is the daily priority. First observations of the moose mother (cow) seems to portray an air of non concern for the calf. Eat, chew, eat more chew more. Head down moving to new courses. It seems that not much attention is toward the calf. Close observation reveals the cow is always concerned about the calf. Short glances, head turned toward the calf insures it's whereabouts. Safety is another matter. Crowds will gather when this relationship is discovered. Just like the ooh's and aah's hooted at the site of a new born child. Humans are drawn to witness this natural spectacle. The cow will always require that she is between the calf and the onlookers. Again, looking close the Cow is on alert and somewhat anxious. There is a line in the sand. Some people have discovered it. And predators have experienced it. That being a mothers wrath. The natural instinct to protect their child is incredible. The same is true with humans. Holy Cow! Don't put MOM in a position to defend her child. We should all witness that great love, power and authority of MOM. Enjoy watching moms caress their child on the back of the neck as they kiss their foreheads. Or like the Moose Cow above a gentle kiss to pass assurance that all is well....for now.
I just finished perusing Moose Petersen's Blog (something I do daily). Amazed at his energy and ability to think in business terms and still be the great photographer that he is. I was very fortunate to attend one of the DLWS events. Wow was it great. Since then I have felt somewhat like a groupie. A couple of rock stars of photography, Joe McNally and Moose Peterson lead the pack with Laurie Excell and Kevin Dobler right there to round out the group. What a fantastic experience! Like a rolling stones concert being invited back stage. Except these fine people share their talents. There's no secrets. You're not only invited to ask questions your threatened if you don't. Since that experience I have appreciated the challenges of photography. I have read several times where Moose reminds us all to understand the biology of the wildlife you intend to capture on film (or in most cases not film but little itsy bitsy light sensitive ....things). The DLWS group has descended on Yellowstone. It really is not fair! That reminded of the time I ran into a grizzly while trekking and looking for wildlife. Typically I will hike back on one of the trails and sit for a while. The sitting usually pays off. This particular Grizzly was heading south on the same trail I was heading north. I was prepared to stay a significant distance from the animal. It's HIS trail you know! For what seemed like eternity we just sat there and looked at each other. The tripod was out, the long lens aimed at him. The photographs were ready to roll. Just staring. I had my escape route planned if he turned away. My bear spray was out. He was quite a distance off. But I was ready to leave if he asked. Bears don't have to say much. Is bored something that comes to a photographers mind while looking at a live, wild, and huge grizzly through a 600mm lens? "Man will you do something!" "I have all kinds of pictures of bears walking on all four legs." Doing something I am fairly embarrassed to admit I shouted at the Grizzly "Stand up or do something cool." You know what they say in church -be careful what you ask for. He stood. Now I'm a little nervous. He then turned and headed north on the trail. A Yellowstone Grizzly took my command. Yikes. All joking aside I really was a good distance from the Grizzly. What made him stand? Behind me also heading north was a Buffalo. Westward was my new direction.
 
A few hours of quiet is great for stress, contemplation, problem solving and remembering what is most important in Life.....
A long way from my home is a little oasis in a warm and arid valley. A home to two very special people. They call it home...I call it the "resort". A golf course, outdoor whirlpool, outdoor bar, dogs, lizards, a beautiful new home, workshop big enough to fit the home in it, a pool (small enough for Koi ), dog cemetery, full size all metal statue of a cactus (6' or more high), are just a few of the amenities of the "resort". Though fairly private people these two friends and associates have shared their place of peace with me. While in the area for work and travel I will always attempt to get together with "S. and S.". Two things will usually occur - eat and play bingo. One beautiful day "S. and S." allowed me to sit with the lizards and photograph a family of burrowing Owls. Even the lizards have a paradise here. I had to remain motionless to not distract the birds. Two lizards were playing hide and seek all around me. One ran under my legs and around my hand. It was as though they were spies for the birds. Trying to get me to jump or at least reveal my self as a threat. NO WAY. I was here to photograph the birds guys. BACK OFF! The Owls arrive annually to clean house in their under ground home. And of course while there they procreate. Tiny little buggers are funny as heck! I guess they are about 6" tall. Really! Little tiny big eyed birdies. Not to be confused with the GOLF birdies nearby. The excavation at the opening to their underground palace is a lot of bones. In the photo above they are the white objects. But note the dog poop. For some reason they collect it? I have a million questions about that! Insulation? Material to fill entrances in abandoned shafts? Or a trick to keep cats from the area? As I sat very low to the ground watching the movements of the birds it occurred to me that I was witnessing the growth and actions of a animal that numbers are dwindling. I enjoyed the time there. Not just because I was with my good friends. I am very lucky when it comes to Bingo. This day I was very lucky and fortunate to experience these miniature and nervous comedians.
Thank goodness for spring, cubs and berries....and a hungry bear! Springtime brings out the mother bears with cubs. A long winter, nursing and all that babysitting probably takes a lot of energy out of the mother. Another typical early morning except that I was supposed to be photographing a moose. This particular location was frequented by a moose with a calf. I was ready. Very low to the ground. My longest lens on the camera to get me distance from the pond and the moose. An occasional bee rushing around, air rising to the surface in the bog around me, and the infrequent bird flying over was the only sounds to be heard. Except the new sound behind me. Without turning to look I was sure a marmot,or squirrel rustled the brush. Then I heard it. The lapping of a tongue. The unusual breathing. Then the "grunt". I best turn around and see what was ready to be photographed behind me. A great photographer told a group of us once to always look around you 360 degrees when photographing in the wild. If not you may miss something. As I turned I remembered the brush behind me was smothered in berry's. A beautiful purple colored fruit. In the middle was a black bear. What you see above is how a bear looks through a 600mm lens at about 100 feet. Magnified to about 840mm through a D200. One hundred feet from an eating bear with two cubs is about 1000 feet too close! Fortunately I had my monopod to defend myself. RIGHT! Can you say scared to death, scared spit-less or crapping little green apples? After a few prayers and of course a few hundred frames the bear(s) moved along the brush line gorging themselves. After what seemed like a very long time, the mother bear looked directly at me. Her hunger must have preoccupied her until this point. Was she thinking.."berries or a fat human"?. The good thing was that I had not shaven for a few days and was wearing 2 day old clothes. A little repugnant was I..thank goodness. I out lasted the family and was back at the truck 2 hours later. Next time I carry all the anti bear equipment. A bell, a noise maker, bear pepper spray, a shorter lens and eyes behind my head.
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Have you ever wondered what the last thing a fish sees before going in?
