Saturday, March 7, 2020

Behind the scenes: Winter moose

Moose in Snow, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend for most people. It's a sign spring is near, so I figure I have only a few days left to share images from this past winter. I met this moose in early January in the northeastern portion of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. His pose and the snow-covered background make this one of my favorite images from that trip.

There's a perception that nature photographers spend a lot of time just standing around waiting for something to happen. While I'm sure that's true for some photographers, I try not to do that very often.

If I'm standing around, I'm not creating. It's not a good use of my time. It's also not how I like to work.

I find inspiration in nature. I respond to what nature gives me, designing images that reflect how I felt at the time. It's more about living in the moment.

If you regularly wait for something to happen, you're generally forcing a preconceived view into your pictures by standing there until nature delivers what's already in your mind. Nothing wrong with that; it's just a different style.

But this is one time that I did wait — for several hours. A friend and I saw this gorgeous moose taking a nap in the snow. We knew we'd get a great view of him if only he would get up.

We were quiet, making sure not to disturb his afternoon siesta, but I don't think either of us thought he would take such a long break. The temperature was only in the teens. I figured he would want to get up and moving before long. But I was wrong.

He did finally get up and resume eating shortly before the sunset. It ended up being a great photo session — and one that I was glad I waited for.

(Follow Kevin Ebi's photography on Facebook or Instagram. Prints of his images are available through LivingWilderness.com.)

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