Rare Moments in Nature Photography

 Ready When the Scene Appears

Now that the Holiday Season has arrived and Christmas Day is fast approaching, in this week's blog I would like to take some time and reflect back on some very rare moments in photography that are very endearing to me.

The wonder of photography is, it puts you in the moment and when you're in that moment on rare occasions, the scene just happens to come to you. As with when I was trying to get macro photos of cacti in the snow and saw the trunk of a pine tree standing out in the distance, accented against the falling snow.

Sometimes those special moments show up after the photos have been processed and you find surprises that a fast shutter has captured. For example, a bee appears to be coming in for a landing right behind a Western Tiger Swallow-tailed butterfly.

On very rare occasions, you might be out looking for photos of Walker Lake in the snow and happen across a herd of 26 Desert Bighorn Sheep nestling in against the early morning cold.

 

 When tracking wildlife with the camera, you never know what to expect, so being focused and ready with the finger on the shutter catches an event that is so fast, you just get that one click.  I was following the sorrel stallion at Cold Creek, Nevada with my Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens when the black stallion came out and offered the challenge.  The two wild horses reared, and then it was over.

Then there are those intimate moments when you are made aware of a tiny Calliope Hummingbird sitting on her nest at Pine Creek in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

I made the transition to wildlife photography when I was spending so much time in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area looking for landscapes and I was always coming across wildlife.  One day the rangers told me to take a look on the patio of the visitor center where a Say's Phoebe had built a nest on top of the outside light.  The newly hatchlings were waiting for mama and didn't notice as I clicked the shutter.

On other rare occasions, you get a nice surprise when two hawks take off near a frozen stream at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge on a cold, foggy morning in January. 

The real beauty of photography is being out there and sharing in those awesome rare moments that just happen.  With nature, you never know what scenes might occur, even in a wildlife sanctuary like the Animal Ark in Reno there are rare moments when a cougar bends down to sniff a tiny sage plant.

Many times I feel that I am led to the scene so that I can share those intimate details to create an emotional bond and bring the viewer closer to the natural world.  

Photographs Make Great Gifts

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

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 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

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