Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : rattlesnake

Monday, May 23, 2011

Adventures in Wildlife Photography

Knowing When to Exit Before It's Too Late

I began my photographic ventures shooting landscapes and because they always took me off the beaten path, I came across many different types of wildlife. Around this same time, I was doing volunteer work in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area and at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park with my photography. I made friends with some of the park rangers who taught me how to approach wildlife and enter their habitat without causing any problems.

One of the first things I learned in photographing wildlife was that I would need a faster telephoto lens. So when I could afford it, I added the Nikon 500mm 4.0 to my collection of lenses and it soon became my favorite, even though it was cumbersome and required a tripod. The 500mm lens allowed me to reach areas where the wildlife hung out and most times go unnoticed. However, on several occasions after walking quietly and blending in, I was the one who was in for a surprise and not too sure about my next move.

A female coyote stops on her way back to the den to check out what is hiding in the mesquite trees. I've been fortunate to come across these creatures many times in the early mornings or evenings when I wander through the desert. They are very shy and most of the time will scurry off. I love to hear their music on a calm summer night.

Now mind you, I haven't had the thrill of encountering a cougar in the wild yet, although I have seen their tracks in the moist sand near First Creek. This cougar photo was during the open house at the Animal Ark in Reno, Nevada.

Speaking of First Creek, which is in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area and runs along the trail as its name implies, is a great place to see a lot of wildlife. One spring day when I was hiking down the densely covered path I heard heavy breathing coming from just around the bend. My curiosity got the best of me and I continued on to find a group of wild burros foraging on a nearby hill. When I came into view, all heads looked up with ears forward. Wild burros can be mean spirited and will defend their territory; however this group posed for the camera as I quietly walked on down the trail.

There is something very peaceful about deer as they quietly graze on foliage, however this buck did not want me coming any closer and I have heard stories about hunters being attacked by them. With a quick clique of the shutter, I backed up and made a fast departure.

When I lived in Las Vegas, I often made trips out to Wilson Canyon where I could always find a large group of wild horses gathered around the natural springs. Early one summer morning, I was hiding in a grove of creosote bushes focusing on several horses that were drinking nearby. I heard some noise, turned and was completely surrounded by a bunch of wild horses that had snuck up while I was in deep concentration! When the horses realized that I was there, they stopped and allowed me to take a whole group of great photos.

Elk are like deer and just want to graze and be left alone. However when I was walking down a narrow back road near Cedar Breaks, Utah and came upon this group of Elk, I wasn't too sure how they felt about me entering their territory. Since my truck was a distance away, I snapped a few quick photos and did an about face!

In the areas that I frequent looking for wildlife, I've never seen a wolf out in the wild and this beauty is from the Animal Ark in Reno.

On one occasion, I did look up to see these big eyes watching me from the overhead tree! And no, I am not afraid of owls; to me they are beautiful birds that keep nature in balance.

What I am afraid of and always cautious about are the rattlesnakes that live around the rocks in the desert. During the warm season, you have to be very careful about where you step and place your hands! Getting bit by one of these creatures when you are out on a hiking trail could mean the kiss of death and ruin your day!

I love being out in nature, exploring and finding photos. When I am in nature, I try to be a good neighbor and to go unnoticed without intruding or disrupting any habitats. As the saying goes, take only photographs and in the desert we don't believe in leaving footprints, only memories.

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.

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"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Monday, March 1, 2010

The Visual Arts

OH! IT’S JUST A PHOTOGRAPH

“Oh! It’s Just a Photograph”. I have heard this expression on numerous occasions at art shows, when my photography has been mistaken for paintings. The first time was early in my art show experience. An older woman in a walker came from across the room, and made a beeline to one of my framed photographs to get a closer look. Upon realizing it was not a painting, she went “UMPH” in an irritated voice and exclaimed, “It’s just a photograph”, as she turned, making a fast departure. At the time, I took the woman’s reaction as a compliment, feeling honored that my photographs resembled paintings.

Over the years, I’ve become a seasoned artist and have probably heard just about every remark that can be made. Fortunately, I have almost always received positive impressions from the viewing public. However, what I find difficult to understand is the attitude that goes with the comment, “It’s just a photograph”. In my mind, if the photograph is so appealing as to attract the person’s attention in the first place, then why should the medium matter, as long as the price isn’t an issue? I wonder if a lack of understanding the preparation and steps that go into the photographic process could be a factor in this attitude.

Some people think that to produce a photograph worthy of enlarging requires nothing more than a click of the shutter, while the camera takes the picture. With me this is not the case. There is much more involved before arriving to the point of snapping the shutter, and that’s not counting the expense of the camera equipment or the technical knowledge that goes with making a photograph. Before I ever get to the location where the scene will be shot, I spend time pre-planning and strategizing, gathering information about my subject. If it’s a location, I familiarize myself about the area as much as possible, studying maps, regulations and weather. With wildlife, I study the habits and idiosyncrasies so I won’t be caught off guard by a charging buck or an angry bear.

Getting off the beaten path to find new scenes is one of the things that I enjoy the most about my photography. I’m always curious about what lies ahead or around the bend, and going that extra yard for a better view has given me some hair rising experiences. A good example was when I was driving on a narrow mountain road enclosed on both sides by aspen trees in my open CJ7 Jeep, and a bear the size of a refrigerator came running out from a side trail, with the only way I could go was in reverse.

Or the time I was hiking on a summer morning, came around a bend, and found a Mojave Green Rattlesnake stretched out across the trail.

Then there was the experience on a cold November morning when I stood too close to the edge of the stream under Weeping Rock in Zion, Utah and fell in.

And what about while I was standing on a ledge at Toroweep Point in the Grand Canyon, ready to take a photo, when I felt cold air on my leg, looked down and saw the Colorado River flowing 3000 feet below through a space in the rocks.

Other experiences that I’ve encountered on my photography ventures may not have been as thrilling, but were certainly no less trying or exasperating. For instance, having to wait at least an hour at Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona for a person to finish working her dogs so I could begin shooting before the sun’s angle got too low. Or seeing the most magnificent view of autumn trees reflected in a pond along the road in Cedar Breaks, Utah, only to return the next morning when the lighting was perfect to find that the pond had been drained. This list of experiences can go on ad infinitum, and maybe there’ll be more at a later post.

So I hope when someone remarks that “it’s just a photograph”, they might start to consider what goes into the making of that photographic image.

For example: getting up at 3am to go stand in the frost covered desert to catch the sunrise;

arriving home at 3am, tired and dusty from driving 140 miles on a dirt washboard road; trekking up and down 40 foot high sand dunes at White Sands, New Mexico; hiking across the desert floor in 120 degree heat;

standing on the edge of eternity in a blizzard at Cedar Breaks, Utah;

trying not to be struck by lightning in the middle of the desert during an approaching storm; and in conclusion my favorite frustration of all, dodging the ever present streaks of contrails that play tic tac toe across my landscape photos.