Wild Horse Stallion over looking his herd

This Wyoming wild horse stallion is overlooking his herd . He know it is his job to provide protection for those who can not protect themselves.

It is time we did the same for him and the the other wild horses being abused by the very government agency task to protect this symbol of the freedom and open space of the west.

The BLM apprears to have set out on a course to remove wild horses from the west rather than manage them. Not so surprising for a agency who’s parent, the Department of Interior has refused to manage threats to Polar Bears.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION?

When the Polar Bear and the Wild Horse is gone the door will be open to exploit the West and the Arctic. The energy conglomerates will win again while we continue to loose what was once public.

Check this out just for fun.

http://wildhorsesneedyou.com/?p=100

Wild Mustangs fighting at sunrise

Our group was  able to catch these Stallions testing each other for their morning exercise.

Great Horned Owl and chicks at nest

Yesterday I finally had a chance to bring my tour clients back to the Great Horned Owl nest. We had a couple of hours wait but Mom finally came back to the nest and the chicks move out so they could have their bed made. It looks like in a week or so they will leave the nest for good but Mom will still watch over them

Do you think the wait was worth a couple of hours?

Soon we were at this beaver pond to catch the reflection. By the time we set up the sky had cleared but the wind was disturbing the surface too much for our shot. By the time the wind was down the sky had become void of any clouds or texture above the mountains. So be it! We took our shots and were on our way. By the time we reached the van the mountains were covered again in a mantle of clouds. The rest of the day was devoted to Bears, Moose, Owls and Elk.

This is my first attempt at using the Nic ND grad filter a I think I could have done better but I am sure I will get the hang of these great plugins.

Grand Teton Reflection

Jackson Hole Antler auction

This weekend marks the beginning of the true tourist season in the Northern Rockies and one of the last semi local events is the Annual Jackson Hole Elk Antler auction. and Elkfest. Some how these Bison skulls reminded me of the upcoming season. Maybe it has something to do with all of the Bison burgers that will be over cooked and sold in the next few months or maybe it reminds me of how much the town of Jackson bores me.

The Pr below tells the story. of Elkfest.

Elkfest is a weekend of activities built around the world famous Jackson Hole Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction. It is an exciting time for celebrating nature, outdoor skills, hunting and ecological education and awareness. Elkfest will be celebrating the 43rd Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction this year. The first Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction was in 1968. Since then several groups joined the activities on that day and in 2002 expanded to what is now known as Elkfest.

Every spring, thousands of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge shed their antlers before they migrate to their summer range. The Boy Scouts harvest the shed antlers and auction them to the highest bidder at the Jackson Hole Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction. The bidders sometimes represent other buyers, some resell the antler in the raw. Then there are those who are looking for just the right antler for making furniture, light fixtures, jewelry and other crafts from them. Others just want a nice rack for hanging on their den wall. Money raised at the auction is used for long-term projects that will help the elk for many years. It is used for improvements to the habitat like growing more natural grasses, improving irrigation on the refuge and purchasing equipment used for this type of work. It also helps pay for summer workers who spend the summer irrigating the fields to help grow grasses the elk can eat during the winte

Stampede

It was a quick trip down to Colorado to photograph a horse drive then up to Cheyenne to visit my mom, sister and her husband for Mothers Day. The plan was to spend time in Wyoming working on more wild horses but a big spring snow storm came in and changed all of that. For now it is Yellowstone, editing and keyboarding.

more to come!

I made in back from the southwest after helping my workshop members make some great images and a few personal adventures along the way. I won’t go into much detail but I can tell you that it really gets your attention when a passing pickup driver roars past blowing  his horn and pointing to the rear of your 5th wheel. Then when you look in the rearview and see smoke and flames you become really focused.  In a record breaking stop on the side of I 15 I ran to the back of the trailer and past the growing flames coming from underneath the blown tire. I knew there was a fire extinguisher inside the RV.  Also my camera gear and hard drives with my digital image collection were near the  flames.  As I leapt  back out the door  where the flames were now growing over the side  I pulled the safety ring and to my surprise the extinguisher actually worked, quickly putting out the fire. The damage was less than I expected and after two hours of having a great couple of tire repair young men help me I was back on the road.

Now that I am back in the office and have sent off the photo request that pilled up while I was gone it is time to reload and get off to do some wild horses  after I wrap up a local assignment.

The Stallion here is in the wonderful Red Desert of Wyoming where I have held my spring workshops in the past. This year my schedule to  packed to fit in a workshop but I will be shooting there and a few other locations.

I have had several request for another wild horse workshop this year so let me know if you would be interesting in spending sometime in October under the wide open sky of Wyoming photographing wild horses.

March 2010 National Geographic Cover By Jess Lee

Well, I will brag about this one.

Sun Rise at Midway Geyser Basin

Midway is one of my Favorite Locations. It doesn’t have the variety of other basins but the Firehole river and the orange/yellow outflow of the basin seem like a magic combination. On this morning we we lucky enough to be on the bridge just as the sun came over the terrace.

Yellowstone Autumn grass

The wildlife shooting has slowed down in Yellowstone  during this late Autumn season but there are still many chances for great photos.

This area of  grasses and dead trees is always an early morning favorite in any season, but the rich autumn tones and frost made me stop this morning to capture the crisp autumn scene.