Pulling Back and Taking It In.....

 

 

 

      Sometimes we are tempted to reach for the long lens and fill the frame of our image with what our brain tells us is our subject, but occasionally we need to take a moment to reflect on the entire scene. As photographers, we need to "slow down" and allow our hearts to speak to us. Too often, the messages we receive from our brain are of a technical nature, but those from the heart are of a softer side.......and perhaps a more artistic side.

     In the photo above, while roaming the countryside near Yellowstone National Park, I came across this quiet pond, which had been formed from recently melting snow. I was taken by the serenity of the place, when suddenly an Elk stepped into view. I happen to have two camera around my neck, one with a 400mm telephoto attached and the other with a 17 - 85mm zoom. Instinctively, the brain told me to grab the long lens and capture the detail of the bugling elk, but instead I raised the wide angle lens and captured the entirety of the scene. This image best takes me back to that moment in time and the splendor of that morning. The image conveys the vastness of the mountain range and speaks to the wildness of the place and the animals that live there. Had I selected the telephoto lens, much of the story would have gone untold. As nature photographers, our mission is to share the entire story with our viewers, thereby allowing them to "feel the moment." Happy Shooting.