Elk

For the final image of my 12 significant photos for 2024 I have chosen an image of a silhouetted elk crossing a river.  Th image was made in Grand Teton National Park.  The river is the Snake River just below the Jackson Lake Dam.  

Many photographers will tell you that it's not always about the picture.  A good image tells a story, but often the story is about  how the moment happened, who you’re with, and the memories that came from those experiences.  For me, the photographer, this is one of those images. It is one more memorable images from our workshop this past fall. 

The elk was really nicely backlit with a nice rim light around the most of the body.  I really like the backlit fog drifting over the river.  He walked very slowly and methodically across the river. Maybe because he was just being careful or... maybe he was exhausted from a the rutting season that was just ending? 

Olympus OM1, 1/1000 sec, f/4.5, iso 200, focal length of 300mm, handheld.