Early morning Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park. September, and the Elks were out in full force. This male Elk was away from the main group, and observing his competition from afar. Away to the right, (out of shot) the bull of the herd was bugling and displaying his prowess to the grazing female herd, while the photographed elk stood stoicly watching. I got the impression his time was yet to come, and he knew it. This was taken moments before the gentle sunlight crept down the hillside onto the waking valley, and it's one of those shots that I was just in the right place at the right time for- not so much about my skill as a photographer. I often find myself thinking that the photos I take are good pictures more thanks to the amazing places I have been. I just hope I manage to do them justice. As this shot was taken in low light, I did have to work to set my camera to capture the little light there was avaliable- high ISO and wide aperture to take in the surrounding landscape.
1/50|f5.6|ISO800|
