Buffalo Roaming at Grand Teton is a sight that gets your blood pumping and your adrenaline going. The stunning view of the Grand Teton in the backdrop as the buffalo roam across the fields of grass is something I could watch for hours.
Imagine my surprise on my way towards Yellowstone seeing these great big buffalo with the Grand Teton in the background. This was exactly how I pictured a field of buffalo in my head, and I was presented with the opportunity to capture it.
The hardest part is not getting overly excited and making sure you take a deep breath and get all the camera settings right. The beauty of wildlife photography is the emotion it brings. As slow as they were moving and grazing across the field it felt as if they just kept getting closer and far too fast for me to ensure I got that perfect photo.
I always have my camera ready to go when driving through a National Park in case of wildlife spotting. I pulled off to the side of the road and I began taking as many photos as I could right out the driver’s side window.
First, I captured the buffalo up close then realized just how perfect a shot I really had in front of the Grand Teton and began taking several shots with a panorama in mind to stitch together later. It was peaceful and all you could hear was them grazing and walking through the grass field.
The buffalo kept getting closer and closer as I franticly tried to capture them before they would cross the road and I could get out of their way. More and more vehicles began to gather and pass by in my composition and some stopping right in front of me.
I had the best position since I arrived first and just patiently waited to secure the photo I had envisioned in my head.
This shot ended up being 4 images stitched together and was my first ever metal print I had ordered and have on display in my house today. One of my favorite shots I had the pleasure to capture.
Buffalo Roaming at Grand Teton
- 100mm 1/800sec at f/4.5, ISO 50
- 8574 x 5716 3:2 ratio
- Grand Teton National Park
- Moose, Wyoming
- July 6, 2022, 8:26a
