
“Click” “Click” “Click” “Click” The cold and still air was disturbed by the rattling of a camera shutter. The soul of a giant beast was unknowingly captured forever. Grazing on the sparse and frozen grass, the buffalo (bison) in the snow went about its business without a care as if it was living in a different world, and everything else around it but was a dream.
Red-cheeked, cold, and brimming with enthusiasm, I had just captured an image of a fantastic animal, a buffalo in the snow picture, surviving in its frozen surroundings
Driving and walking about in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge outside Denver, Colorado, you can find many opportunities to find creatures in their habitat. Buffalo, badgers, deer, eagles are some of the many you may find
I set out to visit the refuge after there was a snowfall the previous night. I felt a little cabin-fever and wanted to get out, plus I knew the snow on the ground could create some nice compositions for photographs. So I drove some sixty miles from my home with an early morning start to reach the refuge at sunrise when the wildlife would be the most active.
When I approached the refuge, there was a thick fog that was lying on the ground. I thought this might be a bust for photographing anything interesting, but I was here and decided to enjoy it
I slowly drove on the paved roads laid for visitors to follow and kept my eyes open for any wildlife activity. Approaching an open field, I noticed a large, dark mass. As I got closer, I noticed some movement. My heartbeat started to increase! It was a solitary buffalo in the snow trying to graze on the sparse grass that was protruding in the snow
What do you grab when you only have a few minutes before it disappears? Your camera, of course! I reacted to the moment and grabbed my camera to jump outside of my vehicle without thinking about the other essentials, such as a coat and gloves.
I fired off a few clicks on my camera’s shutter. Moved. Shoot. Moved again. All while continuously firing off my shutter like a soldier with an automatic weapon in battle. I continued this until the buffalo became annoyed with my activity and rattling of shutter clicks, and it decided to leave.
I lowered my camera from my eye. My arm extending to my side while holding the camera. I paused for a minute to embrace what I had witnessed and felt thankful for the opportunity given to me. Alas, that moment was short-lived because the pain in my hands and fingers, and the chill on my chest and back, reminded me that I had forgotten my gloves and coat!
I continued to enjoy the refuge a while longer before heading home. But I knew I had captured something special, so a smile stayed on my face the whole time!
Since nerds like nerdy stuff, here are the nerdful techy details of the image!
Nikon D500
f/2.8,1/800, ISO 3200
Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 lens