Posted September 18, 2024
Morning’s Golden Hour
It takes an early alarm to be in the park before sunrise! In fact, I have to drive up the Big Thompson Canyon in the dark each morning. I sacrifice sleep for a few weeks, but the rewards are almost always worth the effort!
The elk rut has a relatively short window. I have learned to plan for it and look forward to the photographically productive period.
Some people call it the “golden hour”, but the premium light might be even shorter. Wedding photographers love the romantic gold light, and it of course, it translates equally well with wildlife photography. The “emotion” of the shot may be more important than the details. Long shadows and bands of light are common, and often missing in mid-morning photos.
Note: All of the photos on this page were taken with a Sony A1 camera and a Sigma Sport 60-600mm lens. All of the shots were captured handheld.
Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park are usually active and visible in the meadows just before sunrise. A few linger in the meadows into the mid-morning time period, but most move to the forests soon after first light ⏤ or as they feel the heat of morning.