07/15/2026
I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes story about this photograph.
We were driving toward the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park on our way to Cody, Wyoming, when we stopped at a pull-off overlooking Yellowstone Lake. I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and my 400-800mm lens to scan the mountainside below for wildlife.
The landscape looked like it had been shaped by a wildfire years ago, with countless weathered, dead trees stretching across the hillside. As I searched, something unexpected happened.
Out of nowhere, a raven landed on a rock only a couple of yards away from me.
I had been hoping to capture a striking raven portrait all trip, so I immediately locked focus and started shooting. Then, in a split second, the wind caught its feathers, lifting its plumage just as it blinked.
That single moment became this photograph.
It’s a reminder that sometimes the images we treasure most aren’t the ones we plan for. They’re the ones nature gives us when we’re simply paying attention.
