Michael Hegyi Photography

Michael Hegyi Photography Wildlife photographer

And finally, the bison—icon of Yellowstone—stands cloaked in frost. A living monument to resilience, weathering the cold...
01/31/2026

And finally, the bison—icon of Yellowstone—stands cloaked in frost. A living monument to resilience, weathering the cold with quiet strength.

Nikon Z9 + 400mm • stitched from 17 images • 1/12800 sec • f/2.8 • ISO 1250

With
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Light breaks through the mist, painting warmth across the cold landscape. Even in winter’s grip, Yellowstone breathes wi...
01/25/2026

Light breaks through the mist, painting warmth across the cold landscape. Even in winter’s grip, Yellowstone breathes with life and color.

Nikon + 400mm • stitched from 13 images • 1/4000 sec • f/2.8 • ISO 800

With

The sun struggles through a veil of fog, casting muted light on towering pines. Winter softens the wilderness, transform...
01/24/2026

The sun struggles through a veil of fog, casting muted light on towering pines. Winter softens the wilderness, transforming strength into ethereal grace.

With

Nikon + 400mm • stitched from 14 images • 1/1250 sec • f/9 • ISO 125

Across the frozen plains, bison carve deliberate paths through deep snow. Each track is a quiet testament to strength an...
01/24/2026

Across the frozen plains, bison carve deliberate paths through deep snow. Each track is a quiet testament to strength and survival in the harshest conditions.

With .

Nikon Z9 • stitched from 10 images at 400mm • 1/10000 sec • f/2.8 • ISO 400

telepano

Yellowstone in winter begins in silence—a realm of mist and shadow. Through the fog, forests emerge like whispers, revea...
01/23/2026

Yellowstone in winter begins in silence—a realm of mist and shadow. Through the fog, forests emerge like whispers, revealing the stark beauty of a frozen wilderness.

With

Winter is ComingShowed up to Yellowstone with barely a trace of snow… a few hours later, the park flipped the switch. Th...
12/28/2025

Winter is Coming
Showed up to Yellowstone with barely a trace of snow… a few hours later, the park flipped the switch. This bison wasn’t bothered—just taking the road like it owns the place. Nature always wins.
📍 Yellowstone National Park
📸 Nikon Z9 | NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena | ISO 320 | f/1.8 | 1/2000s

Celebrating International Cheetah Day with this pair from my 2018 Kenya trip. Found them perched on a termite mound at d...
12/04/2025

Celebrating International Cheetah Day with this pair from my 2018 Kenya trip. Found them perched on a termite mound at dawn, scanning the plains for their next move. That elevated vantage point gives them the edge they need—cheetahs rely on spotting prey from a distance before making their legendary sprint.

Today marks International Cheetah Day, established in 2010 by Dr. Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund. The December 4th date honors Khayam, a cheetah she raised and brought to Namibia in 1977 to prove captive-born cheetahs could learn to hunt. The day exists because these incredible cats need our attention—only about 7,100 remain in the wild, having lost 91% of their historic range.

These two sat there for a good while, just watching and waiting. Moments like this remind me why protecting their habitat matters.

📍 Kenya
📷 Nikon D500 | 200-500mm f/5.6 @ 690mm | ISO 640, f/8, 1/640s

bigcats naturephotography nikond500 safariphotography cheetahconservation endangeredspecies

Set out this morning to make the common merganser look as glamorous as possible. Laid down in the mud along the receding...
11/08/2025

Set out this morning to make the common merganser look as glamorous as possible. Laid down in the mud along the receding Snake River at Oxbow Bend, watching those golden aspens reflect in the misty water, waiting for the bird to swim upstream into just the right spot. When it finally crossed through and started preening—that’s the moment I’d been hoping for.

You plan the shot, commit to getting muddy, and then hope the bird cooperates. This time it all came together.

📍 Oxbow Bend, Wyoming
📷 Nikon Z9 in DX mode | Nikkor Z 400mm f/2.8 (600mm equiv.) | ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/5000s
🎓 40th Anniversary Summit Nature Workshop

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Morning With the HerdCaught this big guy during our morning herd shoot—and yes, he’s doing exactly what you think he’s d...
11/07/2025

Morning With the Herd

Caught this big guy during our morning herd shoot—and yes, he’s doing exactly what you think he’s doing. Bison use scent to gather all kinds of social information, from identifying each other to checking reproductive status. Not the most glamorous wildlife behavior, but it’s authentic bison life.

The shot came together as part of a 12-frame telepano (some folks call it a bokehrama). A single 400mm frame would have just captured one bison, and a wider lens would have lost that soft, creamy background. This approach let me show the interactions and environment while keeping all that gorgeous detail and bokeh at f/2.8.

40th Anniversary Summit Nature Workshop
Shot on Nikon Z9 | 400mm f/2.8 | ISO 6400

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These Canada geese came flying out of the fog so fast over the Snake River I barely had time to react. That early mornin...
11/05/2025

These Canada geese came flying out of the fog so fast over the Snake River I barely had time to react. That early morning light and higher fog created this crazy dreamy scene—totally unplanned but I’ll take it.

Handheld in DX crop mode to get the reach I needed. Worth the high ISO to freeze the moment.

Shot during the 40th Anniversary Summit Nature Workshop near Cattleman’s Bridge

📸 NIKON Z 9 | NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S @ 600mm (DX crop)
⚙️ f/2.8 | 1/10000s | ISO 8000

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