It was just before sunrise high in the rocky mountains when I spotted this regal bull, his harem and the persistent satellite bulls (younger, smaller bulls hoping to steal a cow or two at the right time). These elk quickly accepted that I was going to hang out with them, and I gratefully tagged along, capturing many photographs with my big lens, until they decided it was time to move on and I could not keep up with them.
Since I had plenty of pictures with my big lens with a tripod, I switched to my smaller lens so that I could run and keep up with them and get a different kind of picture. It worked! I was able to catch up with them and while I was taking pictures of the cow and calf elk getting drinks in the spring, I observed the big bull trying to keep the satellite bulls from following.
At the same time there was another big bull bugling down the canyon and one of his harem was liking the sound of “the other guy” and desperately running and jumping around the other cows trying to persuade some of them to join her, but with no luck, so she took off down into the trees to the other bull, while I noticed the rest of the herd was headed out trying to keep up with the alpha bull. I had to sprint to get to where I took this shot of this elegant, busy bull having to deal with bulls trying to steal his girls, his girls leaving to check out another bull, and some crazy human with a camera. It was a good day!