Photo Trip: Imperial National Wildlife Refuge - V

Photographing Bighorn Sheep: Like most large mammals, putting yourself in the place with the most potential requires study and forethought. First, you have to look in an area where they exist. Looking for Bighorn Sheep in downtown Tucson or Phoenix probably would not produce a favorable result (except at the zoo). Bighorn Sheep like "rocky" mountains with jagged peaks where they can see predators easily and climb away from danger. They also need a water source. However, Desert Bighorn Sheep can go three weeks without water, so sitting by a water source in the mountains may not produce a favorable result either. Time of day is also a factor with early morning or late in the day often offering the most potential. However, time of day is more critical for some animals than others. Moose in particular are morning and early evening creatures. Feral Burros are the same. That's not to say you can't find them midday, it's just the the potential is not as great. Desert Bighorn Sheep, on the other hand, are more accustomed to higher temperatures and midday offers the same potential. So, at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, last week, I was looking for Feral Burros in the early morning and late afternoon, while midday looking for Bighorns.

Even if you find Desert Bighorns, and even if they are relatively close to you, and even if they are willing to let you photograph them, there are still challenges. Lighting can present a problem when the animal is between you and the sun. What might be a great photograph may turn out to be just a silhouette. If they are on the side of a mountain, putting yourself between them and the sun would require you to climb above them ---  but, they are just not going to let that happen. Some adjustments can be made in photo software (photoshop, light room, iPhoto, Aperture), but the loss of detail is hard to correct. 

In this first photo, the sun has turned what could have been a great photo into a so-so photo:

But carefully and slowly moving around to get the sky out of the background so the light is indirect, produced a much better result (of the same Ram and Ewe in very close to the same area):

I spent about 45 minutes getting into position for the above photo.