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Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
If you've ever been to Yellowstone National Park, you know that it's a place of unparalleled beauty.
You also know that one of the most common animals in the Park is the American Bison.
For wildlife photographers, August is a great time to visit the park in part because it's the tail-end of bison mating season.
That means plenty of bison in the lower-elevation meadows to photograph.
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
In particular, bull bison put on a spectacular show, often wallowing in the dirt and grass as a means of leaving their scent in the area. It also helps get rid of fur that needs to shed while protecting them from biting insects, too.
Back in August 2016, Willis Chung, a neuroradiologist from Denver, Colorado, who's an avid wildlife and travel photographer, was in Yellowstone armed with his Nikon D800e and Nikon D7100 to photograph the park's abundant wildlife, bison included.
He got a little more than he bargained for...
We had an opportunity to interview Dr. Chung about his experience in photography and his close encounter with a massive bull.
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
Dr. Chung's love affair with photography began 44 years ago at the age of 12.
His first photos were taken with a 110 Instamatic camera that he purchased using his birthday gift money.
Later on, he moved up to a 35mm rangefinder and began processing his own black and white images in a darkroom.
At 15, Dr. Chung got his first film SLR and continued shooting with film until his son convinced him to buy his first digital camera, an Olympus point-and-shoot.
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Today, Dr. Chung shoots with Nikon bodies. On his trip to Yellowstone, he sported a D800e body with a Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR and a TC-17e teleconverter that gave him 500mm of reach at f/4.8.
Paired with this setup was a Gitzo Series 3 carbon fiber tripod with a Wimberley WH-200 gimbal head.
Dr. Chung additionally had a Nikon D7100 with a Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens in case of camera failure and to have a second body and lens available immediately for quick shots. That preparation would come in handy on this trip...
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
On August 24, 2016, Dr. Chung came upon a lonely bull as it walked through a meadow along the Nez Perce Creek in west-central Yellowstone.
For over an hour-and-a-half, Dr. Chung shadowed the bull, walking parallel to it from 30 yards away - which is more than the recommended distance that Yellowstone National Park suggests for safety (it's 100 yards for bears and wolves).
After several wallowing sessions and a quick nap along the road, eventually, the bull found himself alone with Dr. Chung.
With his D800e mounted to a tripod, Dr. Chung was taking a series of head and shoulder photos of the bull as he wallowed in the dirt.
He then switched to his D7100 to take hand held full body photos of big bison.
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Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
Dr. Chung recounted that after the bison had a few "energetic rolls" in the dirt, it "rocked to its feet, snorted, and trotted over directly toward me."
It was undoubtedly an unsettling moment - fully grown male bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Also unsettling is the fact that bison (along with elk) injure more people each year in Yellowstone than any other animals.
A sensible and responsible photographer, Dr. Chung knew these facts, having done his due diligence on safety before heading to Yellowstone.
At the moment, he was a full 30 yards from the bull - though in hindsight Dr. Chung acknowledges that it still wasn't far enough away. He also had bear spray given that he was in thick Grizzly bear country.
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
As the bull came towards him, Dr. Chung snapped the image above with his D7100 and immediately moved to his left, yelling "Yea ha!" as loud as possible and opening his arms to appear bigger.
Dr. Chung knew that in addition to this, his best option was to move in a direction 90-degrees from the bull's path, changing his own direction to keep himself moving perpendicular to the bull.
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Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
These actions continued for a few tantalizing moments, with Dr. Chung maneuvering to the left as they circled around the tripod-mounted D800e that Dr. Chung decided to leave behind.
After some very tense moments, it became evident that the bull was less interested in the photographer and more interested in the camera and tripod.
The bull took a fleeting look at Dr. Chung, then turned its attention to the camera setup, walking gingerly toward it from the back.
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
As shown in the incredible image above, the giant beast approached the camera with the greatest of ease and care, appearing as if he was setting up to take a photo himself!
After a quick sniff of the shoulder strap and one more glance at Dr. Chung, the bull took to walking again, heading east.
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When asked what was going through his mind when he realized that the bison had taken an interest in him, Dr. Chung noted that "As I squeezed the shutter button, I had a brief moment of disbelief, but that was quickly replaced by an instant flash in my head of my options: bear spray versus move. It was just quicker to move, and I really didn't want to stay in place until the bison got within range of the bear spray."
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
Dr. Chung had another close encounter with bison earlier in his trip to Yellowstone that year.
On the edge of a clearing more than 50 yards away from a herd of bison, Dr. Chung found himself the subject of a young bull's curiosity.
The bull walked directly toward him at a slow pace, clearly not threatened by Dr. Chung's presence.
Dr. Chung was set up along a large tree at the edge of a large area of fallen trees. As the bull came closer, Dr. Chung gathered his gear and high-stepped through the deadfall to maintain a safe distance.
Though the bull stopped under the tree where Dr. Chung had been standing, the young bison had no further interest in the photographer.
Image Credit: Willis Chung; used with permission
Dr. Chung's experience with the bison underscores the need to be prepared.
A few minutes of research and planning, he says, can really pay off.
Part of that preparation was learning what not to do.
"Having watched several videos where tourists ran directly away from a charging bull without success, moving to the side seemed like a much better plan," he notes.
Getting too close to bison can prove incredibly dangerous, as this video from the National Park Service shows:
Dr. Chung also says to "be ready to ditch your equipment if your safety is at stake. No photo is worth being trampled, that's for sure!"
On getting great wildlife photos, he says that patience is often the key.
"I have found my best photos and best moments watching wildlife happen after standing or sitting quietly for 15 minutes or so," he says.
What's more, Dr. Chung loves the challenge of capturing the moments in which wildlife show "some sort of expression that I can relate to: curiosity, interest, happiness, hunger, or concern for their offspring."
Dr. Chung has gotten all sorts of recognition over the years since his close encounter with the bull.
Happily, that recognition is due not to doing something wrong, but instead to his preparation and dedication to maintaining his safety and the integrity of the park and its animals.
When asked if he's had any other run-ins with wildlife, Dr. Chung cheerily stated that "I am happy to report that I haven't had any other interesting or scary moments with wildlife!"
Here's to getting great shots, staying safe, and doing photography the right way.
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This article was inspired by this story via PetaPixel