After The Storm On The Prairie

Written By Ray Hennessy
 

Photographer: Steve Perry

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1/400 • f/9 • ISO 560 • Nikon Z8 • 27mm • Nikon Z 24-120mm

This was captured just after a storm passed in Wind Cave national park using Nikon's Auto Capture on my Z8 with a 24-120 lens. (Auto Capture allowed me to step back and keep a comfortable distance away while the camera captured the photos.)

The trick with this one was that the prairie dog was REALLY slow in accepting the camera at first. He’d pop out, freeze for 10 seconds, then drop back into his burrow.

Also, the rainbow wasn’t there when I started. I began with the camera pointed in the opposite direction, and it took the little guy about fifteen minutes to pop back up after I initially placed the camera. After about an hour (I was photographing other ‘dogs while Auto Capture worked), he was very comfortable with it and was now more curious than cautious. The camera captured hundreds - heck, thousands - of images. Then, the storm skirted the area and rainbow began to form. 

Although I knew it was a long shot, I decided to move the camera so I had the rainbow in the background and see if the little guy decided to pop right back out or if moving the camera would reset the 15-minute waiting period (too long for the rainbow). Fortunately, it only took him a minute or two to reemerge and continue his investigation of the strange apparatus lurking outside his den. (And yes, I was grinning the entire time!)

 
Ray Hennessy

Starting in 2007 my fascination with nature photography began.  In the years since, wildlife photography with a focus on birds has gone from a very passionate hobby of mine to become my career. I spend much of my free time in natural areas searching for birds and any other wildlife that comes along. I concentrate on using creative natural lighting and interesting compositions to capture unique images of common and rare wildlife. My favorite style is a more scenic photo that includes some of the habitat wildlife lives in. I also enjoy passing along the knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the years to other photographers who are eager to learn.

www.rayhennessy.com
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