Beautiful mornings know how to keep you waiting. You can predict the weather, you can anticipate angles, but you can’t predict the movements of moose.
I remember July of the summer of 2017, when the moose were in the right place at the right time on a misty field. One moose moved across the field as perfectly as one could imagine. We managed to get some really good photos, with several photographers involved. I’ve often wondered over the years why not a single one of those shots ever won an award—maybe they just weren’t as good as I thought.
But let’s go back to last summer. I went out on fewer photography trips than usual in the mornings, but I tried to plan them out even more carefully. That planning paid off, and one morning stood out above the rest—it was truly exceptional.
Most mornings were misses or didn’t produce that special image I was hoping for.
READ MORE: PRIVAT MOOSE GUIDING HELSINKI / SOUTHERN FINLAND
Still, every one of my photography mornings follows the same pattern:
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Scouting with a thermal camera in the dark or twilight
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A plan and backup plans
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Execution of the plan
a. Switching to backup plans if needed
This morning began the same way, and I headed to my regular stakeout spot because I had a specific image in mind I was chasing. That image didn’t happen, because once again, the moose started moving too early. It was time to move on to the backup plan.
Even so, the morning offered better-than-average images, with beautiful lighting and a great nature experience. It’s rare to witness more than ten moose moving off in different directions from the fields, creating countless unique photo opportunities. On mornings like these, you never know when the moose will walk right into your carefully planned shot—you just have to keep trying.
Here’s a selection of photos from that morning, before the sun came up…
