The Snowman

When working with bison, a big bull in the cold with a winter backdrop
and sense of place is always what I would like to have in front of my
camera. The reality is, this must be earned, and there will be many more
failures than successes. In Montana, which hosts most of our bison
shoots, the weather can fluctuate so quickly in the winter. To have a cold
morning with fresh snow on the days penned into work is a big ask, and
we know from experience that the best solution is time and patience.
When we talk about cold, we are not talking about 32°F or 0°C. That is a
fairly lame degree of coldness for the mountain folk of Montana. We are
talking about it being frigid, like -10°F or -23°C. That is when the magic
can happen. This morning, north of Livingston, Montana, the textural
clues in the bison’s beard hint at extreme conditions. That is what we
always look for as it adds character to this most stoic and primaeval of
beasts. 1,700 pounds of flesh standing in front of the camera is enough
of a visual jolt to allow the cold to be briefly forgotten.