A Morning Photo Shoot

A dominant bull elk with a broken tine patrols his herd in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The aggressive bull put on quite a show for photographers by chasing off several large rival bulls.

            We arrived in Rocky Mountain National Park before the sunrise. On the right side of the road we saw our quarry—a large herd of rutting elk with a massive six-point bull reigning over them. With an ”I’m in charge” attitude he challenged any other bull that eyeballed his herd. Neither elk nor photographer dared to get in his way.

             The herd had already attracted the attention of many photographers who stood along the side of the road and clicked away. I knew better. Experience had taught me that elk photos don’t work before the sun rises. But in past autumn ruts, I stood and clicked away right there with them.

The Mountain Light 

Morning light strikes the clouds and mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The beauty of the moment caught my attention and I began to think spiritually about the light of God.

          My eyes caught something else instead on this morning. I noticed the early morning light striking the nearby mountains. The beautiful light and peaceful feeling it created caught my attention. I felt called to the light.

             I walked down the other side of the road into a peaceful meadow, set up my tripod, focused my camera upon the mountains and in admiration I began to photograph. One other photographer saw me and also felt called to the light. She too walked over to photograph the light as it hit the mountains.

            I couldn’t help but to think that the other photographers were missing on the true magic of the moment. Come over here, I thought to myself. This is where the better photos are. But no one else came.

A very large subordinate bull waits in the woods for his chance to steal a wandering female. Subordinate bulls are also known as satellite bulls because they patrol the edges of the dominant bulls’ herds looking for females

            I photographed the mountains until the light eventually changed and spilled onto the elk. At that time I started to photograph them. The show the rutting elk displayed was enjoyable. Several subordinate bulls tried to escort a few females from the herd of the large bull. He would have nothing of that. He charged each and every potential rival and sent them fleeing into the meadow across the road or into the woods.

            I got some good photos of the elk action, but the sunrise hitting the mountains was the greater glory of that morning.

The Light of God

             The light of God calls to us. In the Bible Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life (John 8:12).” When we respond to God we enjoy His glory and peace just as I enjoyed the glory of the light striking the mountain and felt peace as I observed the beauty of the moment.

Light and clouds hit a mountain in the Park. Just as the light called me to photograph the mountain, the light of God calls us to Him.

             Sadly, just like the other photographers that only pursued the elk, many people don’t respond to the light of God. They just do their own thing and miss the glory. In John 3:19-21 Jesus says,”

 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Know that you are called to the light, the light of our Lord. When you follow His light not everyone will follow after you, but someone will.