A Great Gray Owl graces the frame as it takes off, wings outstretched, heading straight towards the lens in a powerful testament to Yellowstone's avian allure. Owl photography in Yellowstone can get quite crowded if you stay near the roads. For years, I had had the hopes of photographing a Great Gray Owl. One morning, I set out into the park in hopes of finding one of these elusive birds. After spending hours hiking around prime habitat, I was about to give up and start looking for anything else I could find. Just as I was heading back to the car, it was as if fate led me to it; I spotted this great gray owl roosting in the sun. The best part? No one was around; it was just the owl and me. I sat down on a log with a clear sight of the perched owl and just waited. After over an hour had passed, while it would open and close its eyes again, it finally spotted a vole down in the grass below. I perk up and make sure the settings are adjusted. Sure enough, the owl takes off, and while it didn’t catch one on that attempt, it flew right back up to a perch even closer to me. After a one-on-one photoshoot with the owl perched, it decides to take off and flies literally just feet past my head. This was definitely one of my more memorable experiences with any animal to date. It is times like this, with proper patience and situational awareness, that are most rewarding in wildlife photography; when an elusive animal goes on with its behavior as if you are not there. These are the moments that can provide some incredible encounters, such as this one. To this day, it remains one of my all-time favorite moments I've spent with a wild animal.