Size: 7.5” x 7.5” on 8.5” x 11”

Signed & stamped in verso

There are upwards of 700 bison in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. Well on Antelope Island to be specific. It’s a peculiar environment. The surrounding lake is a briny mass of algae, tiny shrimp, and brine flies. That the largest living North American land mammal also lives here is strange. But so it goes, humans are strange. There are no fences, they roam free. I’ve seen the videos of people harassing them in Yellowstone and I have more respect for the animal than that. I stand off and watch this lone beast meander about. And then it starts to wander away and I see the image I want.

I add a yellow filter to absorb the yellow color of the foreground grasses and place the dark bison silhouette in the upper corner, just a hint. What a stoic animal this is. A remnant of a bygone era. All that’s left are these tiny herds, spread about the west in isolated pockets. We talk about resurrecting extinct animals, but I think we could do a lot more for the animals still alive that needs our protections more than ever.

Location: Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake 2007

Technical Info: Hasselblad 50mm, yellow #8, Kodak T-max 100, developed in Kodak X-tol 1:1.