One of the key moments in my photography career to date, this photograph of a Great Gray Owl represents all of the elements of this assignment and many more. While showing action, adventure, and energy it there is so much more to the story. It represents love, connection, and togetherness. Patience, pain, and resilience.

A few years ago, my Father and I watched a movie called "The Big Year." We had been interested in birds for some time, and had taken a few small trips close to home to see them. There was a specific scene in the movie where Jack Black and his Father were in the woods searching for a Great Gray Owl. It was a very emotional scene that just blasted my heart. So with that in mind, I researched where we could find a Great Gray Owl, and a few months later we were making a thousand mile drive to Northern Minnesota. Fast forward to "The Moment."

Driving down Admiral Road in Sax Zim Bog, we noticed a couple cars that were parked along the side of the road ahead of us. My heart was racing. Sure enough, a magnificent Great Gray Owl was perched on the top of a small tree along the roadside, hunting it's next meal. After taking some diagnostic/typical shots of the owl, I decided I wanted to capture it in a special way. So I watched it's movements, how it hunted, and how it moved from tree to tree. I waited. Three hours later, in -20F weather, the owl flew right at me, and magically landed exactly where I had hope it would! I waited for the moment and snapped a few photographs, and this is the result. It is the result of patience, connection, and 45 minutes of excruciating pain as blood re-entered my hands that were blue and numb. Nothing in the world could have been more worth it.

I made this photo with my Canon 6D and Tamron 150-600mm VC lens.