Albino Bighorn Sheep, "Snowflake's Close-Up" - Wind River Canyon, Wyoming My favorite subject to photograph are the hummingbirds that come to breed here in the Wind River Canyon.  I've been working with them for fourteen years now, and photographing them digitally for six, but this blog is not about the over one hundred species of birds that live and move through this canyon.  This blog is about an animal so rare that there is not another in the entire world.  I am not exaggerating when I say that he is "One in a Million." 

Many have heard of him, few have seen him in person, and more are beginning to see him in my work.  Those that claim to have seen him, or my pictures, would like to protect this marvel of Mother Nature.  This rarest of all the wildlife that lives in North America lives here in Wyoming: An Albino Bighorn Sheep lives in the Wind River Canyon.  Ancient cultures consider an albino to be a sign of great power and prowess.  Our little white Ram is obviously something very special; there may never be another. 

Till now I have personally spent over twenty-five hours with the Albino Ram of the Wind River Canyon; I would really like to bottle these precious moments for others, but that is impossible, so I have done the closest thing that I can do in this digital age.  If you go to his gallery and look closely you will notice his pink nose and pink hooves; his eyes look different too: Look closely!

Cars and trucks sometimes stop in the middle of the road to ask me questions.  I've met folks from all over the world, and yes I introduced them to the Albino Ram who now is known as "Snowflake" around Hot Springs County.  When I handed my binoculars over to a lady in a big red truck in the middle of the street , she hollered, "Boy is he white!"  And a fella from California, with a very expensive spotting scope, kneeled next to me to take pictures through it with a ninety-nine dollar camera, asked me why his photographs, which he had taken around the world, did not look very good.  A reservation local was overheard saying, "I wish I could get a license so I could shoot him."  Is nothing sacred anymore?

So look at this Albino Bighorn Sheep from the Wind River Canyon, and imagine you are here seeing him for yourself, for the first time on a beautiful sunny day in the canyon; the cliffs covered in gold.  Marvel at the sight of an animal as very rare and wonderful as this, for Snowflake is truly "One in a Million."

Good old fashioned advice....get a good sturdy tripod.  I use a big, heavy, metal Giottos that came from Adorama on sale, with their big ball head.  You will never see a carbon fiber thousand dollar plus tripod in the corner of my cabin; you too can  make due I'm sure.  All the photographs of Snowflake in my Albino Big Horn Sheep Gallery were shot with the Canon 7D and Canon 300 f/4 and 1.4 extender.  The lens was a factory demo and the extender was purchased used.  Always shoot Raw: and my conversion and minor work was done in the Canon software and Elements something.