{"id":253136,"date":"2025-09-25T08:14:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/253136\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T08:14:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:14:12","slug":"jackson-photographer-gets-once-in-a-lifetime-shot-of-bull-elk-and-grand-tetons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/253136\/","title":{"rendered":"Jackson Photographer Gets Once-In-A-Lifetime Shot Of Bull Elk And Grand Tetons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jackson photographer Savannah Rose already has\u00a0a portfolio filled with once-in-a-lifetime shots<\/a>\u00a0of Wyoming\u2019s wildlife, but an image she captured this week has already drawn the admiration and envy of\u00a0wildlife photographers worldwide.<\/p>\n

While traversing Grand Teton National Park, Rose captured an incredible image of a \u201croyal\u201d bull elk, standing at the crest of a hill, with the Grand Teton in the background framed by its antlers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was actually a really tense moment,\u201d she told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cI was trying to make sure that I could get everything exactly how I wanted it in the few seconds he was up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The image, \u201cno AI or Photoshop composite,\u201d is as picturesque as one could want from an elk in Grand Teton National Park, and another career highlight for Rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn’t expecting to get anything so iconic,\u201d she said. \u201cI do think that it’s going to be a classic in my portfolio.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Worth The Wait<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rose has worked as a professional wildlife photographer since moving to Jackson ten years ago. She\u2019s made the most of her time there, capturing images of mountain lions, otters, grizzlies, and other animals in their most intimate moments of their lives in the wild.<\/p>\n

That said, Rose doesn\u2019t rely on luck. She\u2019s completely dedicated to doing whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, making her own luck that translates to incredible images.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longest I\u2019ve spent in a single sitting is 14 hours,\u201d she said. \u201cThe longest I\u2019ve spent perfecting a single photo is three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose\u2019s accolades include being selected as a 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum in London. Her photo of a beaver slapping its tail on the water, \u201cSlap Shot,\u201d was nominated for a People\u2019s Choice Award that same year.<\/p>\n

During the peak seasons, Rose is outside every day following the trails of her elusive subjects, whether it\u2019s sitting near a river to catch the famous moose Hoback\u00a0acting up following the trail of a mountain lion.<\/p>\n

A magician doesn\u2019t reveal their secrets, and Rose has her own tricks of the trade on how to get capture the best moments. Nevertheless, persistence and patience matter more than anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people believe all wildlife photographer is right place, right time,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is a huge factor, but it really comes down to how to react to those situations when they arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JacksonJackson wildlife photographer Savannah Rose got a once-in-a-lifetime image of a bull elk in front of Grand Teton. She said it was an “incredibly tense” moment of excitement, and adds another uniquely Wyoming image to a portfolio already full of them. (Courtesy Savannah Rose)Dumbstruck<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elk weren\u2019t on Rose\u2019s radar until she decided to focus her full attention on them this fall. She ventured into Grand Teton National Park on Tuesday morning hoping to catch some elk acting up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going for some behavior and portraits,\u201d she said. \u201cI haven’t spent much time with elk in the past, so I decided to target elk specifically this season, and make a real effort at spending every day with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bull elk in Rose\u2019s image was already active when she first spotted him. She positioned herself at the foot of a hill, with the Grand Teton towering in the distance, hoping the bull would make his way to the top.<\/p>\n

Rose knew what she wanted but wasn\u2019t completely prepared for the moment it manifested. When the bull elk crested the hill, it sent her into a tizzy of excitement and mild panic \u2013 and straight to the ground to get the shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it happens, you can get a little overstimulated mentally,\u201d she said. \u201cYou get shaky. You get dumb. You get too excited. That\u2019s when you have to focus on exactly what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing she only had moments to get what she wanted, Rose immediately adjusted the settings on her camera to ensure everything was picture perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I needed to do,\u201d she said. \u201cI needed to move lower and frame the Grand Teton between his antlers. I’d been shooting at a low shutter speed, so I had to completely change all my settings to make sure I could get enough light and everything how I wanted it in the few seconds I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the elk crested the hill, it glanced down at Rose, glanced into the distance, and continued its way to chase its harem of cows nearby. The moment lasted a few seconds, but Rose pulled it off in a handful of incredible photos.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the practiced patience Rose has cultivated over her career wasn\u2019t as important in this instance. The moment manifested and vanished almost immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t have to be super patient, unless you can count patience in terms of just being out there every single day,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was an incredibly tense couple of seconds, and I’m glad I was able to pull it off and didn\u2019t squander the incredible opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excellence Is A Habit<\/strong><\/p>\n

The response to Rose\u2019s elk photo has been rapturous. Many people, including fellow wildlife photographers, are praising it as everything from \u201ciconic\u201d to \u201cone-in-a-billion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s really exciting and almost overwhelming in some ways,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m kind of a shy person, but it’s very gratifying to hear such lovely things from so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose anticipates that many people will cry foul when they see her photo, claiming it\u2019s been heavily edited or even AI-generated. For her, those claims show a lack of understanding of what it means to be a wildlife photographer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point I want to drive home is what people don\u2019t see when they see a wildlife image,\u201d she said. \u201cYou see the makings of a composition, but you don\u2019t see what needs to be done to pull off the shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but that still isn\u2019t enough to convey the craft behind the capture. Rose\u2019s philosophy on wildlife photography echoes the famous words of Aristotle: \u201cWe are what we repeatedly do, therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was certainly a ton of luck involved, but I had to hit the ground and quickly react to get that shot,\u201d she said. \u201cRight place and right time are huge factors, but (wildlife photography) is a mental exercise of focus and not letting excitement cloud your judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n