Autumn brings the rutting season to Yellowstone’s elk. Males attempt to corral harems of cows, battle other elk for dominance, and mate whenever they can. In this image, a huge male brings all of his energy to the task – and I may well have caught the very moment in time that a new life begins. The male is moving so quickly that he is blurred at 1/80th of a second, lending even more energy and urgency to the moment. The cow seems resigned, and once mating begins, she never moved. This herd had taken over the lawns in the center of the village of Mammoth Hot Springs. Young elk are grazing in the background of this image. I made this image a few yards from our hotel. Rangers made us keep our distance for our own safety. As a result, I used a long 280mm telephoto focal length for this shot.