We are looking down on a cow surrounded by nearly a dozen pups. She appears to be barking instructions. I made this photograph from the top of a bluff overlooking the rookery. Context plays a crucial role in this image. The presence of all of those young sea lions gives the bark a purpose. The rocky land and rolling sea add additional context, offering the image a sense of place. Without this context, we lose the story itself – life within the chaos of a sea lion rookery.