Elk Beneath the Stars

What I thought would be creatively impossible in a single exposure - wildlife and astrophotography - proved to be a small miracle when a perfectly timed press of the shutter synchronized with a still moment of curiosity from two bull Elk in Banff National Park. To add to the technical difficulty of this shot, I had to shoot this image on a tripod from the floor of our van to avoid stepping out of the vehicle and causing alarm for the Elk. There were three other people in the vehicle, and so it became a team effort to remain perfectly still during the slow exposure to avoid losing clarity in the stars of the background.