Grateful Bear

After 14 hours spent driving through the midwest and a bleak looking sky, my desire to photograph that evening was dwindling. It had started to rain a little bit and I was just about ready to pack up. As I started heading out, I decided to turn down this dirt road that I saw. It led me to a large field that I walked around, scouting for a composition. // As I admired the formation, known as Bear Lodge, I started to reflect on why I was there; instead of worrying about whether or not I would get any shots, feelings of gratitude for being where I was washed over me. The long drives, the late nights, sometimes without payoff; it doesn't matter. Being content and grateful of where you are, while you're here on this Earth, is the payoff. // This creation is one of my favorites. I had never seen mammatus clouds before and given the circumstances I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. It felt surreal, like a dream or a painting, and that's what I tried to reflect in the final creation.