Don’t Talk To Me!

Prior to moving to Colorado I visited a few times. I did my research like any good photographer. Where to shoot? What to shoot? Is there something I really want to find? During that research I saw many pictures of these fluffy, cute, beaver looking animals. A Marmot. I told myself that I need to get pictures of these cute, adorable creatures.

On my second trip to Colorado I was hiking on an alpine trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. 11,000 feet up. Rough and rocky, but beautiful. Stopping for a quick snack along the trail brought about a visitor. It was a Marmot. He was coming close. I stopped eating and got my camera ready. Having grown up with dogs that did not have boundaries when it came to food, I started to realize my cute, fluffy friend was looking to share my snack. I shot a few pictures that I was happy with and continued on the trail. The Marmot followed. I finally had some really nice light to get a good picture of my new friend. We stopped. He had to have noticed that my snack was gone. No matter what I did, he would not look at me. He stuck his nose up in the air and looked away in disgust. I took his picture anyway. It’s one of my favorite images not just because it is sharp and the lighting is good, but because you can really pick up on the attitude that this animal is trying to convey. I apologized for not sharing, and completed my hike.

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park , Colorado