Tina introduces us to the rule of three for this challenge. The rule says that images with three subjects make them more interesting and memorable. Our challenge is to include images with three subjects.
I’ve included a few images of groups of three I found in nature.
Three Whooping CranesThree PuffinsThree White PelicansThree Palm TreesThree Southern Magnolia BlossomsThe Three Gossips, Arches National Park, Utah
Last week Egidio challenged us to be creative while we were stuck in one place for 30 or more minutes. Your responses were wonderful. Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge..
Many thanks to Tina for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #400: The Rule of Three.
Be sure to check back on Saturday, June 6 at noon eastern time when Patti will be your host for the challenge.
Sofia’s challenge is to see how luck can play a big role in capturing some of our best shots.
Most of my lucky shots occurred because I was in the right place at the right time with my camera and the right lens. When we are traveling I always have my camera or my phone handy just in case we see something by the side of the road. When we are home I keep my camera close by so I can grab it if I see something interesting outside. Full disclosure: I have previously posted photos of all of these animals except for the Bald Eagle.
I would never have captured the birds in the following gallery without a little help from friends. Last week a neighbor called to let me know there was an American Bald Eagle perched on the power pole across from our house. I had to scramble to get my camera and telephoto lens ready. Lucky for me he stayed perched on the pole long enough for me to set my camera on burst and start shooting. I grabbed my camera on my way out the door one day last year after a friend texted me about a Roseate Spoonbill in a tree beside the road.
I captured the next three shots as we were riding along in our truck. For each of these shots Henry had to pull over on the side of the road so I could take a few photos. In each case the animal totally ignored us.
Black Bear in field of dandelions on the side of the road, CanadaBull Elk beside the road in Banff National Park, CanadaBig Horn Sheep posing for the camera in Zion National Park, Utah
I was walking along a beach in Oahu when I came across this sea turtle on the sand. I was so glad I had my camera!
Green Sea Turtle on the beach, Oahu, Hawaii
I’ll finish with my favorite Lucky Shot. The look on this woman’s face is priceless.
Alligator with an attitude at Shark Valley, Everglades National Park
Patti’s challenge last week asked us to explore using the foreground, middle ground, and background when framing our shots. I enjoyed all of your creative responses.
Many thanks to Sofia for this week’s challenge. If you would like to join the challenge please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #393: Lucky Shot.
Be sure to check back on Saturday, April 18 at noon eastern time when John will be hosting the challenge
Terri’s latest Sunday Stills challenge is Hooves and Claws in honor of National Bison Day which was celebrated on Saturday, November 1, 2025. She tells us that “this week’s Sunday Stills photo challenge is not just about bison, but about members of the animal kingdom that possess HOOVES and CLAWS.”
I decided to focus only on animals with hooves and mostly on bison and buffalo. Sadly, the hooves aren’t visible in all these images. The header image is of a small herd of American Bison at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky.
Bison at Custer State Park, South Dakota
Wood Bison in Yukon Territory, Canada
Water Buffalo in Costa Rica
Budweiser Clydesdales
Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge Hooves and Claws
Terri’s latest Sunday Stills challenge is World Animal Day which was celebrated on October 4, 2025. Two animals that were on my bucket list were Whooping Cranes in Texas and Elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Seeing these animals in the wild was an amazing experience.
Whooping Cranes
According to the International Crane Foundation – North America, Whooping Cranes were near extinction with fewer than 20 individuals in 1941. Today, over 849 Whooping Cranes exist in the entire world.
We traveled to the Texas Gulf Coast one year hoping to see some of the Whooping Cranes who winter in and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. These birds breed at Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park and migrate to Texas every winter. Today there are more than 500 of these beautiful birds.
We found these magnificent Whooping Cranes near Goose Island State Park, south of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. I posted about this amazing experience at Magnificent Endangered Whooping Cranes.
Pair of Whooping Cranes, near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
Cataloochee Valley Elk
One fall we traveled to Waynesville, North Carolina in search of Elk in Cataloochee Valley on the eastern side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I posted about our Elk viewing adventure at Cataloochee Valley Elk.
In February, 2001, the National Park Service began an experimental reintroduction of elk into Cataloochee Valley by releasing 25 elk from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Another 27 elk from Canada were released in 2002. Today there are approximately 200 elk.
The breeding season, also known as the rutting season, is in the fall. During this time the bull elk make their bugling calls to attract females and challenge other bulls.
Female Elk, Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
Many thanks to Terri for her Sunday Stills challenge World Animal Day
Let’s take a walk on the wild side with Egidio’s challenge “Going Wild”. I love being in wilderness areas and photographing the landscapes, wildlife, wildflowers, and birds I see there. For this challenge I chose images from my three favorite wilderness areas.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is closer to my home than any of my other favorite wilderness areas. We have been there many times and always enjoy the wildlife and birds we see there. The butterflies on wild thistle in the header image was taken in the Okefenokee.
Young alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife RefugeGreat Egret in the Okefenokee Swamp
Everglades National Park, Florida
We have visited Everglades National Park in Florida many times through the years. There are several entrances to the park with Flamingo being the most remote area. The Everglades is a bird lovers dream with many varieties all throughout the park. No matter where you go in the Everglades you are likely to see alligators.
Egrets and Spoonbills gathering in a pond near the Flamingo Campground in Everglades National ParkThis alligator ignores the human invaders of his territory at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park
Denali National Park, Alaska
Denali National Park is the most remote wilderness area I have ever visited. I loved the feeling of being miles away from civilization while we were there. The scenery is breathtaking and the wildlife abundant. Most of the wildlife we saw was too far away for a good photo even with my telephoto lens.
Polychrome Overlook, Denali National Park, AlaskaMoose in the Denali Wilderness
Celebrating 12 Years of Wandering Dawgs
I started the Wandering Dawgs blog in March, 2013 as a way to document our 4 month RV journey from Georgia to Alaska and back. In the beginning, the only people who read my posts were friends and family. Today, I have blogging friends from all around the world! I recently celebrated the 12th anniversary of Wandering Dawgs! Many thanks to everyone who reads my posts and leaves me comments.
Wandering Dawgs 