A number of weeks ago I wrote about a huge buffalo herd drinking. We drove right in the midst of that very herd for quite some time. Just like the vulture scene of last week, being inside the space of a large herd of buffalo can be equally difficult and chaotic. How do you isolate something because there are always buffaloes in the background? Then just as you are about to shoot, one steps in between you and your target. Then there are the photo bombers that just steps into the shot as you shoot. You will be surprised how difficult and frustrating it can be to be in the midst of a herd. Experientially, it is fantastic. You hear them eat and walk. You can reach out and touch them. You see details that you have never seen before. Photographically you face numerous challenges:

1. You have a long lens on that does not work for how close you are to the buffaloes. I can hear you suggest to just change lenses ... but read on.

2. There is dust in the air. You are in the midst of a herd. This is not the time to change lenses. If only I had a second body with a different lens on ... wishful thinking.

3. There are too many of them and there always seems to be one in the way.

At times there are moments where one just needs to put the camera down for a few moments to enjoy the experience, to listen, to marvel. But we are photographers and we want images. How do we solve these problems?

Despite all the qualities of a long prime lens (sharpness, larger aperture, better blurred backgrounds) I love the versatility offered by zoom lenses. Here I used my 180-600mm lens and simply zoomed out as far as I could. Secondly, as I have suggested so many times before, try to shoot at the edges of the chaos. Your chances of isolating something there is exponentially higher than what it would have been in the midst of the chaos. Even at 180mm, we were still too close most of the time.

Well, then look for something else. After all, even if you do manage to get the perfect portrait of your favorite buffalo, how many portrait shots do you need? Go for variety. Shoot as many different images as you can. That may mean that your main subject no longer features as your main subject. That does not matter. Get whatever shots present themselves.

Profile images becomes another possibility. To ensure variety, choose to go for a young one, or a very old one. Get something different. Also see if you can combine species ...

Here we have a portrait but what makes it more interesting and different is the committee meeting taking place in the background. Be on the lookout for scenes that provide a variety of opportunities. We don't just want to walk away with only portraits. Observe and take in the scene for a few moments. Just enjoy the scene, but as you do, start looking and searching for a variety of possible images and then get to work.