Been there, done that

I'm sure most here have had a similar experience.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/9149320/Animal-pictures-of-the-week-16-March-2012.html

Just thought I'd mention that Nate Chappell has a gorgeous shot of a butterfly perched on the head of an Amazon Turtle at the same link. Take a look!

Dave, I've had this happen with sunrise/sunset shots where the best light and/or comp was actually behind me, and I didn't see it!

--P

A friend of mine helped chaperone a group of high school students to World Youth Day in Australia a few years ago. One day, as they were lining the streets waiting for the Pope to go by, another chaperone in the group was so intent on looking through his lens to be sure to capture the scene that he totally missed the Pope when he went by. But this photo by Hans is a classic.

LOL. I did this recently with the snowy owls in Washington. I was skulking toward one that was a good 150 feet off when I heard a ruffling of feathers to my left. Just 40-50 feet away was an owl down low on a piece of driftwood in the sand. We can be so "focused" on the wrong things ;-).

Yep, happened to me in Yellowstone. A bunch of us had large glass trained the bulk elk with his harem. We were a very respectable long distance away from him and minding our manners. Then, what do you know but the young challenger meandered up behind us! Someone hollered a warning to us. We all slowly turned around.... It was I, on the end of the line, who was eyeball to eyeball with the elk! without a word our whole line of photographers folded back like a curtain. Mr. Gentleman Elk waited for us to move and then walked calmly by. What an experience! I have to say that it was an encounter that seemed full of mutual respect. And I guess the line of us made a pretty good blind. Once the younger bull emerged in view of the harem bull, all sorts of bugling and posturing began in earnest.