How we photographed a bison herd near Chicago

This week’s top photo comes from Assistant Photo Editor and Visual Journalist Pat Nabong. Follow her on Instagram.

What makes this photo important?

Bison hold great significance to the Native American community. Historically, their elimination was weaponized to weaken Native Americans, who relied on these animals for food, clothing and shelter. "For thousands of years, tens of millions of American bison thundered over the prairie and through the forests across North America. In just two decades, they were reduced to an estimated 500, starting in 1870 as the Transcontinental Railroad sliced across the West, spurring wholesale slaughter by hunters, travelers and U.S. troops," wrote Zach Nauth in a recently published story on the Sun-Times. The bison is sacred to many Native Americans, some of whom traveled from Chicago to Sycamore in December to celebrate and bless the bison herd's reintroduction to Burlington Prairie. From an environmental perspective, bison can help restore parts of Burlington Prairie. Staff at the American Indian center told me that this gives them the opportunity to connect with their culture and with the land.

How I got this picture

When we first spotted the herd of bison, they were at least 100 yards away and just a little larger than a speck on my camera, even though I was using a 400mm lens. Kane County Forest Preserve Director Benjamin Haberthur led Nauth and me around the fence to get closer, but they were still pretty far.

My father, who taught me photography when I was a teenager, was a bird photographer, and I learned from him during the many trips we spent birding that one must move silently and slowly while taking pictures so as not to scare animals away. I trudged through tall grass and muddy ground as I followed the herd. I snapped some photos but they were obscured by tall grass, and then they disappeared from view behind some trees. While I didn't count on them getting any closer, I also learned to be patient from watching my dad wait three hours for a bird to land on a tree branch for 30 seconds.

After observing from afar for a few minutes, one of the bigger bison started walking in our direction. Soon enough, the four smaller ones slowly followed, as if they were checking to see if we were a threat. At this point, they were close enough to fill the whole frame of a photo. To take a different angle, I slowly knelt on the grass, careful not to break the delicate moment with the animals and frighten them away. As soon as I did that, they all moved closer to me and lined up side by side as if posing for a group photo. At this point, they were close enough that I could use a wide lens. There was a playful yet calming quality to them. It was a beautiful encounter to experience.

Technical details:

28 more great photos from Sun-Times photojournalists: