Matt Hunt Photography

Matt Hunt Photography Photographer based in Idaho with a primary focus on wildlife and landscape photography.

My goal in life is to see and experience as many things as possible, and share these experiences through photos and videos. I believe that the memories we create are far more valuable than any material things. I hope to inspire others to discover the things that lead to happiness in their lives as well!

I went to Lamoille Canyon in Nevada this weekend in search of bighorn sheep. Didn't see a single bighorn! 3 years ago to...
12/01/2025

I went to Lamoille Canyon in Nevada this weekend in search of bighorn sheep. Didn't see a single bighorn!

3 years ago to the day I found a herd of them, including one very impressive ram. It's closer to home than Dubois, WY, but it's steep and rugged terrain, and given the lack of seeing any this weekend, I guess I'll go back to the longer drive to Dubois!

I've been loving the warm weather so far in November, however... it looks like I may have to choose between pursuing Gre...
11/18/2025

I've been loving the warm weather so far in November, however... it looks like I may have to choose between pursuing Great Grey Owls in the snow, or these guys... if it ever gets cold and snows!

Typically it takes colder weather and snow to really bring the bighorns down from higher elevations to get their rut started. In years past, I've gone to Dubois, WY in search of these guys when temperatures were unseasonably warm, and I didn't have much luck.

They can almost always be found in Jackson, WY, where I took this photo, but it's not my favorite place to photograph them because there are so many people, and I have yet to find a really impressive senior ram out there.

Too slow of a shutter speed, as I was still in my "bird perched" preset when he took off. But for this one I somehow man...
11/17/2025

Too slow of a shutter speed, as I was still in my "bird perched" preset when he took off. But for this one I somehow managed to get his head still enough!

I think this was my favorite bull of the 2025 rut. I only saw him this one time. Wish I could've found him again!I'm not...
11/16/2025

I think this was my favorite bull of the 2025 rut. I only saw him this one time. Wish I could've found him again!

I'm not sure why I kept my shutter speed so high throughout the rut, even when I had the camera on the tripod, as the case was here (1/800 sec). When they're moving, it does need to be fast at 600 mm, but when they're just standing there, I could bring it way down, allowing me to use a lower ISO. AI denoise does a great job getting rid of the noise, but lower ISO will always make a better quality image with more detail! That's one thing I'll change for next year! Use the tripod more, and slow that shutter speed down!

What a treat to be able to go mountain biking in Ketchum on November 15th! There's usually snow covering the trail at th...
11/16/2025

What a treat to be able to go mountain biking in Ketchum on November 15th! There's usually snow covering the trail at this point. Colder temps, and possibly some snow, arrive in the next few days, so that's probably all for this season.

The Nikon Z8 has an auto-capture feature that I wanted to test out today. As the name implies, it will automatically snap photos when it detects motion. You can set all kinds of parameters for this, including the direction of the motion in relation to the camera, but even though I had it set to only capture motion coming towards the camera, it was still snapping photos when I was riding away from the camera. A bit annoying, as it leaves a lot of photos to go through and delete.

It's also not perfect, as it takes it a second to recognize the motion, so if you're trying to capture a fast moving subject, you may have some difficulty getting a shot in the position you really wanted. Nonetheless, it does work pretty well, and eliminates the need for me to use a remote trigger for mountain biking photos! That frees me up to just ride like I would normally ride, instead of having my left hand in an awkward position in order to press the shutter with my thumb.

It was only a few months ago that I had never seen a single owl in my life. The task of finding one felt so daunting. No...
11/14/2025

It was only a few months ago that I had never seen a single owl in my life. The task of finding one felt so daunting. Now I've spent HOURS with several Great Grey Owls, found a handful Great Horned Owls, including a baby, and spotted a Short-eared Owl!

As it turns out, finding them isn't as difficult as I had thought! A bit of research, and spending the time in the outdoors where they live is all it took!

Up next on my list: Great Greys in the snow, Burrowing Owls in Phoenix in January, then again up here in the spring, closer shots of some Short-eared Owls, and if I'm really lucky sometime, a Northern Pygmy Owl!

Moose Monday! This was obviously several weeks back. I saw this bull twice within a week. I don't think any of these moo...
11/11/2025

Moose Monday! This was obviously several weeks back. I saw this bull twice within a week. I don't think any of these moose go very far, but there are plenty of areas they could roam that aren't accessible by car. It does seem they will often hang in one general area for several days at a time.

With the amount of time I spent in the area this fall, I gathered some valuable knowledge in finding moose each trip. I had seen a cow repeatedly, which I assume was the same cow, right in this area. Given that it was the rut, I figured eventually a bull would be with her, and that was the case on this morning.

Found my first short-eared owl yesterday! Went back this morning and saw one (maybe the same one) again, but it was too ...
11/09/2025

Found my first short-eared owl yesterday! Went back this morning and saw one (maybe the same one) again, but it was too far away for photos, and quickly disappeared in the brush. I sat and waited for a while, but never saw it again.

I initially went to this spot a while back looking for short-eared owls, as there had been reports of them in the past on eBird. The first time there, I saw 2 great horned owls. I went back several times and saw no owls, until last night! I'll keep going, because it's only a 10 minute drive from home!

On two occasions I found an owl perched on this sign first thing in the morning. I don't think it's the same owl, either...
11/07/2025

On two occasions I found an owl perched on this sign first thing in the morning. I don't think it's the same owl, either.

Not going back this weekend, but watching the weather, and I may head back next weekend!

Blanketed in green
11/06/2025

Blanketed in green

Flashback to June!Initially I had not planned on doing any storm chasing this year. Recent years had left me feeling a b...
11/05/2025

Flashback to June!

Initially I had not planned on doing any storm chasing this year. Recent years had left me feeling a bit sour toward storm chasing. It's really my own fault. I'd been making poor chasing decisions over and over again, even when I had essentially nailed the forecast. But the forecast is only half the battle. If you don't make the right moves, and you're just 20 miles out of place, then you can easily miss a tornado.

Well, I only ended up chasing two days this year. I waited until later than I usually go, the second week of June, with the idea that if there's something worth chasing, it's more likely to be closer to home in the northern plains. As luck would have it, I got the opportunity from Cheyenne, WY down to Fort Morgan, CO. A maximum of 10 hours away from home. (sounds like a lot, but I was 19.5 hours away last year!)

I still didn't see any tornadoes, but I wasn't expecting to (actually JUST missed the most photogenic tornado of the year a couple days after I had to head back home). The environment just wasn't ideal for them on these days. Regardless, those were two of the most enjoyable chases I've had in a long time! It felt a lot like my early days of chasing in Indiana, in the sense that there were very few other chasers out there. That's the big advantage of chasing the northern plains in June, rather than the southern plains in May!

I was treated to some spectacular structure, particularly on day two in Colorado, with the climax right before the storm rolled into Fort Morgan. It actually did go tornado warned, and some other chasers reported a tornado, but I was just down the road from them when they reported it, and I saw nothing that resembled a tornado. Perhaps there was a little spin-up, but I'm thinking they were seeing the gust front, and calling that a tornado. There sure was a lot of dust being blown around that day, but none of it was from a tornado.

It's unlikely I'll chase next year, as I'm spending 2 weeks in Norway, Sweden, and Finland for the midnight sun! A dream trip! But I'll set aside some time to chase again in June 2027!

In a few weeks, these guys will be my target subjects again!
11/04/2025

In a few weeks, these guys will be my target subjects again!

Address

Twin Falls, ID

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Matt Hunt Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Matt Hunt Photography:

Shortcuts

Share

Experiences Over Things

It’s science. It has been proven that experiences make us happier than material things. Traveling to new places, hiking to an incredible view, mountain biking through golden aspen forests... these memories we create continue to add to our happiness long after the experience actually happened. This is what I want out of life, and my goal is to inspire you to pursue the same, and increase the happiness level in your life!