wildlife photos courtesy Danny Brown Danny didn't set out to become a wildlife photographer. His calling was fisheries and wildlife biology. For much of his career with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) he worked on Missouri's big rivers improving fish habitat. His interest in photography came from a hitch in the Air Force. While based in Turkey, he bought a Pentax camera and some lenses. " You can get a good deal on cameras overseas, " he says. " And there is always some sergeant who is a good photographer. I had a mentor who taught me about light, exposure compensation, shooting in snow, stuff like that. " But Danny didn't turn his lenses in the direction of wildlife until 2006. A lifetime hunter who grew up in the Ozarks, Danny began having weird encounters with wildlife that showed up when his intention was harvesting other game. " I kept having these experiences with birds landing on my shotgun barrel, " he says. " I guess the turning point was when I was hunting turkey and this skunk came up and started sniffing my foot. I decided I needed to start documenting this. " He bought a video camera and tried to capture these close encounters. He had little luck because the wildlife didn't Left: Danny nearly lost his camera and 500 mm lens while photographing this woodpecker family. Above left: It took Danny nearly a week and 25 hours of waiting to capture this bobcat photo. Above center: A church helped title this photo of trumpeter swans as the " Trumpeter Trinity. " 34 RURAL MISSOURI | NOVEMBER 2023