Chasing the front page with Steamboat Pilot photographer John F. Russell
John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today
For nearly 35 years, readers of the Steamboat Pilot & Today have been blessed with images provided by photographer John F. Russell. His photos and his words have appeared in practically every printed newspaper.
Capturing moments across the Yampa Valley for over three decades has allowed John to shoot stunning images of Olympic medalists, rodeo cowboys, river adventures and the everyday happenings of Routt County.
On Friday, a group of great blue heron nests in the town of Yampa near Colorado Highway 131 were his subject.
Last week the Pilot received a tip from Yampa employee Cannon Murray and Deputy Clerk Amanda Laman about nesting herons high up in the trees. They shared images of the large wading birds, inspiring John to give chase.
As The Pilot’s sports and outdoors reporter and the newspaper’s digital editor, I have always been impressed with John’s work and curious about his process. On Friday, I had the opportunity to tag along with him as he set out to find and photograph the birds.
Driving through downtown Yampa, we kept our eyes glued to the treetops in search of the large heron nests. With little luck, John brought his eyes back to ground level, spotting not a bird, but a Colorado Parks and Wildlife vehicle just down the road.
We tracked the vehicle to the Sinclair Gas Station on the southside of town. That’s where John managed to ask the CPW employee about the herons. Without skipping a beat, the employee pointed right across the street. The herons were just a hop, skip and a jump away.
John and I headed in the direction of the trees, leaving about a football field of distance between us and the majestic birds standing in their massive nests.
He whipped out his Canon R5 camera with a long telephoto lens — which, to my untrained eye, appeared to be the largest lens in the history of cameras. He fixed his settings for the cloudy morning, and was ready to go.
John meandered down the road, spotting clearings through the roadside trees to get a look at the herons: Click, click, click.
The key to capturing a great photo?
“I look for spontaneity, emotion and action,” John explained to me. “My job is to get that in focus.”
He managed to get several great photos of the birds standing in their nests, but John does not just settle for a couple of great photos.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, the patience paid off. One of the herons took flight, and even if only for a three second count, it was plenty of time for The Pilot’s master photographer to get his heron portrait — the same image on the front of Saturday’s newspaper.
“The purpose of the cover photo is to have something interesting and beautiful that makes people want to pick up the paper,” John explained.
So, as you walk by a newspaper rack, whether it is for Saturday’s edition or any in the future, remember there is a story behind every moment. These photos don’t magically appear in print each morning, they are chased by photographers like John to share a splash of color worth a lot more than meets the eye.
That heron will never know the extent of its county-wide fame on Saturday, but we sure do.
To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email tskulski@SteamboatPilot.com.
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