While driving through the breathtaking Custer State Park in South Dakota, Jennifer Gray had her camera ready for every perfect shot. Rolling hills, sweeping skies, and then — the highlight — a herd of bison charging down toward the road.
Thrilled, Gray and her family pulled over to watch as the massive animals trotted past, some crossing right in front of their car. It was the ideal wildlife photo-op, and Gray decided it was the perfect moment to try something new: her very first panoramic shot.
“I tried to take a panoramic photo (for the first time ever), and it wasn’t until later that I realized that panoramic pics don’t really turn out with moving objects,” Gray told The Dodo.
At the time, she thought nothing of it and kept snapping away before heading down the road. But when she finally scrolled through her camera roll, she burst out laughing.
Instead of a majestic bison, she had created what she jokingly dubbed a “halfalo” — a distorted, half-missing creature that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie rather than a nature guidebook.
The photo was both bizarre and hilarious, and Gray couldn’t resist sharing it online. To her delight, the “halfalo” went viral, leaving thousands of people laughing along with her.
It wasn’t the stunning panoramic she had hoped for, but Gray wouldn’t change it for anything. Sometimes the best memories come from the shots that go horribly — and hilariously — wrong.
