Yellowstone, November 23 & 24, 2013

A coyote moves through the sage at sunrise near Blacktail Lakes, in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/640th of a second. The camera was handheld.

I've only made seven trips (I think) to Yellowstone this year, but that's what a month in the Southwest, a month in Africa and a month in Italy will do to you. 

This past weekend I took students from some of my RMC photography courses to Yellowstone. November is often a slow time in Yellowstone, but we managed wolves, elk, bison, coyotes, and some beautiful scenery. When you are teaching 18 college students, your photography has to go on the back burner, a bit, but I still managed a shot or two. 

The images are online here:
http://www.shumwayphotography.com/gallery/34168199_TcNxkJ
Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up... THANKS!

If you have questions, ask... I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting 

Yellowstone, October 27 & 28, 2012

Waves crash on shore at Sedge Bay of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 17-40/4.0L in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 2 at ISO50, f/22, and 1 second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS and Arca-Swiss Z1sp, a 4 stop neutral density filter was used.

PHOTOS ONLINE

My second trip with students of the fall...was...well, okay. The wether was cold/snowy compared to the first trip (September 15 & 16, 2012), the activity was less than stellar, this fall has not been a great one in the park. The students got plenty of learning done, and I think they should have come home with a number of good photographs.

We left Billings (Rocky Mountain College) at 5:15a on Saturday morning and made our way quickly to the Park's North entrance, arriving right at sunrise...well we think so, it was very cloudy and snowing. We made a fairly uneventful drive to Swan Lake flats, stopping only for a few elk here and there. Swan Lake was frozen over, and we did not see any Swans on the ice, so we continued South. An Ermine ran across the road and off into the snow and sage, leaving us with a good sighting, but no photographs.

The miles rolled by with only occasional stops for the students to take in the sights and snap a few photographs of the snowy landscape. We decided to walk the full Norris Geyser Basin loop and made some nice images along the way.

From there we drove to Canyon to check on the great grey owls, but that was a bust, so we drove South towards The Lake. A go to move for me is to head to Sedge Bay and photograph the lake, waves, and whatever else I can find. We spent about 30min shooting crashing waves, ice covered logs, and the falling snow...then a grizzly bear decided to come and put on a show. We spent about an hour photographing the bear along the shore of the lake, as the bear approached I moved all of my students back up the hill, as we did that three tourists ran down the hill and whistled to get the bears attention...scaring the bear up the hill and away.

We waited back at our van, as a handful of cars followed the bear as it tried to cross. when the bear gave up and started to head back our way and towards the river we loaded up the van to give the students a chance at a drive by photo of a grizzly. The can in front of us parked on the road, forcing us to stop too...darn ;)

After the drive by we decided to leave the bear alone and make our way back to the North. We stopped to check on the owls again, again with no luck. We didn't stop again until we got to Gardiner, as the clouds kept us from having a nice sunset. K-BAR was closed so we went to Outlaws for pizza before returning to Super 8 for a good nights sleep.

The next morning we were up early and made our way to Lamar, stopping only to shoot a few landscapes (again the sunrise was a bust due to clouds). At Pebble Creek we spent a while photographing a mousing coyote, but we turned around at Thunderer and headed back to Mammoth, then south to Norris, then West Yellowstone for lunch at Arby's. With the day being mostly a bust we decided to start towards home, we left the park and stayed left on the old river road to drive along the Park's boundary where we photographed pronghorn antelope and realized that one of our vans had a flattening tire. It was the van I was driving, so the other van left for home while I changed the tire with the help from a few students (many hands make light/quick work).

As a reward for running late we ordered a few pizzas only to get a call back that the Livingston Pizza Hut was closed because their hot water heater was out. McDonald's was our only other real option, so fast food it was...then the long (slightly slower than usual) drive back to Billings.

The students had a good time and did plenty of learning, so I'll call the trip a success.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Yellowstone, September 15 & 16, 2012

A grizzly bear looks around after napping for hours along the Yellowstone River in the Hayden Valley of Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D and 500/4.0L IS + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of 0 at ISO200, f/7.1, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS and Induro GHB2 gimbal head.

PHOTOS ONLINE

Way back in September I took some students from my ART247 Nature Photography course to Yellowstone for the weekend. We left Billings at 5am and raced over the Beartooth Pass in time to shoot sunrise, it was a crisp morning. The morning chill was fleeting and as we made our way into the park you could have told us it was July with the warm temperatures and crowds.

We made our way over Dunraven Pass and into Hayden Valley where we spent a few hours with the darkest grizzly bear I have seen in ages. From there we had an uneventful drive South along the Lake and up to Old Fateful, where I got to play tourist. After watching the eruption from the parking lot we decided to have lunch, go for a walk and wait for a second eruption. We made our way North towards Norris to watch the Cygnet Fire as it flared up in the hot and dry conditions.

Sunset was spent in Mammoth with a bull elk and then photographing the incredibly dry Upper Terraces (dryer than I have ever seen them). Pizza at our favorite spot...K-BAR, and then off to the Super 8 for a great nights sleep.

Up early and South towards Maddison, but we got distracted by the sun rising through thick smoke from the fire. The Valley was warm and relatively void of elk, so we made our way to Firehole drive to try our hand with photographing the falls before the sunlight got into the Canyon. From there we made our way to Great Fountain Geyser just in time for an eruption.

After that we made an uneventful trip back out of the park towards the Beartooth Pass, we only stopped to shoot some of the falling leaves. As we made our way up the Pass snow started to fill the sky, and atop the Pass we found an opening in the storm and made some landscapes of the fall foliage, snow and grand vistas from the "top of the world."

The students had a great time, and I take the rest of my students to the park this weekend, but the weather promises to be much cooler this weekend.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Yellowstone & Grand Teton, Sep. 29 - Oct. 3

Mount Moran and changing aspens reflect from the calm waters of OxBow Bend on a cool fall morning in Grand Teton National Park. Captured with a Canon 5DII 70-200/2.8L IS II in manual mode at ISO100, f/7.1, and 1/320th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod with Arca-Swiss Z1sp ball head a cable release was used in LiveView (mirror lockup) mode.

PHOTOS ONLINE

I went on this trip a month ago. I misplaced my trip notes and my mind is a bit rusty at the moment, so this post will be short. Plus, the images do a great job speaking for themselves.

I left work Thursday afternoon on the 29 with plenty of time to get my tires rotated and still make it to the top of the Beartooth Pass in time to shoot sunset. On my way, I stooped to shoot dust, seed and insects aglow in the last light of the day, before racing to the top of the pass. I reached my planned sunset spot as the sun was drooping behind the mountains (actually, I had plenty of time). Some might think I was running late, but my plan was actually to shoot the sliver moon setting behind the sun, and it all worked out.

With the pass still under construction, I had to leave a bit before I wanted to, so I could make it through to Lilly Lake before the road closed at 20:00h. I made it with five minutes to spare and drove up to the empty lake where I got my camera in position to capture a single 2h34m56s star trail exposure of the scene.

When I had my tires rotated, I asked that they leave my tire pressure a bit high, as I was heading to the pass where it would be much cooler. They neglected to follow my request, and the combination of low tire pressure and a poorly placed rock left me with a flat.

I changed my tire, and decided I should head back to Billings, MT to get a new tire. On my way home, I photographed sunrise at one of my favorite lakes, then some small little scenes as the light began to spill over the mountains.

At the top of the pass, I found three mountain goats that demanded I photograph them before continuing on. As I descended the pass, I decided I should shoot a few more scenes on the off chance that I decided not to head back to the park after my tire situation. Rock Creek called out to be photographed, and then I happened on a pool that was turning with aspen leaves that I simply could not pass up.

I continued back to Billing, MT where I ended up buying four new tires for the second time this year, and the fourth set of tires that my 2009 Subaru Outback has had. I went home, took a shower and decided that I should call it a trip.

By about 20:00h I had flipped back and forth between staying in town and returning to the park about 100 times. I went to bed, still undecided, but by the time I awoke it was settled: time to leave for the park. I drove to Cody, WY, as I needed to return a pair of boots to Sierra Trading Post. I did a little shopping, had an unhealthy lunch and headed into Yellowstone where I found a fire burning near the Lake.

I headed up Dunraven Pass where I ran into a friend who had decided to head to the park last minute, too. We chatted about our plans for the next few days, and I confessed that my original plan was to be in the Tetons already, but after my "bad luck" I was thinking it a sign to stay in Yellowstone. We parted ways as a rainbow appeared, and although I had just said I was staying in YNP I took this as a sign to shoot sunset then drive toward the Tetons. Before I got the chance I came across another group of friends photographing a Great Grey owl near Rainy Lake. The light was quickly fading, so I left a bit early to try and find a place to shoot sunset.

Near Petrified Tree Drive a shaft of golden light broke through the clouds just for me. That was all the signs I needed to start my drive toward the Tetons, exhausted as I was. I drove to some National Forest land where I decided to sleep in my car, as sunrise was only 4h30m away.

I was at OxBow Bend third or forth and headed to my secondary location to shoot the sunrise from the east of the bend. I like to use that spot when I am not the first one there because it is impossible to be in anyones shot from the location. Unfortunately for me, even when the crowds grew three "gentlemen" decided to go and position themselves in all of our planned shots as the light was reaching the peak of Mount Moran. Some folks started yelling at them, so one left the group and joined the crowd above. I changed my composition and kept shooting.

A cloud choked off the light before it really got good, and many folks left for Schwabacher's Landing, but I chose to stay. My decision paid off as first light on the trees was filtered through the edge of the clouds and it was pretty cool.

The light got a bit harsh, so I headed off towards the smoke that filled the southern half of the park, but I did not make it far. Nice light, quarter horses, clouds, and a background of the Teton Range made me stop. As I stopped others did too, and my morning of rude "photographers" continued as a number of people walked right past me, looked at what I was shooting, and then steeped in front of me. They got theirs though, as moments after everyone left a rainbow appeared in the magical scene. I took off running, like a mad man, to position the rainbow with the herd and three golden cottonwoods. There was only one couple present with the rainbow, so there was no one to get in my shot.

The rainbow faded, so I continued south, looking for moose/bear/anything. I ended up in Jackson, WY waiting for 11:00h, so I could get some Mountain High Pizza (I LOVE MOUNTAIN HIGH PIZZA). I really love pizza and a small whole wheat crust pepperoni pizza is my favorite thing to enjoy while in Jackson, WY.

After lunch I headed back to the park to scout for...whatever I could find. I headed up Signal Mountain where I photographed a few classic Teton B&W scenes and a dusky blue grouse. As it was getting late I decided to go and pinpoint where I wanted to shoot sunrise from at OxBow the next day. I arrived to some interesting clouds and light, so as I marked my spot I took a few "interesting" shots.

I finished the afternoon with a walk through the changing aspens, then began my hike up the hillside to photograph OxBow Bend from above at sunset. The view was unique, and the sliver moon even made an appearance. Off to camp...

Up and at OxBow Bend more than two hours before sunrise, so I could be first and get my spot. The morning was chilly and filled with steam, but that made for some nice images. Struggling to keep my cold lenses fog free as the sun warmed the bend I had plenty to worry about. Fortunately (sarcasm) a couple of "professional photographers" set up along the shore directly in my shot. They apologized, "moved" just beyond the edge of my frame and promised to keep their arms down and not to get in my way. The last part proved too difficult for them do handle, and after reminding them about five times I just gave up and changed my composition slightly, and refrained from shooting when they stuck their elbows into my frame.

The morning started off slow, but I picked up quickly, as the clouds and light decided to play nice. I even had a pair of American bald eagles fly through my frame, but even their near distance proved too far for a wide angle lens. I must just not be as good as Tom Mangelsen ;)

I left and headed up Signal Mountain where I have long wanted to photograph the Tetons with fall colors through the long dead stump, so I did.

I took the long way out of the park, spotted a black bear and some moose, but decided not to take any photos. My drive through Yellowstone was uneventful, as was the drive over the Beartooth Pass. I mean some great rays of light broke through the clouds to illuminate a few alpine lakes, but that is nothing new.

Wow, I did a pretty good job remembering the trip details without my notes, even after a month and two other trips.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Yellowstone and the Beartooth Pass, September 24-26, 2011

A grove of quaking aspen shimmer in the midday light on a warm fall afternoon along the Beartooth Pass. Captured with a Canon 5DII and 17-40L in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 1/3 at ISO200, f/16, and 1/100th of a second. The camera was handheld.

PHOTOS ONLINE

First I need to say, "I LOVE the Beartooth Pass!"

After my car trouble earlier in the month I decided to make a quick three day trip to Yellowstone via the Beartooth Pass. My gut said that the leaves should be starting to turn up on the pass, and in fact they were. But I am getting ahead of myself, as usual there were plenty of last minute issues at work, so I left a bit later than I wanted. Racing to the top of the pass I arrived just in time for the sun to fall behind the mountains. That is fine, as I am one of those photographers that shoots sunset after the sun sets... imagine that.

Some beautiful clouds had developed and they were an ideal canvas for the sun to paint its magical colors onto. The color was so overwhelming that I was coaxed into creating a "sureal" high dynamic range image of the scene. I made sure to follow that up with plenty of straight captures of a scene that packed with color, even the alpine lakes were aglow with color.

There was not a cloud in the sky, so upon arriving at camp I decided to try my hand at some shots of the Milky Way, and set up a camera to click away a night timelapse (I have yet to find time to edit it). The sneaky Northern Lights, managed to slip into a few of my shots, thanks to the big solar eruption.

Morning comes early when you are a photographer, and the alarm awoke me before 5 a.m. so I could collect my gear, pack camp and get into Yellowstone before sunrise. Most of you know that I use lunar predictions to help guide my wildlife photography, so it will come as little surprise that I also planned to shoot the moonrise that coincided with sunrise. I am a sucker for minimalist landscapes, so I was smitten with the conditions that I found at first light. As usually happens after first light, the sun raced into the sky and I was chasing the light. On my way back to the car I caught a glimpse of a red fox, so i proceeded to "chase" her for the next few hours.

"Chase" is not the right word, as she was putting on a show, and the light was following close behind. When I say she was putting on a show, I really mean it, she jumped up onto every rock she could find, and that made for some interesting images.

The show ended and I headed South. A brief stop to shoot a coyote, and I was back on my way out to Cody, Wyo. to return a pair of boots and look for an alternative for my upcoming trip to the Canadian Arctic.

I drove back to the Beartooth Pass via the Chief Joseph Highway, a beautiful drive that I have not made in a few years. I am captivated by the beauty of quaking aspen trees, especially in fall, so I spent some time shooting the colors before heading up the pass for sunset. Unfortunately the sunset got chocked off by some clouds, but you can't get the shot sitting in your tent, so I stuck it out.

The clouds gave way to the stars, so I set up and took some single exposure star trail images over Pilot Peek.

The next morning I attempted to shoot sunrise at the Buffalo Ranch, but it was a bust. I got in my car and went looking for my foxy friend from the day before, and I found her just where I expected to. She did just as much rock climbing as the day before, but she also did a better job hunting, and we all know that is when you get the "good" shots.

After a great conversation with some hobbiest photographer I decided it was too hot, and that I should head back up the Beartooth Pass. The sun was out, blue sky all around and the leaves looked beautiful in the midday light. Needless to say I spent numerous hours walking through groves of aspens taking shot after shot (thank God for digital) before calling it a day and heading back home via the pass.

As I have said before, and I'll say again, I love the shoulder seasons and I love the Beartooth Pass.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up... THANKS!

If you have questions, ask... I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Ask Dave, September 4th

First off... Sorry that I took the month of August off, without warning. I was charged with launching the new website for Rocky Mountain College, and they had lots of issues thanks to a consultant and designers that did not understand the needs of the college. It all worked out okay, but I did end up spending a few weeks working 100+ hours each week. When you work 108 hours and there are only 168 hours in a week, well... you can do the math, but sleeping about 42 hours left me with less than 18 other hours to cook, eat, clean the house, do dishes, do laundry, attempt to stay in touch with friends/family and work my last few shifts at Best Buy. No time for blogging, I barley made time to make an end of the month trip to Yellowstone (I had no choice, I had to make a trip to keep my 5 year run going).

If you forgive me, keep reading :)

Ask Dave, September 3rd
I get tons of questions each week, I respond as quickly as possible, and I might just answer them here too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From... Colleen
I will be visiting Yellowstone in September and have been addicted to your photo galleries. Beside the tourist areas in Yellowstone, are there any areas that you love to photograph at? Any advice you can give a novice photographer?

Answer:
September is a great time in YNP, but much will depend on weather.  Some years early September is cool, and the shooting is spectacular all around the park.  Other years it is hot into September/October and then the shooting can be much like summer, best at sunrise and sunset, then very slow all day.

My advice would be:

• To spend time at higher elevations if you are looking to see and photograph bears;
• To head to the Tetons mid September - early October if you seek moose;
• To spend time around Canyon and Madison if elk are the object of your desire;
• To search for great grey owls around Canyon;
• To spend time around Canon/Hayden and Lamar if wolves are what you seek.

As far as landscapes the temperature will greatly impact the changing of the leaves, so it is always a guess as to where the colors will be best at any give time.  I tend to shoot early change in the Tetons, then focus on the colors of the Beartooth Pass and finish fall shooting whatever color I can find.  I know many folks who put all there eggs in the big change at Ox-Bow Bend, but normally they miss it (the big change happens inside of 24 hours most years).  I keep an eye on the Beartooth Pass because it is a short drive for me, if I lived in Jackson I would watch Ox-Bow Bend, and that is about the only way to be present at the right time (other than being super lucky, which I am not).

Use Av (aperture priority) mode if you can, make sure that you are checking your screen/histogram, bring all the telephoto power you can, download and inspect your photographs each night/day and enjoy your time out taking pictures in paradise.

I'll be making a trip in a few days, and will try to post to my blog/site/etc quickly after I return, but another great way to keep track of what is happening is to follow me on Twitter/Facebook/Google+, as I post my day by day while on trips (and share some updates that I receive from friends too).

The general nature photography tips still hold true:

• You can't photograph it if you don't see it (so get up early and stay out late);
• Bad weather makes for good light;
• Change in weather stirs animals behaviors;
• If you don't have a camera with and set you cannot capture an image.

Happy shooting

Ask Dave, April 21st - Churchill 2011

Ask Dave, April 21st
'Ask Dave' week ten… I get tons of questions each week, I respond as quickly as possible, and this is week number ten of answering them here too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From Pete...
Can I go with you to Churchill in the fall?

Answer:
YES you can...

I am going to Churchill with Dr. Jim Halfpenny, Professor Kayhan Ostovar, and some college students in October of 2011 to photograph Polar Bears, Snowy Owls, Arctic Fox, and more. *

I am not leading the trip, I am not being paid to go, I am actually paying to attend and paying to earn college credit on the trip (you never know when having a few extra Environmental Science credits will come in handy). The cool thing is that you can all go too.

There are thirteen spots total and a handful left open for auditors.

All of the details are on the RMC site:
http://rocky.edu/academics/programs/environmental/Churchill.shtml

Here are some of the key details:
October 12th - 18th, 2011
We will spend 4 days on the tundra, in vans, not the big, crowded, buggies.
We live at the research center, studying and photographing bears each day with lectures each evening.
Cost for RMC students is $2980
Cost for auditors is $3400 (this includes a private room en-route to Winnipeg)**
Initial deposit of $500 due April 30th. (I know that is coming soon)
Final payment due August 1st.
Travel insurance is required and can be purchased from Rocky for $13.50 (this is not trip cancellation insurance).

* (Hopefully all of them each day; but RMC and Dr. Jim Halfpenny would like to stress that polar bears are never a guarantee :)
** Auditors must also pay the standard course audit fee of $105, or $62 if you are over 60 years old.

As the RMC site says:
"RMC staff photographer and instructor of photography, Dave Shumway, will be joining the trip as a member of the class, so there will be chances for some photography instruction (when the teacher in him outshines the photographer in him)."

I really like the Naturescapes.net article about Churchill trips.

Yellowstone & Grand Teton, September 2nd & 3rd, 2006

Canon 20D with 17-40/4.0L at 21mm, set in aperture priority mode at f/8.0, ISO 100, and 1/160th of a second. Exposures bias of +1/3, mounted on a cheep tripod.
PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

This was another one of those great, early, trips to YNP and GTNP for me. I only had a 20D and 70-200/4.0L and 17-40/4.0L at this point, and had only been shooting digital for a year. Unfortunately, I was shooting mostly JPG files; but luckily I was shooting my better landscapes in RAW. This trip I was focusing on a project for an Environmental Ethics course where I was shooting litter, pollution, and the destruction of nature at the hand of man. I took the pair of sunrises and sunsets off, so I could shoot some classic landscape scenes, and still managed to get an "A" on the project.

Enjoy

p.s. Until this point only two or three of the images posted here have seen the light of day. The images for the project served their purpose well; but did not need to be shared here.

Yellowstone & Grand Teton, October 20th & 21st, 2006

Canon 20D with 70-200/4.0L at 81mm, set in manual exposure mode at f/8.0, ISO 400, and 1/320th of a second. Mounted on a cheep tripod that did little more than aid in keeping a straight line for the panorama. 8 images merged in PS CS5 then converted to B&W.
PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

This was one of those great, early, trips to YNP and GTNP for me, and one that got me hooked on the area. I only had a 20D and 70-200/4.0L (and maybe a 1.4TC by this point). I had been shooting digital for about a year, and was shooting mostly JPG files, unfortunately; but fortunately I was shooting my better landscapes in RAW. I shot quite a few panoramic images on this quick two day trip, and the image featured about (now re-edited and much better), is one of my better selling fine art prints, and an award winner. As you can tell from the images day two brought with it a beautiful snow storm.

Enjoy

p.s. Until this point only five of these images have seen the light of day.

Yellowstone, November 7th

Closing Weekend...

Canon 5DII with 70-200/2.8L IS II set in Aperture priority mode at f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/320th of a second. Exposure Bias of +1 shot handheld w/2 stop GND filter (I think).
PHOTOS ONLINE HERE

I almost stayed home this year for closing weekend. I had a football game to photograph on Saturday, plus the lunar charts and weather did not point to anything spectacular in Yellowstone; but winter, with only one park road, tends to be very long, so I made the day trip down for the last full day.

Being completely honest the things that I was able to see; but not photograph, were actually more exciting than what I did photograph. Shortly after sunrise I had the privilege of seeing a Short Tailed Weasel halfway transitioned to its white, Ermine, coat. A while later I spent about a half an hour with a Great Grey Owl, that seemed to be a master at picking backlit perches a little too distant, then towards the end of the day I had a very nice Rough-legged Hawk fly overhead.

I did manage to photograph some Trumpeter Swans flying across the Yellowstone Lake with a storm rolling over the mountains in the background. A trio of Coyotes spent about a half hour working between the road and the Yellowstone River, and a group of Bison walked through a nice late fall scene as the sun was about to set.

Another great year in the park, now let the snow fall and the Wolves take over the Northern Valleys :)

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, if you decide to take a look around I would appreciate any comments/criticisms or even just a quick thumbs up to your favorites.

If you have questions, ask... I have published all of the camera information with each image and added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Yellowstone, October 23rd - 25th

Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS set in Aperture priority mode at f/7.1, ISO400, and 1/640th of a second. Exposure bias of +2/3 shot from a beanbag.
PHOTOS ONLINE HERE

Typically I make a late October trip to focus on some end of the season hiking. In the past there has also been reliable Bears and Owls to photograph too; but this year was a little off. I love cool/cold weather, inversely I strongly dislike warm/hot weather, so I love October for hiking as there is little to no snow and the temps are more in my comfort zone. As with most of my trips focused on hiking I end up with few images to share; but that is okay sometime you just need to focus on being in Yellowstone. Monday the first real snow of the fall was acting like it wanted to push through in a big way; but it was a letdown (Cooke City had forecasted over 20" for the three days).

The trip was not without good wildlife viewing: I got to watch two cow Moose feed in Swan Lake, the Lamar Canyon pack was visible smaller than dots one morning, and the coyotes were out and about everywhere (I enjoyed watching them; but the light was not great for shooting).

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, if you decide to take a look around I would appreciate any comments/criticisms or even just a quick thumbs up to your favorites.

If you have questions, ask... I have published all of the camera information with each image and added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Enjoy

Lightroom 3, Re-edit...

As I am finally getting some work done towards my new portfolio site I am finding myself continually amazed at the quality increase in the output file from LR3 as compared to LR2. I am changing very few settings, more often I am only changing my Sharpening and Noise Reduction settings (because LR3 handles those edits much better/differently). The only downside is that it becomes obvious that I need to re-edit all of my images with LR3 :)

If you have not made the upgrade to LR3 you really need to spend the money and upgrade ASAP.

Todays example comes from one of my most popular Great Grey Owl images to date.

LR3:

LARGER FILE IS HERE
Canon 7D and 500/4.0L IS set in Manual exposure mode at f/4.0, ISO1000, and 1/800th of a second w/o supplementary flash.

LR2:

LARGER FILE IS HERE
Canon 7D and 500/4.0L IS set in Manual exposure mode at f/4.0, ISO1000, and 1/800th of a second w/o supplementary flash.

Yellowstone October 9th & 10th

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE
"WOW! This is Yellowstone, why have I lived here 6 years and never visited before?"
"I could not imagine a better visit to the park."
"I see why you love this place, and how it could never get old."
Those are just some of the things said by students after this great little two day trip to paradise, the granddaddy of all national parks: Yellowstone National Park.

We left Billings, Mont. and the campus of Rocky Mountain College a little before 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9. Due to nearly nine inches of snowfall on the Beartooth Pass the evening before we had to take the "long" drive to the Park's north entrance in Gardiner via I-90 and Livingston. Arriving at the park to a very cloudy 8:00 a.m. start we got to work on the point of the trip, taking photographs.

We headed south all the way out to West Yellowstone for lunch with only a few photo stops along the way (Nice light on Swan Lake, Bison, Chocolate springs, Elk, etc.). After a quick lunch we were headed back in and south to Castle Geyser, but progress was slow with stops to shoot a Bald Eagle, Trumpeter Swan, Great Blue Heron, more Elk, and autumn vistas.

This was our second consecutive class trip.

We arrived to Castle Geyser blasting off and then spent some time spent shooting around the area. At this point we needed to head back toward Gardiner as the general consensus was that we wanted to spend some time in the boiling river, but the park had better plans for us.

As we drove north we had the pleasure of sighting a Grizzly relatively near the road and were able to photograph it for some time before it crossed the Gibbons River and headed up the opposite hillside. At this point the students were more than OK with not making it to the boiling river, and their "great" trip had begun. The day finished off with a sunset shoot atop the upper terraces, then off to the Super 8 to get checked in, then K-Bar for some great pizza and conversation.

I was the "bad guy" who ordered 5:15 a.m. wake-up calls for every room so we could have breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and be on the road at 6:25 a.m. With Moose and Black Bears on the top of my students list we were off for the drive to Petrified Tree, with no luck on Moose nor great color at sunrise. I was starting to think that the Grizzly was going to be our "great encounter" for the trip.

We drove through to the Bison Ranch for some colorful cottonwoods with the meandering streams and a few Bison. A carcass from the previous day occupied many watchers, but there was no wildlife activity yet, so we headed over to Slough Creek to see what we could find. There was a nice heard of Bison along the creek. From there it was over the Dunraven Pass with stops for Bighorn Sheep and the decision not to spend time with the Tower Store Black Bear.

We drove over the pass, through the clouds, with stops for only a few landscapes. We hit the canyon and a quick check for Great Grey Owls, still driving south. We heard reports of a Grizzly Sow with cubs and were still hopeful that we might have something else exciting, but none of us were expecting what came next.

“Stop, grab the pullout,” was my radio call, at Otter Creek. There were a few people stopped and looking down... my excitement grew. "Yes, I can give them some Otter shooting" was racing through my mind, but the Park had an even bigger treat for all of us.

The Canyon Pack Grey was bedded down some 40 yards from the road, and Park staff was allowing folks to photograph from the road’s edge. The students scored something that few get to experience, a relaxed wolf very near the road. I had no idea what was about to happen next. After about 45 minutes of photographing every head lift the students were about ready to go, but we stayed just long enough for the Wolf to get up and make his way towards the two nearby Bison, a bull and a cow. The bull’s attempts to breed the cow met with a collapse from her. It became obvious that the cow was injured and weakened and that the Wolf had special plans for her.

The Wolf began to approach the Bison pretending to have little interest in them, but then would charge and a nip, to be met with a kick and the need for retreat as the bull was in violent pursuit of the lone Wolf.

All present were snapping away as the Wolf eluded the bull on each of its charges. After a few rounds of this the Bull appeared to give up defending the cow and the cow was left to defend herself, which for the next hour she successfully did. At this point the action was about 100 yards away and most of my students were ready to go as their lenses, even those borrowing my 70-200s with TCs and my 400, just didn’t have the power to capture shots, as they would like. We waited for a chance to get our blocked-out vehicles out of the pullout and then we were off toward Mud Volcano, a quick bathroom break and snack stop.

Then we drove north over Dunraven toward home. We made a few scenic stops, then a stop to shoot a beautifully perched Bald Eagle near the road, which led to another Eagle approaching, and a quick grappling display. Then we were off again. Down to Tower where we decided to pass by the "boring" distant Black Bear, then off to Mammoth with only a stop around Phantom Lake to photograph a mousing Coyote. After that we were in homeward bound mode and only stopped for gas and dinner as we made our way back to Rocky Mountain College.

I love my job and absolutely love being in a position to take art students down to Yellowstone each semester. I am able to take students from India, Sweden, Florida, Washington and everywhere in between to the world’s first and, in my opinion, best national park for an experience they will never forget.

Once in a while we have experiences that few ever get the privilege of having and this trip was one of those very special trips where the Park provided an experience beyond the students’ wildest dreams.

Before leaving for the Park, one student had Wolves on the mind. I kept telling her that with only 75 Wolves in the park I could not promise her anything, but that we would try our best to at least see a Wolf, even if it was only through binoculars. If you could have seen the smile on her face when the beautiful Grey Wolf stood up and looked around, you would appreciate why I love taking students to our "local" paradise.

Rocky Mountain College is a great place to attend college and anyone in my course, ART247 Digital Nature Photography, or Mark Moaks course, ART243 Digital Photography, would tell you that the ability to make trips to YNP on any given weekend is a great perk to attending this great school. Both of our trips this fall were a blast, filled with learning and amazing encounters with nature. (Our September trip is online here)

Most of my photographs are actually of students photographing cool things, but I had to take a few for myself, too.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery. I ask that you leave comments/criticism, or at least give your favorites a thumbs up. (Thanks)

If you have questions, ask. I published all of the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about each of the images.

Enjoy!


P.S. If, like one of my students you have been in Montana for years and have never been to the Park, first shame on you. Second, plan a trip ASAP. You will not regret it. If you have questions or need help planning there are tons of resources and I am always willing to answer questions via email. I am finishing off my 4th year for making at least one Yellowstone trip a month, every month of the year, and am more than willing to share information about the park.

Yellowstone September 25th & 26th

PHOTOS ONLINE HERE
Have you ever wondered where you/your kids/your friends/etc. should go to college? The answer is... Rocky Mountain College. Where else can you go with a cool professor to the worlds first and best National Park as part of an art course?

I always make sure that my courses include a trip to Yellowstone National Park, so that all of my students have an opportunity to visit paradise. We made a quick two day trip from Billings over the Beartooth Pass into the park. As usual we stayed in Gardiner had the world famous K-bar pizza for dinner on Saturday, and all had a great time learning/practicing the art of photography in the park.

Most of my pictures are actually of students photographing cool things; but I had to take a few for myself too.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up. (Thanks)

If you have questions, ask... I published all of the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about each of the images.

Enjoy

Yellowstone & Grand Teton September 17th - 20th

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE
I think that these photos tell the full story all by themselves.

The fire was burning, I spent the first two days documenting the fire, then I headed down to the Tetons to avoid the smoke. Moose and Elk were just beginning to enter their prime, the bears are in full fall mode; but the weather is still hot and sunny like it is still summertime.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up.

If you have questions, ask... I published all of the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about each of the images.

Enjoy

Yellowstone November 19th - 20th, 2005

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

This was about my third or forth trip to Yellowstone. You know... more of those silly "early years."

Again don't judge me, these were taken almost 5 years ago with a Canon Pro1 while I was on a class trip (Hiking in Yellowstone).

The camera was now about three months old, and it was still an early part of my venture into digital photography.

I was still only interested in the park as a great place to camp, hike, and to soak in thermal springs.

Note to everyone... DO NOT SHOOT JPG, as someday you will really regret it.

I hope you enjoy.

Yellowstone September 24th - 25th, 2005

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

My first trip to Yellowstone.

Now don't judge me, these were taken almost 5 years ago with a Canon Pro1 while I was on a class trip (Thermal Features of Yellowstone). I had to drive as the class was overly large for a 15 passenger van.

The camera was a month old, and it was an early part of my venture into digital photography.

Note to everyone... DO NOT SHOOT JPG, as someday you will really regret it.

Silly "early years"

I hope you enjoy.

Two Weeks in New Mexico, December 2009

FULL TRIP ONLINE

I had a great time over my two week trip, I had some great company from friends who joined me for parts of the trip. I chose to drive from Billings my Subaru did a great job for the 4,355.9 miles averaging some 25.9 miles per gallon. I stayed around Socorro, New Mexico for the bulk of my trip. I did make a side trip to White Sands National Monument, a few hours south of my "home base." Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Reserve was where I did the bulk of my shooting; but I did make a trip to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Reserve. A trip to Albuquerque provided great opportunities to photograph Wood Ducks at a few locations. Bosque del Apache is one of many National Wildlife Reserves in New Mexico and I did visit and have success photographing at a number of them.

My bird list from the trip was over 70 species, I was going to post it; but I just don't feel like typing that much :)

I stayed in hotels and did some camping. I ate lots of camp food, some fast food, and enjoyed a few nice dinners at local restaurants.

For those who visit the area I can give a big thumbs up to the Socorro Springs Brewing Company.

To all of the photographers I met on the trip... I hope you got home with great images, it was a pleasure to meet and photograph along side you.

I took almost 20,000 image and after picking through them with a little editing, made easier by Adobe Lightroom 2, I narrowed them down to a little over 1,700 images. I also shot a some video; but it will be some time before I have time to edit it and get it online.

If you have questions about the trip, where I went, etc... Ask away.

Editing Progress... Finished

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

As the gallery is over 1,700 images I would suggest that, if you have been following along, you skip to the end and work through backwards.

I have added another 170+ images, and I have finally finished editing the photos from a great trip.

The images from December 15th were shot on my final sunrise in New Mexico. I had the great luck of coming across two flocks of Gambel's Quail and a Greater Roadrunner after shooting Sandhill Cranes at sunrise. I then started the long drive back to Billings, MT.

I'll write a wrap up post in the next few days; but I had a great trip and I am grateful for the ability to see so many beautiful birds and to capture them in a way that I can share with all of you.

I hope you enjoy.

Editing Progress... Day 10 of 11

MORE PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

As the gallery is now over 1,600 images I would suggest that, if you have been following along, you skip to the end and work through backwards.

I have added another 180+ images. Days one - ten are now edited and online, in the order they were captured (or close to it). This represents photographs from December 5th - 14th of my trip.

Day ten was my last full day in the area before heading home and then to Yellowstone. The stand out part of the day was spending significant time with an American Bald Eagle. The day was also filled with nice conversation with my fellow photographers.

I hope you enjoy.