Best Images of 2011

Why does everyone do one of these year in review things? How can I go about choosing my top ten or twelve images from any given year?

Okay, fine, I'll try. I guess I make my students present 20 images at the end of each semester, so I'll do the same. There is no particular order to these selections, but I hope you enjoy the fruits of my "labor." I spent 52 days in Yellowstone National Park and another 70 days, or so, on other trips around North America.

All of the images can be clicked on to see a larger version within my site. I hope all of you have had a great holiday season, and are ready for a 2012 full of shooting.

Stars trail through the sky during a five hour set of 30 second exposures from a Canon 5DII and 17-40/4.0L set to f/4.0 and ISO1600. The camera was mounted on an Induro A413 and Induro BHD2 bullhead and a cable release was used.

A male sage grouse displays along the boundary of Montana and Wyoming on the edge of a large sage grouse lek with mountains standing in the background. Captured with a Canon 7D 500/4.0L IS + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 at ISO800, f/7.1, and 1/320th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS and Induro GHB2 gimbal head.

A male Mountain Bluebird enjoys the bounty of a spring hatch on a snow bank that still holds tight to Pebble Creek on a cloudy May afternoon in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of +2 at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/1250th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head with custom long lens support.

A sow Grizzly Bear uses a log bridge to cross over the water on a warm May morning near Grizzly Lake trailhead in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of +1/3 at ISO200, f/7.1, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head with custom long lens support.

A Cinnamon Teal Drake forages for food in a seasonal pond along the snow filled Swan Lake Flats in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in manual mode at ISO800, f/6.3, and 1/125th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.

A Short-tailed Weasel takes its prey back to its den in the trees along Sedge Bay in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS + 1.4 TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of +1 at ISO200, f/5.6, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.

A Sow Grizzly Bear enjoys a vole she caught while her "Cub of the Year" sits safely on her back just after an intense May snow storm broke near Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1 2/3 at ISO400, f/5.0, and 1/160th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head with custom long lens support.

A pair of Grizzly Bears whisper sweet nothings near Steamboat Point during a late May snow storm in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in manual mode at ISO400, f/8.0, and 1/500th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head with custom long lens support.

A male Calliope Hummingbird (Stellula calliope) hovers between feedings on the spring bounty of the Absaroka Range, about 15 air miles from the North East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS + 1.4 TC III in manual mode at ISO400, f/6.3, and 1/320th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head with custom long lens support.

A beautiful Red Fox looks around as the sun sets on Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta Canada. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO200, f/4.0, and 1/200th of a second. The camera was resting on a bean bag.

Two bull Bison begin to cross the flooded Lamar River as the sun rises above the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 5DII with 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 2/3 (+-1) at ISO200, f/11, and HDRM adjustments for a three shot image. The camera was mounted on an Induro CT214 tripod and Acratech GP ball head.

A trio of North American River Otters engage in some playful fighting along the shores of Trout Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D with 500/4.0L IS in manual mode at ISO800, f/4.5, and 1/400th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS tripod and Induro GHB2 gimbal head.

A grove of quaking aspen shimmer in the miday 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.

A herd of captive quarter horse feed beneath a rainbow as storm clouds move across the Teton range at the edge of Grand Teton National Park. Captured with a Canon 5DII 17-40/4.0L in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 1/3 at ISO200, f/11, and 1/640th of a second. The camera was handheld.

Canada geese, clouds and turning aspen all unite along the shores of OxBow Bend with Mount Moran reflecting as the sun rises on Grand Teton National Park. Captured with a Canon 5DII 70-200/2.8L IS II in manual mode at ISO100, f/11, and 1/160th 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.

A polar bear plays with the carcass of a bull caribou while he waits for the ice to form on the shores of Hudson Bay, in the Canadian Low Arctic. Captured with a Canon 7D 500/4.0L IS + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO400, f/4.0, and 1/80th of a second. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3541XLS tripod with an Arca-Swiss Z1sp ballhead and a Wimberly Sidekick.

A five year old male polar bear rests in the shade of the willows as high winds blow along the shores of Hudson Bay in the Canadian Low Arctic. Captured with a Canon 7D 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO400, f/3.5, and 1/250th of a second. The camera was handheld.

An Arctic fox looks directly at me during a storm in October on the Arctic Tundra near the Hudson Bay . Captured with a Canon 7D 500/4.0L IS in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO400, f/4.0, and 1/320th of a second. The camera was handheld.

A polar bear turns his head away from strong winds that bring the first snow of the year to the Canadian Low Arctic, within sight of the Hudson Bay (Snow and ice came late in the fall of 2011, and that does not help the bears). Captured with a Canon 7D 70-200/2.8L IS II + 1.4TC III in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 2/3 at ISO400, f/4.0, and 1/500th of a second. The camera was handheld.

Photographer Dave M. Shumway opens the door to his tent during a cold December night in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 5DII and 17-40/4.0L in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 1/3 at ISO1600, f/5.6, and 13 seconds.The camera was mounted on an Induro A413 tripod and Induro BHD2 bullhead and a cable release was used.

2010, 12 Months in Yellowstone

As the new year begins I look back on the blessings of the past year where, once again, I was able to make monthly trips to Yellowstone National Park. The images from all of my trips are online here, If you are having Yellowstone withdrawals I think my site is as good as any to get your fix.

January




February




March



April


April was a slow month; but it left me with a promise of good things to come.

May




June



July



August



September




October



November



December



Now I am not calling these "my best of 2010," they are simply a representative group of images from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem captured each month on 2010. I compiled these images while on vacation with a slow internet connection, so it is more of selecting the images that loaded fast and jumped out at me :)

I had a great year, I am thankful for all of you who follow me on my trips, I hope you enjoyed the images, and I wish us all happy shooting in 2011.

Yellowstone, August 1st - 2nd

PHOTOS ONLINE

The flowers are still going strong, thinner this year than last.
The bears are into summer patterns.
The Elk and Mule Deer are getting nice racks and are still easy to find in their bachelor groups.

The short two day trip was a nice break from Billings. I wanted to give the flowers one last try; but because they were a bit thin I did not shoot flowers as a primary subject, however they make a great addition to photographing other animals. Oh well... next year

I had a 50D break on top of the Beartooth Pass. Under a year and the lens mount quit locking down. Back to Canon tomorrow and it should be back up and running soon enough to get another trip or two before the 60D comes. That is why I always bring a trusty 20D along when I head out shooting. I wish I had just brought one of my other 40/50D's

There was a bachelor group of about a dozen Mule Deer bucks three of them were quite nice all hanging out in the Elk creek area.

Everything else seemed fairly on par to last year.

I can not wait for fall to come.


As for the Cougar, it was shot in the northern part of the park between Mammoth and Tower. I saw it while driving, stopped in a pullout as quickly as possible, and snapped a few photographs before it disappeared into the trees. I was so glad that I had the the 5DII with 300/2.8L IS + 1.4TC II ready to go at ISO800 and set to f/4.0 the shutter speed was only 1/125th. The entire thing happened in a matter of seconds. I will say that those who do not drive with a camera handy will miss their chance at those brief glimpses of rare YNP specials.

Enjoy

Yellowstone, July 18th - 19th

PHOTOS & VIDEO ONLINE

This was another trip that I made because I was in the area for work. Rocky Mountain College sent me out to Virginia City again to shoot some theatre, those images can be found here.

The Yellowstone leg of the trip ended up with very few images captured. I did have a great two days with a friend of mine. Teaching photography in a great environment gave me a much needed chance to simply relax in Yellowstone. The conversations were well worth all of the miles driven.

I did not even snap one photograph of a mammal. I did see a Grizzly Bear and many Black Bears, Mule Deer, Elk, Bison, Antelope, and much more I just did not take out my camera. Very hot weather and blue sky days (except for the Sunday showers) left the wildlife activity boring and in poor light at best. I think this was also the first trip of the year where I did not see a Wolf, I did not go to areas to see them however.

I have two videos online. I would show it as one; but even after cutting it from 1080P to 720P the files were far larger than SmugMug allows (600MB max or 15 minutes). Simple footage of an Osprey spending time with its chicks. The audio was removed due to the excessive road noise. I was also forced to leave the image stabilization on because I was perched on the edge of the road. The IS makes the footage wonder a bit; but it did kill out the bad vibrations that came in as each car drove by.

Enjoy and I'll try to have more for you to look at next trip. :)