Christmas Week

 A few more random shots from this week. The top one is a view along the North Fork headed to Yellowstone. It is a section of 50 miles of spectacular scenery any time of year.

The dramatic sky called for a black and white shot of the unusual house in Wapiti. The owner died by falling from the roof while working on it many years ago and it is slowly falling apart. Doesn't it look like it must be haunted?

I have seen this pair of eagles sitting in the same tree along the Clark's Fork the last few times I have gone to Billings. I never have the right lens with me when I go by but I still think it is a beautiful shot with the mountains in the background. The lower eagle is a little harder to see - he is near the center of the trunk about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the picture.

Bighorn Sheep

 Today we had to go to Cody to run a few errands so I talked Ken into driving out the North Fork first to see if the bighorn sheep were around. Sure enough we saw a few groups with the biggest being the one including this ram and about 10 ewes.

 I think he was telling me what he thought of having his photo taken!

Week in Review

 With classes being as demanding as they have been for the last month or so, the only chance I get to photograph wildlife is on my daily commute back and forth to the college. Luckily for me, that is really not a problem around here! The backlit pronghorn buck above gave me a rare chance to snap his portrait as he stood trying to decide if I was a threat or not. They are much more accessible this time of year as they gather in herds - they obviously feel there is strength in numbers. One of the amazing things about this guy is the shininess of his horns. That is because he most likely just shed the old covering so these are sparkly and new. You almost never find shed antelope horns (although I have found pieces of them before.) I suspect the reason is that they shed just the husk, not a solid horn, and I think they are kind of like fingernails in makeup so they simply disintegrate soon after being dropped.

This beauty to the left was sitting in a cottonwood tree alongside the Clark's Fork River two days ago. His beak seems to be huge in comparison to the size of his head!

 Yesterday we loaded up the snow machines and headed to Pilot Creek for a day of backcountry skiing.  I don't know how it works but even though we have no snow at all down here, Cooke City has a whooping 65" base already. The snow was perfect for skiing - knee high powder with a solid base. Getting to the area we wanted to ski was not so much fun - the trails have not yet been groomed and we just about beat ourselves to death riding the snow machines over the bumpy roads for a dozen miles or so.

It did not stop snowing the whole time we were there so the photos ops were not plentiful. At one point I had a short window when I could actually capture Republic Peak in the background.


I thought this snow snake to the right deserved to be photographed before it plunged under its own weight.

Bridal Veil Revisited

 With final projects well underway at the college, I feel like I have been chained to the studio and my computer for the last few weeks. Therefore when today presented itself as sunny and bright we decided to take the opportunity to hike to nearby Bridal Veil Falls even though the thermometer was hovering in the single digits.
The falls are absolutely gorgeous at any time of year but especially so in the winter months when the water vapor on the top turns to ice. Very few people seem to visit this spot - which is pretty well hidden if you don't know its location - even in the summer but this time of year you are pretty much guaranteed a private showing.

The falls are not that easy to photograph because of their location back a relatively narrow canyon. But the view when you get there is worth it, in my opinion. In this first image I have merged five separate photos to create a panorama. The size of the original image is more than 40 inches high and 23 inches wide.

 I was determined to photograph this icicle before we left. I think its steely appearance and the reflection of the sun in its crown is pretty amazing.

The last photo is here to give a little perspective on the size of the falls. Ken is almost 6' tall so you can see that they are actually pretty impressive in their size!

 After weeks of above normal temperatures it seems that winter may have finally arrived. Yesterday morning I looked out to see a beautiful sunrise enhanced by the presence of fog over the plains to the east.

Today the pinyon jays were out in force enjoying the handout at the feeder.  These birds are so easy to photograph as they are amazingly human tolerant.

First Snow

The llamas never seem to know how to handle the first snowfall of the year! I'm not sure how Dusty managed to collect icicles on her eyelashes but they don't seem to bother her a bit.

The pinyon jays have returned for the season as have the rosy finches. Both species travel in flocks and it is always fun to see a whole tree decorated by their presence!

The pinyons are really beautiful but I need to get some shots of them in the sun so you can truly appreciate the depth of color.

Windy Mountain

Yesterday we decided to take on a hike to the top of 10,200' Windy Mountain before the weather made it impossible for this season. The day was absolutely beautiful with clear skies and a slight breeze.

We were able to drive to a spot at just under 8000', leaving us with a little more than 2000'elevation change each way over a distance of 7 - 8 miles. On the way in to the trailhead I had Ken stop the car so I could snap a photo of the amazing landscape by the river, above.

 One of the joys of this hike is the 360 degree vista at the top of Windy. The ever familiar Pilot and Index Peaks could be seen to the northwest once we reached the ridge at around 9000'.

To the right is the Forest Service marker on top of Windy Peak.

One of the idiosyncrasies of this particular mountain is the skeletal remains of a Forest Service lookout that is still in place.
The lookout was built in 1940 and was destroyed by the Forest Service sometime around 1970. Strangely enough, they left in place the outhouse which had the unique feature of being built to hang out over the sheer drop on the side of the mountain. The rocky soil made it impossible to dig any type of hole so apparently the powers that be of the time decided the best disposal of the human refuse was to let it roll down the side of the cliff! Curiosity about the outhouse has been one of the reasons for climbing the mountain for many years. A number of people mentioned its existence when I said we were planning the hike. We were totally amazed therefore to discover the outhouse smashed into pieces when we arrived at the top. It seems the violent winds of last winter finally did in this infamous landmark!

We were expecting to trudge through some snow on our climb and were not disappointed. For about a half mile once we reached the 9000' mark until we hit the windswept ridge, we were post-holing through knee high drifts.

The view to the southeast from the top revealed Heart Mountain with the scar of Chief Joseph Highway in front of it.

Other highlights of the day were the sounds of howling wolves early in the climb, clear wolf and grizzly prints in the snow and a very fresh mountain lion track on the way down, obviously walking over the top of our upward prints!

Clarks Fork Canyon

 Yesterday Ken and I led a hike from Chief Joseph trailhead to the mouth of the Clark's Fork Canyon. This is one of our favorites and I am sure I have posted shots of the area before but it is so beautiful that I hope you won't mind me repeating myself! The photo above was taken at about the three mile mark of the 8 mile hike. The overlook at this location allows viewers to see Sunlight Falls at the bottom of the canyon as well as much of Sunlight Plateau above.

 This goat was quite curious. How he was walking along the side of this cliff I do not know! They are amazing animals.

The photo below is the same guy - one of the two goats I saw - but I shot him in HDR (hence the blue shadows) because of the extreme sun on the cliffs behind while he was in shadow. Without the three exposures either the wall in back would have been way overexposed or the goat's area would have been underexposed.

 About halfway along the trail you start the plunge down to the Clark's Fork River which then has to be forded. I really think that was one of the coldest stream crossings I have ever done. I am sure the water was at 33 degrees - barely above freezing - as the ice was already formed along the edges. The air temperature was in the twenties which didn't help us to get our feet warm once we made it across the river.

This last shot is again from the overlook. I loved the way the tree in the foreground was in shade while the background was sun lit.

Goldie Again

 Two posts in a row -I'm on a roll! The first photo above is one I took on my way home from classes on Friday. For almost two years I have been looking at this fence as I drive by it twice a day, five days a week and thinking I should pull over and take this shot. I finally did it and I am glad!

The second shot was taken yesterday and is the golden eagle that perches in a tree not far from our house. This is the third time in the last year he has allowed me to get within feet of him to take a photo. I love the way his headdress matches the final fall leaves in the tree.

Old Ranch

 Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted! It isn't for a lack of taking photographs, I assure you. The problem has been that I spend five days a week in classes and then have to travel somewhere on the weekends - at least for the last month. Today is actually a holiday at the college so the profs can enter our mid-term grades so I have a mini chance to get caught up on some things.

 These images were taken this past Saturday on the Landmark Ranch near Powell, Wyoming. Ken and I were there as part of a volunteer work crew charged with removing the old sheep fence that is a hazard to wildlife; particularly greater sage-grouse. The new owners of the ranch are hoping to restore the old buildings before they fall down completely.

My favorite shot is of this old chicken coop sitting all alone out on the wind swept prairie.

More Yellowstone

 Last weekend we went back into Yellowstone for one last fall visit before roads and accommodations begin closing.

The fall is such a wonderful time in the Park with fewer visitors, cooler days and lots of wildlife on the move!










The first shot shows Otter Creek at sunrise.

 In the above shot the bison are grazing in Lamar Valley. The lighting was pretty amazing - I have not manipulated this photo in any way but it looks like an old picture from the days when the bison roamed the prairies.

When else but in the fall could you take photos of grass and have it look this pretty?

More HDR

There is definitely a line that HDR photographs cross when it comes to reality. Even though you are simply combining three photographs of the exact same image,  the result can be quite surreal and more painterly than a typical photograph.

Last weekend was my outdoor photography course in the Beartooth Mountains and Yellowstone Park. Because of the smokey skies covering the west this summer, it is really tough to get a good landscape shot that doesn't look like it was taken through wax paper. That is where HDR comes in. By increasing the contrast in the images you are taking, you are able to circumvent the smokiness - but it comes at the price of realism.

I need five images to turn in next week from the trip and one has to be an HDR. Pictured here are just three of the approximately thirty I have to choose from!

The first shot is from a half mile up the trail to Crazy Creek looking out over the creek and the plateau below.

 Next up is Yellowstone Falls from Artist's Point. The haze in the background in this case is from the rain that was pouring down as I was shooting.

This view of the Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs is pretty amazing. The colors really do look this intense when you are standing there and it is pretty tough to capture without HDR.

Photography Classes

 This week has been overwhelming so far with the number of projects needed for my college photography classes. And it doesn't show any sign of letting up soon. The only really good news is that this weekend is my outdoor photography class and I get to spend two days shooting in Yellowstone Park.

I thought I would show just a couple of my recent projects. These are actually those that were not turned in as I didn't think they were up to par but I still like them enough to show them here.

The first two are HDRs. That means they are photos for which I shot three of the exact same image - one underexposed by 2 stops, one normal exposure and one overexposed by 2 stops. I then combined all three photos to get a richness of color not possible otherwise.

I don't usually shoot buildings but I really like this image of the Chamberlain Inn in downtown Cody. It was dusk when I took the photos and so the shadows are nice and rich and the lights are twinkling on top of the building.

 The second photo, on the other hand, was shot in early morning and is, of course, at Mammoth Hotsprings in Yellowstone. The moon you see is the "blue moon" of late August, getting ready to set behind the Terrace.

The third photo is a surreal landscape I had to do for my Photo Illustration class. It is a compilation of several photos. The moon is the same one as in the Mammoth photo but it has been moved to an over saturated blue sky atop Bald Ridge. It must be a magic moon as it is bringing out the little rock girl!

Yellowstone

 School is back in session which means a couple things - 1) I am taking more photos than ever...but very few of them are the ones I really want to be taking and 2) My spare time is suddenly non-existent.

Both these things mean the blog posts are going to be fewer for the next 8 months or so. I will certainly try and post on weekends and will add in a post during the week when I can.

 Last weekend Ken and I went to Mammoth in Yellowstone Park for the weekend. The weather was glorious, the tourists were fewer and, surprise, the elk were already starting to make their way down from the high country.

We did two really good hikes while we were there: Specimen Ridge on Saturday and a 13 mile loop up and over Bunsen Peak from Mammoth Hotel on Sunday.  There were a few great wildlife shot opportunities and I am sharing a couple of my favorites here.

 The funny thing was that we didn't see a bear while we were in the Park but as we got about 15 miles from home I suddenly caught sight of a large animal moving in the nearby field. I screamed at Ken to stop the car - I'm sure he thought I was dying - and he pulled over so I could get these pics of this huge grizzly bear taking a mid-day stroll! You can see how close he was in these shots and this is after he had moved away from us while I was fumbling with my camera. In the shot below he is letting us know he sees us and doesn't want us any closer.

In several of the shots he actually looks like he is smiling.