February

Week of February 1, 2009

Well, last Sunday, I was riding from Mammoth to Old Faithful in a snow coach.  We slowed down north of Norris to go over an area that was covered in wood chips.  The Park Service puts wood chips on the road in places where the ground is thermally heated and little snow accumulates.  While sitting there, two dogs came around the bend in the road.  They were wolves.  A short distance later, a third one came running down the road.

This wolf came up towards our motionless coach before moving off the road into the snow and passing us.  The wolf had been running to catch up to the other two, hence the frosty face and tongue hanging out.  Though in this still image it appears the wolf is eyeing us, it actually was moving the entire time and this shot was just a sequence as it moved from looking over it's shoulder to turn towards the deeper snow off the road to pass us.  Fortunately, the shutter speed was fast enough to stop the action.

This image was made using a 500 mm lens while I was sitting inside a snow coach.  Wildlife should never be approached closely for photos.  Always use long telephoto lenses.  We were very lucky the wolf passed by our coach fairly close, providing us with a unique opportunity.

Yellow Eyes

PW0905

Week of February 8, 2009

This weekend found me back in the north part of Yellowstone searching for critters.  I was able to get to the Tower area late Thursday afternoon, where I had hoped to spot a fox.  I didn't but still had a little bit of day light left, so I decided to head out through Little America.

About a mile east of the Yellowstone River Picnic Area, several cars were pulled over.  I quickly saw why... a gray wolf was howling about 75 yards from the road.  I quickly found a place to park, but the gray had started to move away.  As I watched the wolf, another began howling directly behind me on a ridge.  It was an uncollared black wolf.  A light colored gray, 472F I was told, joined the black, and they came down and crossed the road together, moving towards the first gray.  All the wolves shortly disappeared behind a ridge and the light finally gave way to dark.

As fate would have it, this turned out to be my best photo opportunity of the week.  I'm sure glad I stepped off the snow coach and immediately headed out to Little America.

Winter Agate

PW0906

Week of February 15, 2009

Keeping with the "dog" theme this winter, the photo of the week for this week is of a coyote.  I was on Geyser Hill in the Upper Geyser Basin late yesterday afternoon waiting for Beehive to erupt.  After the eruption, I walked around Geyser Hill checking out some of the other thermal features.  As I neared Giantess Geyser, this coyote came down from the trees, crossed the boardwalk and disappeared from view.

The coyote reappeared again as I was about to head down to the bridge over the Firehole River.  I watched the coyote for several minutes as it sniffed through the snow trying to find something to eat.  As it moved it away, the sound of a snowshoer drew the coyote's attention.  The steam in the background along with the backlighting on the snow made for a nice scene.

Coyotes can been seen frequently in the geyser basins of the park.

Basin Walker

PW0907

Week of February 22, 2009

Changing pace a bit from the string of "dog" photos, this week's image is of Fairy Falls.

This past week, I skied to Fairy Falls.  Expecting to see the entire falls froze over, I can't say I was disappointed when I saw water flowing.  The entire area of the falls was covered with incredible glacier blue ice sculptures.  I shot a multitude of compositions, zooming in to isolate various sculptures, such as in this shot, or using a wider angle to encompass the falls with it's sculptures.

Getting to Fairy Falls in the winter requires a bit more thought than in the summer.  Cross country skis are required to get to the falls, along with a ski drop from the Snow Lodge.  The ski trail goes along the back edge of Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring, which also yields some nice wintry thermal landscapes.

Fairy Ice Sculptures

PW0908

March

Week of March 1, 2009

The roads from Mammoth to Old Faithful close for the winter season on March 2nd, so I made a final trip to the Northern Range for Yellowstone's "winter season" recently.  As usual, my objective was to photograph wildlife.  The Canyon Group would not disappoint.

The four wolves that comprise the Canyon Group had shown up near Mammoth a day before I did and I found them, along with a horde of other photographers and wildlife watchers, on a couple of mornings.  This photo was taken my first morning out.  The group moved towards the road between Mammoth and the high bridge over the Gardiner River, crossing the road north to south.  These two wolves, the white wolf being the alpha (and only) female of the group, crossed the road and then stopped and checked the progress of the other two wolves, who came along shortly behind them.  These "sentinels" made sure the rest of the group were safe before proceeding onward.

The white wolf is believed to be an offspring of the famous white wolf of the Hayden Pack, who was killed last year by the Molly Pack.  Her coloration certainly hints of that lineage, making her "her mother's daughter", if she is in fact related.

Sentinels

PW0909

Week of March 8, 2009

My last trip to the Northern Range allowed me to see more coyotes than I have seen in a while.  In part, this was due to the number of carcasses around.

These two coyotes were feeding on an elk carcass near Mammoth.  The female, pictured to the right, was very aggressive in fending off other coyotes from this carcass.  Even her mate, pictured to the left, was the object of her aggression at times, as shown in this image.  The female had just chided the male for feeding too closely to her.  The response of the male, as captured here, was priceless.  While the look on the female's face, as she turned back to her meal, was in great contrast to the male's behavior.

While it appears as if she is displaying towards me, she is not.  Her head was turning from the male back to the carcass as I made this image.  I was safely away, using a 500 mm lens with a 1.4 teleconvertor in order to capture this behavior.

Jeckyll and Hyde

PW0910

Week of March 15, 2009

March 15th brings an end to the winter season in Yellowstone.  Park roads close down to over snow vehicles this week and won't re-open to wheel traffic until mid-April. 

I spent some time this week out in the Upper Geyser Basin.  A few evenings ago, Lion Geyser was expected to erupt right at sunset.  I waited patiently as the light beautifully touched the surrounding area.  Finally, just as the light began to fade, Lion erupted, followed shortly by Old Faithful, seen in the lower left.  The last light of the day touched the steam plumes of both geysers while the snowy ground lay in shadow, turning it a light shade of blue.

The scene proved to be a beautiful end to the day and a nice end to the season.  In a few days, we'll leave Old Faithful.  It will, however, be another month or so before spring takes hold and winter begins to leaves also.

Day's End

PW0911

Week of March 22, 2009

This photo of the week is special for two reasons: Today is my birthday  and this week we left Old Faithful.

This photo was taken just a couple of days before we left Old Faithful for the season.  It was very windy and the wind kept blowing the steam in different directions.  The clouds were backlit very nicely, so I thought I would try to use them as a backdrop to an Old Faithful eruption.  Just as the geyser began to play, the wind started blowing the steam in my direction, obscuring the water column.  Fortunately, as the geyser rose to near full height, the wind changed direction again, exposing the backlit water column.  I was able to fire off five frames before the wind blew the steam towards me again.

Shortly after, I used the same colorful backdrop to photograph an eruption of Lion Geyser.  That evening, another winter storm came in, dropping more snow on Yellowstone.  We left on March 17th, after a six and a half hour delay at Madison.

Sundown

PW0912

Week of March 29, 2009

This week finds me in Southern Utah.  I arrived in Arches National Park yesterday with the intent to shoot the scene you see here.  I've shot this before but wasn't happy with the results.

This shot was made at sunset with a telephoto zoom lens.  This allowed me to frame the scene just the way I wanted.  The area of red rock is the Windows area of Arches and Turret Arch is visible to the middle left of the image.  The mountain range are the La Sals.

The weather was nice on Saturday, when this image was made, but today, Sunday, the weather turned and worsened as the day went on.  I ended up camping at Dead Horse Point State Park during a wind storm which turned into a snow storm tonight.

Red Planet

PW0913

April

Week of April 5, 2009

Even though it doesn't always feel like it here, or in Utah, Spring has arrived.  Signs of it are everywhere.  At Zion National Park this week, cottonwoods are starting to get new green leaves, a few flowers are starting to bloom, and the mandatory shuttle system took effect yesterday.  In Yellowstone, as in Utah, blue birds are back, along with robins, Sandhill cranes, and other migratory species.

This blue bird was perched on a dead snag along a trail I was hiking this past week while in Utah.  Another hint of spring, as seen in this photo, are the green sprouts on the brown stems.  Red rock walls provide the colorful backdrop for this blue bird.  It didn't stay perched for long, just long enough for about 6 frames before it flew to another snag.

But as I said, it doesn't always feel like spring, and back in Yellowstone, snow continues to fall.  This isn't a bad thing as the moisture is always welcome and spring snows can lead to wonderful summer wild flowers.

Harbinger

PW0914

Week of April 12, 2009

I returned to Yellowstone this week and it seemed my luck (or lack there of) with wildlife was continuing.  I came across four wolves near Specimen Ridge that had just crossed the road.  A few minutes earlier and I would have had some nice images.  But they were too far away and moving farther.  I watched through binoculars as they moved into a bison herd and harassed a yearling, only to have the entire herd of 30 to 40 animals close in on them, forcing them to move off.

I continued into Lamar and after a while with little going on, I decided to head to Mammoth for lunch.  Just as I was leaving Lamar, I rounded a corner and this black wolf was trotting along the edge of road.  The wolf ended up crossing the road twice as it journeyed east towards confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek, deep in Druid territory.  Whether it was a member of that pack and returning home, or a nomad looking for a home, was never determined.  After watching for about an hour, it finally disappeared high above the confluence.

Nomad

PW0915

Week of April 19, 2009

Park roads began opening Friday for the summer season, 2009, so I drove down to Old Faithful, as well as some other areas to see what I could find.  Sightings today included a golden eagle, plenty of bison, though no calves, elk, a coyote, and my first grizzly bear of the year.

This bear crossed the road in front of us, climbed the snow bank on the side of the road, and proceeded to trudge through the deep snow towards a wooded area that was snow free and had some old grass on the ground.  Once there, the bear, grazed on the meager supply of grass.  Walking across the snow was a chore for the bear however, as warm temperatures have made the snow icy and crusty, not hard packed and easy to walk on.  So each step plunged the bear down deep in the snow.

He /she was glad to be out of it and really seemed reluctant to walk anywhere there was more snow.  Can't blame the bear for that!

First!

PW0916

Week of April 26, 2009

Earlier this week, driving through Lamar Valley, I came over a hill to see this wolf walking along the road.  I believe, but could be mistaken, that this is the same wolf photographed above in the image "Nomad".  I also believe this wolf is a member of the Druid Peak Pack, since this is the third time now I've seen it in Lamar, home range of the Druids.  The wolf has always been headed towards or away from the Druid's den site, but, if it's the same wolf, I've seen it alone three times now in the past few weeks.

The wolf walked past my stopped vehicle, constantly checking back.  It then crossed the road and continued on.  It stopped here to look back again, pausing for a few moments.  Given it's solo journeys, "Nomad" still seems an appropriate title for the last shot.  This time, the wolf kept looking back for "something".  This along with the ethereal setting gave my the idea for the current title.

As the wolf neared the Yellowstone Institute, it veered away from the road and up into the hills, but not before I had watched for about 15 minutes.  Only two other cars saw this wolf.

Spirit Wolf

PW0917

May

Week of May 3, 2009

Earlier this week, I came across the "Roaring Mountain Grizzly"  aka the "Obsidian Creek Grizzly, aka, probably some other things too.  This time, she was at Norris, near the campground, grazing in the meadow.  She moved away from the road, after a few hours and eventually crossed the river, and moved up into the campground.  Once out of sight, the crowd moved on.  I waited around, and sure enough, she started moving back towards the road, this time on the other side of the river.

In this image, shot with a 500mm lens from inside my car, she stopped and dropped down and started rolling in the snow.  It honestly looked as if she was waving, though of course, she wasn't.  However, viewing this image, it looks as though she is greeting me, hence the title.

Bears are definitely emerging and are finally starting to be more common.  I saw a large grizzly near the Upper Terraces at Mammoth on Thursday and another grizzly elsewhere in the park on Friday.  When out and about in Yellowstone, one should take necessary precautions when visiting bear country.

Welcome to Yellowstone!

PW0918

Week of May 10, 2009

I drove through Lamar Valley earlier in the week.  There wasn't much going on and I had the valley mostly to myself.  Aside from a few bison and some calves, I didn't see much else at all.

But the kestrels had returned, a sure sign of a Yellowstone spring.  This one was perched on a snow pole along the road.  I was surprised when it didn't fly away as I drove up, as they almost always do.  Then I noticed it had captured a rodent.  I watched this kestrel as it dined on rodent for about half an hour.  It also made me think about just how many rodents there must be in the park to sustain all the coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls, weasels, martens, and other predators that hunt rodents.

In any case, this one finished it's meal and flew off in search of another undoubtedly.  Kestrels are small raptors and, as seen here, are very colorful.  They can be seen in the spring through most of Yellowstone but are most easily seen in the Lamar area.

Pretty Killer

PW0919

Week of May 17, 2009

This image is actually from last week.  This week has been border line insane.  A 60 hour power outage in the Lake area led to evacuations of employees and a delay of opening the historic Lake Hotel by a day. 

This bear had found something good to roll around on.  Whether it was to disguise her odor or to augment it, I don't know, but she sure enjoyed rolling around for several minutes.

After this play session, she went back to digging up roots and grubs, and also grazing grass.  Unless a carcass is available, spring can be a difficult time for bears as they search for food.  They often dig up roots, grubs, insects, or rodents, or graze on grass shoots in search of nourishment.  In early spring, bears can be still dependant on their winter fat reserves until enough food sources are available for them to start gaining weight again.

Roly Poly

PW0920

Week of May 24, 2009

Things continue to be slow for me photographically.  Work has taken up more time than usual and while wildlife sightings have been plentiful, they've just not yielded many photos.  Even yesterday, I saw 5 bears, 6 wolves, a moose, and two beavers in an afternoon drive, but came away without any photos.

This image was from a few days ago at Pumice Point, near West Thumb.  I was driving back from Old Faithful and the late day light on Mount Sheridan was really nice.  The water was very mirror like and the ice was beyond the rocks, making for some nice compositions.  I didn't notice the geese at first, but then I waited for them to swim into this composition.

Memorial Day weekend has brought the summer crowds to the park.  Park roads are crowded this weekend.  Drive carefully and obey the speed limits!

Pumice Point

PW0921

Week of May 31, 2009

Having learned of a fox den, I headed out earlier this week to try to photograph some kits.  I didn't have to wait long before 5 small fox kits appeared outside the den to romp and play.

The vixen, or female fox, returned soon after and groomed a couple of the kits.  This one seemed more interested in turning mom into a play toy rather than to be groomed.  Mom soon headed off in search of more prey while the kits romped in the sun.  Finally, they decided it was nap time and disappeared into the den.

Work prevented me from getting out in the park any other time this week and may present a challenge for the next couple of weeks due to some unforeseen circumstances.  But with a bit of luck, I'll get to visit these guys again before they're all grown up.

Fox Kit: No Assembly Required

PW0922

June

Week of June 7, 2009

Heading out into the park several days ago, a car was coming up behind me fairly quickly.  I pulled over in Sedge Bay along Yellowstone Lake to let it pass.  While sitting in the pullout I looked out onto the lake and saw a brown "something" on the last remaining ice in the bay.  As I watched, it moved and I realized it was an otter.

I grabbed my gear and slowly moved down to the edge of the Lake.  The otter had caught a cutthroat trout and was dining on it.  I photographed the otter as it ate its meal and watched as it slipped back into the ice.  I waited a few more moments and heard a tapping at the ice right in front of me.  Then, pop, up came the otter's head.  I quickly snapped off a few shots before the otter popped back down. 

The otter popped up in a few other places, coming out on the ice to groom, before finally disappearing into the water and moving on.  So I did too, but not before coming away with some nice shots.

Icy Otter

PW0923

Week of June 14, 2009

Another day at the fox den resulted in another batch of nice fox kit photos.  As the kits grow, they become more bold in their adventuring from the den and more robust in their play.

These two kits were chasing each other all over, making it difficult to keep a lens pointed at them.  After a chase that lasted several minutes, they both reared up and locked together, much as adult fox will do when fighting.  While this was just play, it will help them perfect skills they will use later in life.

The kit on the left, known as One Sock due to one rear foot being white, won the match, but both kits learned a lesson that will serve them in the future.  Another chase ensued before they tackled each other down again.  The match ended when they both became distracted by something in the grass.

Sibling Rivalry

PW0924

Week of June 21, 2009

Moose are not a common sight in Yellowstone, compared to before the '88 fires anyway.  Much of their habitat was destroyed during the '88 fires and the moose population in Yellowstone has been in decline since.  Grand Teton National Park continues to be a good place to view moose however.

On this particular day though, I saw four moose, two bulls and this cow and calf.  Moose give birth to their young in June, usually just one calf but some times twins.  The young will stay with their mother through the winter and into a second summer.

This particular cow had just finished grazing and was moving to an area to lay down.  The calf, noticing mom moving away, quickly ran to catch up.  Once back at mom's side, the cow licked the calf's face several times before they both finally moved into the shade to lay down.

A recent saga near the Trout Lake trailhead drew many photographers.  A cow had been attacked but survived the initial attack.  Her wounds were bad but she gave birth to a calf.  Unable to move very far, she stayed near the Trout Lake trailhead for about two weeks.  It is uncertain what had attacked her and her fate also is uncertain.  There are rumors that she finally died from her wounds, but no one can actually substantiate those rumors.  Regardless, the will to live in all creatures is strong, just as is the bond between a mother and her off spring.

A Mother's Bond

PW0925

Week of June 28, 2009

Sometimes photos happen by accident.  This image was created as such.  I had gone to Mammoth to photograph elk calves and after successfully doing so. I headed to Lamar to look for pronghorn calves.  By chance, the great gray owl was out at Phantom Lake, quite near the road, so I stopped.  The owl was out for quite some time and I was able to get some nice shots, both of the owl perched and in flight.

As the sun lit the whole basin of Phantom Lake, I added the 1.4 extender on so I could do some tighter portrait work of the owl as it perched nearby.  Shortly after doing so, it launched into the air.  It flew diagonally across in the front of me, hovered a for a moment, and then landed in the grass only 20 feet away.  This image was made just before it landed as it silently hovered in the air.  I would have preferred to not have had the converter on so the wings and tail would have been in the image, but was still please with this in flight shot nonetheless.

Hover Craft

PW0926

July

Week of July 5, 2009

On July 1st, 2009, my friend Cory Kever passed away on his 22nd birthday, from injuries he sustained in an accident.  Cory had worked in the Lake area for four summers and was a "laker" by it's best definition.  His passing has been a very difficult time for everyone who knew him.  But Cory lived life in such a positive and upbeat way, that the best way to honor his memory is to follow his example. 

I headed down to the Tetons to camp and to have some time alone.  The location in this photo was an area that I have been trying to photograph for several years now, trying to get a nice flower display in the foreground.  I've never had any luck, either being too early or too late for the bloom.  However this time, I found a nice display of wildflowers blooming above the pond.

Cory will be missed, but his spirit of kindness and his positive outlook will live on in all that were lucky enough to know him.

Morning Tribute

PW0927

Week of July 12, 2009

One of my goals this year has been to photograph baby pronghorn.  I've been searching through all the good pronghorn places, like Lamar Valley and Little America, but with very little luck.  The other day, I did find this pronghorn with a very small calf.  The baby was almost two small, because it's head was barely visible over the sagebrush.  But I was able to get a couple of photos, including this one.

This image was made in the morning, so the female was fairly close to the road.  Her baby was full of energy, running all over at great speeds, testing it's new legs.  Later that morning, I saw a black wolf give chase to a pronghorn buck.  The buck never needed to reach top speed to leave the wolf behind and the wolf quickly gave up.

Pronghorn are the fastest land animal in North America, capable of reaching speeds of 60 mph.  These two weren't going anywhere fast though.

Mom and Me

PW0928

Week of July 19, 2009

Each year in June or July, I hike up to Trout Lake to check out the cutthroat spawn.  The last two summers, due to long, wet, and cold springs, the spawn has been delayed.  This year's spawn hasn't been the dramatic event of golden colored trout crammed into the inlet of Trout Lake, as it can be.

The highlight often enough though, is not the fish themselves, but the otters that feed on them.  This year, I've seen seven otters there, though I've heard that there are nine.  Two adults and five pups were visible this week for several hours as they fished, played, and swam around the lake.

This image shows what is probably the female (out of the water) and the male as they interact together.  one of the pups wants in on the interaction.  Several others swam and played nearby.  one pup munched on a fish head.  I don't think I could ever tire of watching otters at play.

A Family Affair

PW0929

Week of July 26, 2009

It's been a slow week for me photography wise.  Summer here, as I mentioned in my field notes, is in full swing.  That means warm temperatures and wildlife moving into the higher elevations.  This occurs as they try to escape the heat, biting insects, and also in order to find better grazing.  The Northern Range is slowly turning brown, so the graze there is not so good.

But some bears can still be seen in the mid elevation levels.  This dark grizzly was seen yesterday in Mary Bay.   We watched as it moved west to east, through some beautiful flower displays.  This backlit, almost silhouetted shot, ended up being my favorite though.  The back lighting, not only on the bear, causing the rim effect, but also on the flowers set this one apart for me, compared to some of the others I took. The drive Saturday morning also yielded a nice cow moose at Sylvan Lake, so all in all, it ended up being a pretty good morning.

Strolling through the Flowers

PW0930

August

Week of August 2, 2009

This past week has seen the typical summer thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon.  But summer storms can result in amazing sunsets and two of the best this summer were seen this week.

I missed what was probably the best sunset of year earlier this week, when beautiful crimson skies were set off with a double rainbow over the lake.  The evening, conditions set up the same, so I was ready this time.  Another double rainbow appeared but it didn't last long enough to combine with the amazing colors that would follow.

This image was made near Bridge Bay Marina.  I may post a larger image later in order to do this justice.  In order to bring the grass in the foreground in line with the rest of the image, I used a graduated neutral density filter, old school, I know.  It wasn't needed much anyway, because the clouds were reflecting so much light back into the scene and the sun wasn't fully set at this point anyway.

Heaven's Fire

PW0931

Week of August 9, 2009

Just when you think that you're probably no going to get any more bear photos for the season, what with it now being August and it already being a fairly slow bear season...  Driving back over Dunraven Pass Friday evening, we came across a large number of cars stopped along the road.  My friend, Edyta, spotted the bear first as it was walking among the flowers along the slope.  We stopped and watched for a short time without taking photos before the bear moved down towards the road.

The lighting was tough, it was about an hour before sunset on a rainy day.  I bumped up the ISO in order to stop the movement of the bear.  I shot without a teleconvertor as I wanted to include as much of the colorful flowers as possible.

Eventually, the bear came all the way down and crossed the road.  The encounter made for a pleasant surprise to a wonderful day.

Field of Gold

PW0932

Week of August 16, 2009

This week has seen everything from Presidential visits to below freezing temperatures at night time.

The grizzly has been hanging around Dunraven Pass but I haven't had a chance to go back and photograph there again.  President Obama made a visit to Old Faithful.  And last night dropped below freezing.

This image was made in Hayden Valley just as the sun was rising.  The steam and fog is courtesy of the Mud Volcano area.  As I drove through the valley, I looked back and noticed the amazing light display intermingled with the fog.  I doubled back so I could shoot the scene.  I used a moderate telephoto lens to isolate the main area of interest, which was the fog enshrouded trees, but I also wanted to include the color in the sky and the light hitting the foreground fog.  This image was my personal favorite of the group.

Layers of Light

PW0933

Week of August 23, 2009

I posted this photo earlier this week on my blog site, but, since I really feel it captures the essence of August, I've opted for it to be Photo of the week also.

August in Yellowstone is all about the bison rut.  Huge herds form in Hayden Valley where it can take an hour to move through the traffic jams.  Big bulls fight over cows.  They roll in the dust creating big dust clouds.  They bellow in an unearthly sound.  It's very interesting to watch the rutting behavior.

These two bison were in Little America between Tower junction and Lamar Valley.  A large herd of bison has also been in this area for the rut.  This photo was simple in its execution;  I saw these two standing on a small rise.  I pulled over and stopped, rolled down my window, and took the photo.  Doesn't get much easier than that!

Me and My Beau

PW0934

Week of August 30, 2009

This is another photo that happened by chance.  My friend, Edyta and I had gone up to the Canyon area to do some hiking.   After some other short hikes, we decided to hike down the Uncle Tom's Trail, since she had never been down there before.  It was early afternoon and there were tons of people on the trail.

As we headed down the metal stairs, we saw this beautiful rainbow in the mist of Lower Falls.  Finding a good composition was tough and getting the waterfall in the shot wasn't possible from the angle that worked best for the rainbow.  I decided to frame the image tight on the rainbow with the mist of Lower Falls on the left and the small waterfalls across the canyon also visible as part of the scene.

Of the different compositions I tried, this was the one I liked the best.

Over the Rainbow

PW0935

September

Week of September 6, 2009

The last weekend of August saw Edyta and I hiking to Union Falls.  She had never been there but this was the third trip for me.  It's hard to describe Union Falls to someone who has never seen it and photos don't truly do it justice. 

Union Falls measures in at around 250 feet tall.  It's name comes from the union of two creeks, Mountain Ash Creek and an unnamed creek, at the falls.  It is, in my opinion, the most beautiful waterfall in Yellowstone, of those I've seen.

To get to Union Falls requires a hike of 15 miles.  It's not an easy hike, with a few challenges along the way, including a ford of Falls River.  There's also a steep climb back out that can be challenging after a long day of hiking.  It's also a hike best undertaken later in the summer once the mosquito crop has died down.

This photo is pretty straight forward.  It's taken from the overlook that you come to at the end of the hike.  I tried to position myself to eliminate as many foreground distractions as possible, and then framed to eliminate the sky in the top and to have Mountain Ash Creek flowing out of the bottom right corner.  The image is handheld so the shutter speed is fairly high, but Union Falls still presents the silky look that is often desired in a waterfall photo, at this distance.

Union Falls- Vertical

PW0936

Week of September 13, 2009

Bears this time of year are preparing for winter's hibernation.  Both black bears and grizzly bears are gorging on food sources, commonly army cutworm moths and whitebark pine nuts, when they're available.  When not, they'll find anything they can, including grasses, stealing a carcass, or getting into trouble in developed areas.

This bear has put on a good amount of weight, but it never hurts to gain a few more pounds.  Life is a balancing act for wild animals, and winter for bears is no exception.  If they fail to gain enough weight, they won't survive.  This bear was along the road towards Dunraven Pass trying to find food, probably whitebark pine nuts.  There is not a good crop this year, so other food sources will play an important role for this, and all the bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Chubby Cubby

PW0937

Week of September 20, 2009

Well, it's September 20 and still no photos of autumn colors or elk in the rut.  I've driven up to Lamar and also out to Cody and in both areas, everything is still about 95% green.  Hopefully cooler temperatures this week will help to bring out some color in the aspens and cottonwoods.  I haven't been down to the Tetons to check the progress there.

Elk, on the other hand, are definitely in the rut.  And while I've seen some nice bulls, I haven't had a chance to take any photos that I find satisfactory.  Mammoth and Grant seem to be the best places to look for bulls right now.

This image of the Yellowstone River was made from the bridge to Artist Point.  Diffused early morning fog created a very cool look and the rushing water as it approaches Upper Falls adds drama.

Turbulent Waters

PW0938

Week of September 27, 2009

The big news this week has been the Arnica Fire which, at this time, has burned around 5,000 acres just west of Bridge Bay.  The fire has caused the closing of the Grand Loop Road twice over the past two days and fire crews have come in to fight the fire as it moves towards Bridge Bay Marina and Lake Hotel.

I had planned to go to the Tetons this weekend, but with the road closure, it wasn't feasible.  Autumn color is at or near peak in the Tetons, so if you're nearby, it's worth checking out.  My photography ended up being near Yellowstone Lake.  This image was taken near Pumice Point on the first day when the fire flared up.  The image was made near sunset with a wide angle lens as the smoke plume pillowed over the lake.  The last two days have been so smoky that images like this one haven't been possible.  Rain and snow are in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, so hopefully the fire won't threaten any developed areas before then.

Smoke on the Water

PW0939

October

Week of October 4, 2009

The big news in the park was obviously the Arnica Fire which finally was subdued by the first and last snowfall in September, which occurred on September 30th.  Meanwhile, life goes on the park's year round inhabitants, primarily the wildlife. 

Prior to the fire, I drove down to West Thumb to check out the elk that were garnering a lot of attention.  As luck would have it, and luck is such a big part of wildlife photography, this bull was moving his harem of cows along the edge of the lake.  As he moved to a cow elk, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at some other cows that were moving away.  I zoomed in tight and fired off this image.  The elk was in shadow but the lake and mountains were in sunlight.  I adjusted the white balance to allow the elk to be correctly colored.  Shortly after, the elk and his girls moved across the road, over a rise, and out of sight into the forest.  The entire encounter lasted less than ten minutes.

West Thumb Bull

PW0940

Week of October 11, 2009

With the summer season over, I headed out of Yellowstone and on the road with Edyta and Justyna again.  This road trip took us out to Oregon, along the coast, and will eventually lead to San Francisco.

This image was made during our trip through the Columbia River Gorge.  Multnomah Falls is listed as one of the tallest waterfalls in the US, with the main drop measuring around 542 feet.  The Columbia River Gorge is full of wonderful waterfalls, but we only saw a handful before moving on.  This image was made from a tripod with a wide angle lens.  I eliminated the pool at the base due to some distracting objects there.  A long shutter speed of a few seconds blurred the water nicely.  While  this shot isn't different from any other photo at Multnomah, it was a fun experience and the falls are amazing.

Edyta's favorite part of our trip however, was Cannon Beach.  So next week's photo will be a photo for her from Cannon Beach.

Multnomah Falls

PW0941

Week of October 18, 2009

With Edyta's return to Poland for the winter, I once again dedicate a photo of the week to her.  When I asked her which part of our road trip was her favorite, she mentioned Cannon Beach.  I'd have to agree.

On this evening, we walked along the beach before sunset taking photos.  As the sun set, the light was really nice.  Edyta walked towards these rocks near Haystack  Rock while I was photographing.  Noticing this, I included her in the image, which really completed the scene.  Later, we walked back to our condo before having a wonderful dinner in a little Thai restaurant.  It was truly a wonderful evening.

Our road trip ended with a couple of days in San Francisco before she flew back to Poland and I flew to Florida.  Edyta sweetheart, enjoy Poland and I'll see you soon!

Photographer in the Photo

PW0942

Week of October 25, 2009

After leaving San Francisco, I flew to Florida to see my mom and then headed up to North Carolina to photograph the autumn color in the mountains.  The color was very hit and miss this year, with really good color hard to find.  So I ventured over to Cades Cove, on the Tennessee side of the Smokies to check out the deer.

It's not unusual to have fog in Cades Cove and this morning had a nice layer covering the landscape.  As I passed one of the old churches, I noticed some incredible rays of light piercing through the fog.  I immediately pulled over and began to find ways to compose images highlighting these wonderful shafts of light.  As I walked away from the church and into the woods, this scene struck me almost immediately. 

I framed it several ways, but zooming in and isolating it from the rest of its surroundings worked the best.  I opened up the exposure slightly to allow detail in the foliage, knowing the greens, yellows, and reds would accentuate the warm golden glow of the sun.  I was pretty pleased with the results.

Forest of Angels

PW0943

November

Week of November 1, 2009

The last day of photography I had before I went to spend some time with my sister and her family found me in Cades Cove again.  My first pass through I missed out on getting anything really cool, wildlife-wise.  I saw this decent sized buck out in a meadow and he was slowly moving towards the road.  So I parked the car and waited.

I almost missed this leap as I was watching some smaller bucks moving behind me.  As I turned back to face this one, he was running towards the fence.  A very light fog and nice side light , created a very dream-like feel to this photo.  I framed quickly and fired off a succession of shots, with this first leap being my favorite.  It was shot with a 500mm lens.  The framing was more by chance than anything else, as I was simply reacting to the action.  The dream like fog wasn't too much of a consideration at the time either, other than the visual effect it had on the lighting.

Leaping into a Dream

PW0944

Week of November 8, 2009

Sometimes good photos can be right under your nose.  This image was taken in the backyard of my mother's house in Florida, looking through a natural area to the Intracoastal.  Each morning, I'd wake up and look out the window to see what the weather was like.  The first light each day back lit this oak tree covered in Spanish moss.  I kept thinking how it was a nice scene and that I should photograph it, so finally I did.

One challenge I had was to eliminate the houses on the other side of the Intracoastal.    I used a long lens and chose an angle where no houses were in the image.  I then focused on the elements that were important to the scene and eliminated everything else.  For comparison, I did shoot the scene with a a dock in the background, near the center.  Both images worked well.  I underexposed the image as I wanted the highlights to not be overexposed.  Overall, I was pleased with the results of an image that I saw every day when I woke up.

Morning Glow

PW0945

Week of November 15, 2009

November means two things in Yellowstone: 1) no people and 2) rutting bighorn.  I've spent some time watching bighorn sheep as they begin their rut (or breeding season).  This time of year has big rams battling each other for dominance.  Though I've seen it before, I've never caught it on camera very well.  This week, I finally was able to get some decent shots as I saw several battles.

These two rams were determined to wear each other out.  They followed each other around quite a bit as they sized each other up.  They had a few head butts too, but this one was the best.  They moved out into the open by the river and were eye balling each other.  I hoped they would charge and kept ready.  Finally, after what seemed like forever, they did.  With the high frames per second of my Canon 50D, I was able to get several shots as they made contact.

Battling Bighorns

PW0946

Week of November 22, 2009

The bighorn sheep have been staying high up on the slopes of Mount Everts and on McMinn Bench lately, so there hasn't been many photo opportunities with these guys.  Other wildlife seems non-existent, though I did see a nice sized mule deer buck a few days ago.

While driving back from Lamar Valley, it looked like a colorful sunset might occur, so I headed to the upper Terraces to photograph it.  Well, by the time the sun was low enough in the sky, the clouds had almost completely dissipated, leaving nothing for the setting sun to color.  But the light on the distant mountains was spectacular, so I framed the hot springs in the foreground, zooming in tightly so the mountains would be more than just specks in the distance.

I'll be in Poland for the next couple of weeks.  Edyta will be showing me her home.  So the next couple of photo of the weeks might be slow in coming.

Hot Springs and Cold Mountains

PW0947

Week of November 29, 2009

A thermal creek flows out of a small cave and joins the Gardiner River.  Where the hot water meets the icy water in the river is a place known as the Boiling River and is one of the most popular places to soak and swim in Yellowstone, even in winter.  Not only is it a popular swimming place, but it's incredibly scenic with Mount Everts looming overhead and several small waterfalls of hot water cascading into the river.

I awoke early one morning to catch the early sun coming through the steam created by the hot water.  The outside air temperature was about 17 degrees, but I waded into the water in shorts and began photographing.  Some times the icy water would hit me and other times hot water flowed by.  Either way, it was a shock to the system.  But the warmth of the water was great.  After about an hour, I packed it up, dried off, and made the short hike back to the car as quickly as possible!

Waterfall Oasis

PW0948

December

Week of December 6, 2009

I just returned from my first trip to Poland where I spent almost two weeks.  I'll write more about this trip on my blog later in the week with a few more photos, and I'll add a new gallery with images from the trip.

We made a trip during my stay there to Ostroleka and near there was a small village named Nowogrod where I saw this image.  The wood work on this old building was really cool, especially the intricate carvings around the window.  Notice the Polish eagle in the wood carvings on the top of the window.  The curtains and colorful flowers inside the window completed this scene nicely, making it one of my favorites from this trip.

Most of my time was spent with Edyta and her family, where I was treated to home cooked Polish food that was absolutely delicious!  Thanks Edyta, for a wonderful trip and showing me a great time in Poland.  It was definitely a trip to remember!

Window in Time

PW0949

Week of December 13, 2009

For several of our walks through Edyta's town, we had nice light.  The sun set at 3 pm, so nice warm light was available all day for photography.  But on the day I decided to actually take my camera out for some photos, it was more typical European weather for December. 

A cold misty rain was falling as we walked around.  But I really wanted to photograph this building.   As we waited for traffic to slow down so no cars would be included, I shot a few different compositions.  A funeral was about to start in the cathedral next door and this person walked into the shot carrying flowers.  I immediately saw the potential in this scene and fired off one photo before a large bus drove by, blocking any further photos.

However, this photo is still one of my favorites from my trip to Poland.  I feel it captures the feel of the city and my time there.  And I remember this day with good memories, as I do each day of my trip.

A Street in Poland

PW0950

Week of December 20, 2009

While I've been back in Yellowstone for just under two weeks, I haven't had a chance to get out and shoot much.  This photo from the Boiling River was taken just before I left to go to Poland.

As I wrote previously, it was about 17 degrees farenheit at the time I shot this image, but the hot water cascading into the Gardiner River made for a pleasant environment.  I was wading in the warm water when this series of cascades caught my attention.  The yellow rock in the foreground added an interesting component.  I framed this a number of ways, including zooming in tighter on the foreground rock, but I liked this image better, which gives more room at the bottom for the river and includes all five of the cascades.

Hopefully by next week I'll have something more current to post.

Streaming Cascades

PW0951

Week of December 27, 2009

After being back in the US for almost three weeks, I finally was able to get out and take some photos... yesterday.  This image of Old Faithful was shot yesterday morning shortly after it erupted.  The image was made with a telephoto zoom lens at a long distance away.  The sun was just above the dark layer of clouds seen behind the geyser.  I purposely under exposed this image by two stops in order to bring out the back lighting of Old Faithful as well as in the distant ice covered trees.

It was down to minus 12 F (-24C) while I was out in the geyser basin this morning.  Cold conditions like this often produce the best results for photography  as large steam plumes result, even when the geysers aren't erupting.  Often, fog is present and coats everything in a nice coat of rim ice.  While some fog was present, it wasn't enough to produce the effects I was after.  All the same, I was pleased with this image as well as the images on my blog.  Merry Christmas!

Dramatic Light

PW0952