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2007 Photo of the Week Gallery

January	February	March	April	May	June

July	August	September	October	November	December

January


Week ending January 7, 2007 Agate Creek Pack near the Lamar River YWW007 The Agate Creek Pack were sitting on this hillside overlooking the Lamar River on a chilly winter morning. They had a kill down below out of sight and ravens were circling above. As a pack of coyotes began howling, the wolves all sat up at attention, hearing the sound. The sun rose, lighting the hillside in the background, throwing the wolves into silhouette.	Week ending January 14, 2007 Old Faithful Geyser Close Up YTF0017 While waiting for a Beehive Geyser eruption, Old Faithful began it's own. A clearing storm made for dramatic light and a telephoto lens compressed the scene. A strong wind pushed the heavy steam away, allowing the water to show nicely. Combined, they gave this unique perspective.



Week ending January 21, 2007 Enduring the Winter YWE0007 These two yearling elk were a part of a small herd that were foraging in Zipper Creek, near the Old Faithful area. The falling snow clung to their faces and backs as the thermally warmed water allowed the creek to be somewhat ice free, providing meager nourishment.	Week ending January 28, 2007 Runoff Channel in the Mud Volcano Area YTF0019 This runoff channel is actually from the Dragon's Mouth in the Mud Volcano area. The vivid blue color was present and the strange ice patterns in the channel were very cool. I isolated this part of the channel with a telephoto lens from the boardwalk.

February


Week ending February 4, 2007 Red Fox Walking on a Log YWF0007 After spending most of the morning in Lamar Valley searching for and watching wolves at a distance, I headed to Mammoth Hot Springs for lunch. Shortly after turning at Roosevelt, I spotted this red fox about 100 yards down in a meadow. The fox spied a large herd of elk and decided to turn around. Fortunately for me, it turned directly towards where I was parked and crossed the road in front of my vehicle, allowing me to get some great shots. This one was one of my favorites.	Week ending February 11, 2007 Old Faithful Under a Full Moon YTF0018 The first week of February brought a full moon and, despite the weather forecast, the evening became clear. I headed out into the geyser basin in order to capture images of the full moon rising. Old Faithful was predicted for a 6:38 pm eruption. I came back in time to see it beginning. This image is the result of pre-eruption steam being blown around during a ten second exposure. Given that the sun had been set for over an hour, I wasn't sure of the results, but was pleased.



Week ending February 18, 2007 Bald Eagle Perched Above the Firehole River YWBE0001 I headed out to West Yellowstone, MT, yesterday. Along the way, there was a carcass in the Firehole River with one bald eagle feeding on it and another sitting in a tree above the river. Ravens had also found the carcass and were flocking around in large numbers. This bald eagle had perhaps had its fill and was watching the commotion from above.	Week ending February 25, 2007 Bison at Sunset YWB0009 Bison have been a common sight in the Upper Geyser Basin all week. On this particular evening, I was waiting for Grand Geyser and watching a snow storm move in rapidly from the north. As the sun started to disappear behind the hills, the snow began falling. A herd of bison began moving across one of Grand's runoff channels, near where it joins the Firehole River. This bison paused momentarily before crossing the warm water.

March


Week ending March 4, 2007 Red Fox in Lamar Valley YWF0008 I headed back out to Lamar Valley on my weekend, hoping for wolves, coyotes, foxes and other wildlife. I saw a ton of coyotes, no wolves, and the usual bison. However, upon first arriving in the valley,, I came across this fox hunting near the Yellowstone Institute. It slowly moved closer to the road before quickly crossing and pausing on the hillside. This portrait was one of my favorite of the 70 or so shots I took of this foxy fox.	Week ending March 11, 2007 Three Amigos YWB0010 I had the opportunity to snowmobile around the lower loop this week. While in Hayden Valley, I was photographing a beautiful red fox for about an hour. While doing so, these three bull bison started walking down the road in my direction, making me a bit nervous. As they approached, I noticed the cool way there were lined up, so I snapped a few photos. As they neared, I ducked down along side the snowmobile, with it in between me and the bison, until they passed by.



Week ending March 18, 2007 Solitary Geyser Abstract YTF0020 It's been a really slow week as the winter season is winding down and the weather hasn't cooperated much lately. I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to photograph some martens that live nearby. So I took a walk up to Observation Point and then down to Solitary Geyser. The platform for the geyser contains some beautiful color, so I shot some abstract shots of the platform, using a telephoto lens to isolate various areas. This one was my favorite.	Week ending March 25, 2007 Pine Marten YMW0007 Two days before the end of the winter season, as I headed to work, I noticed this marten playing near employee housing. I decided I'd skip breakfast and try my luck getting some images. The marten was very inquisitive and came up and out of a hole in the snow to check me out. I was ready for the opportunity and came away with this image. The marten went about it's business for half an hour or so before disappearing, leaving me time to get to work without breakfast!

April


Week ending April 1, 2007 Bison and Bird YWB0011 Spring is here in Yellowstone already. The snow pack is melting fast and the green up has even begun in some lower elevation locations. I've been spending a lot of time photographing bison. Birds are also returning to the park with bluebirds and robins becoming common again. While photographing this bison, the cowbird came in for a landing on its back. The image was a matter of luck as I just happened to snap a shot of the bison at the same moment.	Week ending April 8, 2007 Electric Peak at Sunrise YL0009 I was driving out to Lamar Valley the other morning, in search of wildlife. As I came though the Blacktail area, the sun began to rise. Electric Peak is one of my favorite subjects from this area I like using a telephoto lens, which compresses the scene. Often, both at sunrise or sunset, some real moody lighting can occur. In this instance, the sun peaked out of the clouds, highlighting the 10,992 foot peak while the surrounding landscape sat in shadow.

Week ending April 15, 2007 Pronghorn in Motion YWP0007 While in Lamar Valley, I came across a herd of Pronghorn near the road. One group was on the north side and one on the south. This buck was watching the herd on the north side of the road intently. As the buck in that herd began moving the females away from the road, this one decided to pursue them. I used a slow shutter speed to blur the motion as the buck began to trot after the herd.	Week ending April 22, 2007 Gateway to Lamar Valley YL0010 On this particular morning, low lying fog covered various parts of the park as I drove out to Lamar Valley. As I passed through Little America, I could see there was fog towards Lamar, so I stopped at various places to photograph it. As I came through the canyon to the entrance of the valley, the fog, river, and hills in the background came together for a great shot.


Week ending April 29, 2007 Posing Badger YWBA0003 One of the things I've never had the opportunity to see, let alone photograph, has been a badger. Well, a friend mentioned seeing a badger cross the road near Lamar Canyon this week, so I decided to drive out that way to see what I could see. Of course, I didn't see her badger, but as I drove through Lamar Valley, I noticed a small grayish rock moving. Naturally, it wasn't a rock, or you'd be looking at a photo of "Badger Rock" right now! Spring in Yellowstone is in full swing... This week brought my first two bison calf sightings (see photo in the bison gallery), sand hill cranes returning, and (finally) my first bear sighting (see photo in the black bear gallery). Oh yeah, and spring snows of course!

May


Week ending May 6, 2007 Cinnamon and Black Bears YWBB0011 I've been spending my free time looking for bears lately. They're out and about and I've seen a couple of grizzlies and several black bears this week. The day I made this photo was the day after I had first seen these two bears. The first time, they were too far away for photos and the light was not good. The next day though, they were feeding on grass alongside the road and the late day light was really nice. I hoped they'd come near each other to feed, as it would make a unique photo. Sure enough, they eventually did! These are both black bears. The cinnamon color is rarely found in the east coast among black bears, but is more common out west. Eastern black bears are almost always black, matching the color of the second bear above.	Week ending May 13, 2007 Grey Wolf YWW0008 After a late start one morning this past week, I headed out looking for bears again. There have been a ton of black bears in the Roosevelt area lately. So when I saw several vehicles pulled over along the road just before the Hellroaring Trailhead turnoff, I assumed there was a black bear. I pulled over and shut off my engine just in time to see this grey wolf come trotting out of the field and up to the road, passing right by the vehicles pulled over and then passed mine. A few seconds later a bold coyote tailed the wolf, barking and yipping at it. I assumed the coyote had a den nearby and was trying to drive the wolf away.


Week ending May 20, 2007 Grizzly Near Frozen Yellowstone Lake YWG0009 As I drove along the shore of Yellowstone Lake, after a trip to LeHardy Rapids, I was hoping for a chance to see a grizzly. As I came around a turn in the road, I saw several cars stopped and a ranger nearby. Not only was there one grizzly feeding on grasses in this lakeside meadow, but two! The late day light was great and the frozen lake made a great background.	Week ending May 20, 2007 Grizzly Cubs of the Year YWG0012 We have a grizzly family hanging around the Lake area this week. The family, consisting of the sow and 3 small cubs born this year, were seen several times over the last week between Pelican Creek and the Lake Lodge area. This photo was made one late afternoon when the sow brought the cubs up near the road. The cubs, nervous by the crowd that gathered, stood up to get a better look. I was able to frame two of them during one of those moments,

June

Week ending June 3, 2007 Coyote Pups YWC0011 I heard about a coyote den in the Blacktail area this week, so on my day off, I headed up to find it. Finding it was easy enough, as a crowd of photographers was there, so it was just a matter of waiting for the pups. Sure enough, after the mother had returned to feed the pups, they became very playful, tumbling and falling all over each other. In this moment, three of the four pups were rolling around under the sagebrush.	Week ending June 10, 2007 Grizzly Silhouette YWG0013 After a rather fruitless drive along the East Entrance Road, looking for wildlife, I saw this bear strolling along the ridge above Fishing Bridge at sunset. She grazed there until after the sun had gone down. From my car, I focused on her, but exposed for the dusk sky, creating this silhouetted image. The pose in this particular shot seemed very appealing.


Week ending June 17, 2007 Yellowstone Lake Sunset YL0016 I had spent the evening out looking for some photo opportunities to arise, and suspected the breaking clouds might make for some nice sunset color. But the clouds started closing in again, so I headed for home. However, as I neared Bridge Bay, a focused ray of light illuminated first Stevenson Island and then the Absaroka Mountains in the background. The light was amazing and made for some really nice photos. This week's photo of the week is an example.	Week ending June 24, 2007 Teton Grizzlies YWG0014 I drove down to the Tetons to run some errands in Jackson and to check out wildflowers in GTNP. In Willow Flats, I came across a bear jam. I first saw the sow, then a yearling cub. But then a second and third yearling popped up too. They were wet from the grass due to the snow the night before and all four bears were in very playful moods. These two had a play battle near the road, before running across it and moving on into the willows.

July

Week ending July 1, 2007 Otter Catching a Cutthroat YWO0003 The cutthroat trout are spawning throughout the park at this time of year, so I headed up to Trout Lake to see if I could see otters feeding on them. After waiting about an hour, this otter swam into the mass of spawning trout and found its prey. This drama unfolded less than 20 feet from where my friends and I had sat down. The light was harsh, but I felt the image came out ok.	Week ending July 8, 2007 Otter Swimming in Trout Lake YWO0004 This week's PoW is another otter photo at Trout Lake. As with last weeks PoW, the spawning trout make it fairly predictable where the otters will hunt, it's just a matter of when. This time, however, rather than dining in front of us, the otter took its prey to a more secluded point on the lake. This image is after the hunt as the otter swam away to eat its meal.


Week ending July 15, 2007 Grizzly and Coyote YWG0015 I saw this grizzly walking along the meadow near Mary Bay, so stopped to photograph it. A coyote decided the bear would be a fun toy, so it approached the bear and started nipping at the bear's tail. This elicited the above response from the bear. However, the game continued for 30 minutes or more. Each time, the coyote would nip the bear's tail, the bear would turn around and give chase, then they would reverse roles and the coyote would chase the bear. Finally, the bear laid down on its back in some tall grass. The coyote would approach, and they'd start all over again.	Week ending July 22, 2007 Washburn Cubs of the Year YWG0017 I've been fortunate enough this summer to see these two cubs with their mother several times on Mount Washburn, usually in the Antelope Creek area. But I've never been able to get any photos. However, this past Sunday morning, after finding nothing of note in the Lake area, I decided to head up to Washburn. Sure enough, the family was above the road. With luck, they would come down and cross. That's exactly what they did, allowing for some nice photo opportunities. Once across, the mother took the cubs out of sight where they must have napped the morning away.


Week ending July 29, 2007 Sunset at Grebe Lake YL0022 This past weekend, my friends Ryan, Karen, and I went camping at Grebe Lake, between Norris and Canyon. We had a beautiful sunset and the wildlife was exciting to see, including an osprey catch a fish and a bald eagle that flew by shortly after this photo was shot. This photo was made near the cooking area of our camp site, where a small creek joined the lake. The clouds made for an interesting sunset and the moment was as peaceful as it appears.

August

Week ending August 5, 2007 Bald Eagle Taking Flight YWBE0007 I took a drive along the East Entrance Road last week searching for wildlife. As I was heading back home, I saw a bald eagle flying along the lake shore in my direction. I pulled over near Sedge Bay and the eagle landed in a nearby dead snag. I waited about 20 minutes for it to finally take flight again, and I was able to capture this image just as it left its perch.	Week ending August 12, 2007 Contemplation YWO0007 I went to work one morning this week and was immediately told that there was a family of otters on the lakeshore in front of the hotel. I didn't think much of it, believing they wouldn't be there long enough for me to grab my camera gear. Then I received a second report of them a short while later. So I head down to where they were and sure enough, there's two adult otters and 3 pups dining on a cutthroat one had caught. Meanwhile, a bald eagle continually swooped down on the family trying to steal their meal. While photos were limited to just one of the adults, the viewing of the events was amazing to watch.


Week ending August 19, 2007 Twins YWBH0007 I hiked Mount Washburn this week with the goal to photograph marmots, pikas, squirrels, and sheep. I was fortunate to photograph them all. These two lambs were with their mother near the summit. I waited on the trail below them to see if they would move down, but instead they moved up towards the fire tower. I quickly hiked around to find they had already crossed the trail, where a small crowd had gathered to watch them. I arrived in time to snap this shot and several others, but this one was my favorite.	Week ending August 26, 2007 Perseid Meteor and the Columbine Fire YL0027 I went out on August 12th to try and photograph a meteor . I wanted to capture the glow of the Columbine Fire in the frame. I set up my tripod and began making exposures of anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. The Columbine Fire has grown to over 15,000 acres and has threatened structures outside the east entrance of Yellowstone. The fire is being actively fought, though the terrain makes it difficult.

September

Week ending September 2, 2007 Union Falls YLWF0010 Ok, this photo is from last week, but Union Falls is such a great place, it's the PoW for this week. We hiked the 15 miles round trip to the falls last week. I used some rocks and logs for a tripod in order to get a long enough exposure to let the water "fall" through the image. We enjoyed the day at the falls and along Mountain Ash Creek where we also saw a beautiful cow moose. Some cloud cover made for nice even light and a polarizer eliminated glare and slowed down the shutter speed.	Week ending September 9, 2007 Star Trails over the Cathedral Group GT0009 I went camping in the Tetons with some friends this week. One of my goals for the weekend was to photograph star trails with the Tetons silhouetted below. This is only my third attempt at photographing star trails. I set up the shot before dark, after the sun had set. Then, I woke up at about 4 am and placed my camera on my tripod, which was already in place, with the head aligned to the composition I had set up for earlier. Using the bulb setting and a cable release, I set the exposure for 1 hour at f-stop 5.6, began the exposure and then went to back to my tent. When I awoke the that morning, this is the image the hour long exposure had recorded.


Week ending September 16, 2007 Schwabacher's Landing Sunrise GT0015 I went back to the Tetons again this week. My goal was to photograph moose, which was successful as I saw nine moose in various locations. I also planned on photographing the sunrise at String Lake. However, when I awoke, it was cloudy, except on the eastern horizon. Knowing this lighting would work better from Schwabacher's than String Lake, I head there instead. I had the place to myself and as the morning sun peaked through the clouds, the Cathedral group was bathed in beautiful light. The clouds reflected light into the scene, allowing nice detail in the foreground as well.	Week ending September 23, 2007 Sunset over Mary Bay YL0034 I drove out along the East Entrance Road after work one evening looking for a nice composition of the sunset. A front had moved through and it was very windy, creating white-caps on the lake. I found this point at Mary Bay and decided to try long exposures to see what it would do to the wave action. This shot was with an exposure around 2 seconds long and the waves softened, creating a nice effect.

Week ending September 30, 2007 Morning Fog in Hayden Valley YWB0021 I drove up to Mount Washburn one morning this week to see if any bears were around. There was a large crowd of "paparazzi" waiting just below the Dunraven Pass trailhead but the bears weren't out at that moment. I decided I didn't want to sit around in the crowd so headed for home. In Hayden Valley, bison had the road blocked up pretty good. While sitting in the bison jam, I shot a few images out the window, including this one. This one and the one on the Bison page were taken a second or two apart. I change the zoom and composed slightly different, but preferred this shot slightly.

October

Week ended October 7, 2007 Great Grey Owl YMW0016 I had heard about a Great Grey Owl hanging around the meadows south of Canyon Village this week. I hadn't stopped previously, but as I headed out one evening, I decided I would stop that day. Well, as it turned out, the owl was visible from the road. So I stopped and joined the other photographer as the owl posed on a stump. Before long, a throng of photographers had joined in, though everyone was very quiet and respectful of the owl. Finally, the owl began to hunt, trying three times to catch a rodent. It was successful on its third attempt. At this point, it moved further into the woods and I decided to leave.	Week ended October 14, 2007 Autumn Fox YWF0014 We went camping in the Tetons this past week. Staying at the campground at Signal Mountain one night, we found this fox exploring. We suspected it had been fed human food, judging by it's behavior. It stopped, sat down, and watched us as I took this photo. The background in shadow allowed the fox to stand out and also brought out the nice fall colors. Animals habituated to human food typically don't fair well. This fox, if it's been dependent on human food all summer, may have a difficult time surviving the winter. It's never good to feed wildlife.


Week ended October 21, 2007 End of the Rut YWE0008 This photo was taken on October 10th at Mammoth Hot Springs. The herd of elk were situated on an inactive terrace. The terrace with the elk on it drew me to stop and check out the action. The overcast sky allowed some nice late day light come through adding a nice touch. This bull kept trying to find a cow to mate with but with no success. His interest was waning however, and he spent just as much time grazing and napping.	Week ended October 28, 2007 Great Fountain Geyser YTF0025 I went down to the Old Faithful area this week to re-shoot a few "classic" locations, such as Great Fountain Geyser at sunset. I had hoped for a colorful sunset, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. So instead, I tried to be at the location just before the sun went below the horizon, using it in the composition as well. The foreground patterns of the terraces drew me into this scene and ended up being my favorite shot of the evening.

November

Week ended November 4, 2007 Grand Prismatic Hot Spring YTF0028 I headed into the park for one of the last times this week, before the roads close for the summer 2007 season. I had been meaning to stop at the Fairy Falls trailhead and hike up the hill to do some "top down" shots of Grand Prismatic. So, since I was in the area, I did just that. I used a long telephoto lens to take this image, isolating a portion of the hot spring and the colorful bacteria lining its edges. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. To get an idea of its size, take a look at the of it in the Geysers and Hot Springs Gallery.	Week ended November 11, 2007 Sunburst over Wild Goose Island- Glacier National Park GL0009 I took a trip up to Glacier National Park last week. Unfortunately, the only time I can usually get to Glacier is late October. While the crowds are definitely gone, access is very limited. However, the road up to Wild Goose Island overlook on Saint Mary Lake is usually open. This is one of my favorite scenes. I arrived to wind and rain but the next day, the clouds broke, revealing this cool scene at sunset.


Week ended November 18, 2007 Swans Taking Flight YWWF0016 Sunday, November 5th was the day the interior park roads closed for the season, so I decided to drive down through Hayden Valley and along the East Entrance Road to see what could be seen. I was amazed with the number of swans migrating through the park. There were both tundra and trumpeter swans on many of the park's lakes and rivers. I counted about 60 swans, tundras and trumpeters, on Swan Lake. There were at least that many along the Yellowstone River above Lower Falls through Hayden Valley. And there were too many to count on Yellowstone Lake. I stopped at the eastern edge of Mary Bay and photographed swans for about an hour. This family group was near the shore when they decided to take flight.	Week ended November 25, 2007 Leap of Faith YWB0018 The bighorns are in the middle of their breeding season and the Gardiner Canyon, between Mammoth and Gardiner, is a good place to see sheep. This ram was pursuing a reluctant female along the steep cliffs of the canyon. I watched this ram and the ewe for about an hour or so. During that time, as the ram pursued the female, there were several moments where I thought the ram was going to lose his footing and com crashing down to the road. That didn't happen fortunately. It's amazing to see how sure-footed these creatures can be in terrain where it doesn't seem possible for any creature to move about.

December

Week ended December 2, 2007 Palette Spring Revisited YTF0029 I tend to ignore the Mammoth terraces, though when I do stop and walk around, I'm always pleasantly surprised. The terraces are constantly changing, so it's always interesting to see what's different. Palette Spring has been one of the more active features at Mammoth over the past several years, though it too changes constantly. This image was taken mid morning one day, featuring the active part of the spring. Because of different water temperatures, different algae and bacteria grow in different areas, producing the colors seen in this image.	Week ended December 9, 2007 Roseate Spoonbill- St. Augustine, Florida FLB0030 At the end of November, I recently made my first trip to Florida, where I still currently am as I update the website. During this trip, I visited St. Augustine, the Everglades, and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Bird photography was wonderful at many places I went. I was able to photograph this roseate spoonbill shortly before sunset as it and several others flew in to find a place to roost for the evening. This bird was trying to find a satisfactory location while another nearby was content with the place it found. The light was wonderful as the bird stretched out it's wings in preparation for descending to a lower branch.


Week ended December 16, 2007 Alligator Among Lily Pads- Everglades National Park FLG0001 Towards the end of my Florida trip, I spent several days in Everglades National Park. I went there to photograph the wildlife and wasn't disappointed. This small alligator was in a channel alongside the Anhinga Trail. Using a 500 mm lens, I balanced my camera on the rail along side the trail for stability and framed this composition. The alligator was aware of my presence and eventually slipped under the water and swam in the other direction.	Week ended December 23, 2007 Pronghorn in Snow YWP0009 It's winter in Yellowstone as the snow falls and accumulates across the park. Even in the lower elevations, snow some times sticks around for several days or weeks. This image was taken on the old dirt road running behind the Gardiner school. This male and female pronghorn were near the road looking for forage under the snow. Pronghorn aren't equipped to handle deep snow in the same manner that elk and bison are, so pronghorn migrate to lower elevations in the winter where they don't have to deal with deep snow. The only place near the park that they are likely to be seen is in the Gardiner area.


Week ended December 30, 2007 Steamy Snowy Christmas at Castle Geyser YTF0002 This image of Castle Geyser was taken 2 days before Christmas on a steamy morning with the temperature around zero degrees fahrenheit. I tried backlighting the geyser, but the steam was too strong, so instead, I moved to the right, providing a bit of side lighting instead. To the right of Castle, behind the trees, steam from Old Faithful can be seen. Extra batteries are a must when it's this cold. The only other beings braving the cold in the basin on this morning were two coyotes.