Fine Art Photography

Photographing Yellowstone National Park

Upper Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs
Copyright Wayne Higgins 2005

Yellowstone National Park is our nations oldest and first national park. Visited by millions every year it's widely varied landscapes, thermal features and abundant wildlife have made it a favorite for nature photographers both amateur and professional. First established in 1872, Yellowstone covers over 2.2 million acres in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and encompasses some of North Americas most beautiful and rugged wilderness. Jagged peaks, pristine lakes and streams, canyons and alpine meadows are all a part of Yellowstone's diverse landscape. It is a geologically active area alive with thermal attributes including hotsprings, geysers, thermal pools and mudpots all of which make for exciting photographic opportunities.
Yellowstone is also a haven for numerous species of wildlife such as Rocky Mountain elk and the nations largest herd of bison. Add to this almost 400 miles of roadway, five entrances around it's perimeter and over 1200 miles of hiking and riding trails and you begin to get a feeling for what makes Yellowstone such and attraction.

 

 

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In Early September we embarked on a long anticipated photo shoot to capture the landscapes and wildlife of Yellowstone. Accompanying me were my wife of 23 years, my good friend and photo assistant Dennis and my companion of ten years a black lab named Shadow. A 30 foot fifth wheel trailer serves as home base and provides for all the amenities allowing us to make stops at interesting locations along the way. The plan was to leave from western Massachusetts with a brief stopover in South Haven, Michigan to visit friends and family and take care of some business with a gallery there that features my work. From there we headed west with stops planned in the area of Devil's Tower National Monument and Little Bighorn for photo opportunities. With the heavy trailer about two weeks were set aside for travel.

Arriving in Gardiner, Montana we setup camp and made a quick trip into the park to gather information on the various areas we intended to shoot as well as the current locations of wildlife sightings. The information centers and park rangers are wonderful sources for information regarding wildlife movement as well as road conditions and are always a good bet when visiting an unknown area. It is also a good idea to check local weather and to get an idea as to any "hazards" that may be unfamiliar to a newcomer in an area.

 

 

Click here for part 2

Click here for "Yellowstones Majestic Elk"

 

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