Fine Art Photography

Photographing Yellowstone National Park

Part 2

Copyright Wayne Higgins 2005

The upper terrace drive of Mammoth Hot Springs provides an abundance of photographic opportunities. Vivid colors, rising steam and skeletal dead trees make for a surreal landscape.
An overcast sky and low temperatures enhance the steam adding atmosphere while the contrasting colors behind the stark trees make for a dramatic photograph.

One of the first things that becomes evident upon visiting Yellowstone is just how large and varied the landscape actually is. In order to photograph as much of the park as we could we decided to spend each day with a focus on a particular area or species of wildlife. This enabled me to make decisions regarding what equipment to carry on a given day as well as the required support equipment, specific times of day and lighting conditions to expect. In addition we were able to get an idea as to the movement of wildlife and what species we could anticipate in a given area.

 

 

A bull elk among the sagebrush near Mammoth Hotsprings.
Copyright Wayne Higgins 2005

This bull elk was making a move on anther bull in the area with a small harem of cows. He surprised me, coming over a ridge to my left at a pretty good clip all the while sniffing the air
and bugling to make his presents known.

In planning the trip we wanted it to coincide with a number of criteria. One was the rutting period of the elk in the park. This would allow for large bulls with well formed racks and
also make locating and photographing the animals a bit easier. Other considerations included the changing colors in autumn and an anticipated reduction in travelers in and around the park.
The elk were in full rut during our stay and the autumn colors were present however the number of travelers in this late season were higher than expected. Park rangers commented that it was
unusually busy for so late in the season. Weather was a mixed bag ranging from blues sky days to overcast with a little rain and snow thrown in.

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Coming soon

The Wildlife of Yellowstone, big bison and majestic elk.

Yellowstone's landscapes. Mammoth Hotsprings, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Yellowstone Plateau and more!

The equipment used, tips and hints.

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for page 1

 

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