Last week, I posted an image of the Chapel of the Transfiguration from the outside, showing the front of the chapel with the Tetons in the background. I also stated that there was a great shot of the mountains from inside the chapel. What I neglected to say was that there is a third shot. This one has eluded me over the years but I was finally able to capture it on my last trip. As you can see in this photo, it is a reflection of the mountains from the back window of the chapel. The window sits right above the altar, and you can see the crucifix and some flowers that are inside the chapel. When I took this photo, there were also faces of people in the window but fortunately, they weren't visible when I edited it.
Elk Crossing - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Sometimes a magical moment happens when least expected that gives you the most memorable event of a trip. A few of us had spent a few hours at Oxbow Bend and the weather did not cooperate at all. Mount Moran was totally socked in, the weather wasn't so hot, and, all in all, it was a morning to forget. My good buddy Jeff Clow suggested that we head to Cattleman's Bridge to see if we could find a bald eagle or two flying above the water. As we all looked up for the eagles, someone spotted some movement down river. There, amid the low-lying mist were quite a number of elk that were crossing the river onto an island. It was so unexpected and one of the coolest moments I have experienced. The fact that I also got some decent photos of the event was a bonus.
This shot was my "unicorn" of the trip. My good friend Chris Nitz has the best description of what a unicorn is to a photographer. In Chris's words, "... the “unicorn” is that single image that makes an entire trip. It is that moment that you compose your photo, click that shutter button, check the LCD and immediately know that you could never take another photo during your trip and be completely happy with what you have." I couldn't say it any better (which is why I stole Chris' words).
Buried Under Aspens - Como Cemetery, Como, Colorado
Last September, I participated in a photo tour in Colorado with my friend Rick Louie (for those of you looking to take a tour, Rick's tour is highly recommended). The group met in Denver for dinner the night before the tour started. Rick's plan was to head to Telluride, stopping at different locations along the six hour drive. One of the first stops was a little cemetery in the small town (population 439) of Como. When we pulled up, it was clear that there were not very many headstones in the cemetery (so people were dying to get there). It was also clear that it was a beautiful place to be buried, with several stands of Aspens, all at peak color. The interesting part of the scene above that intrigued me was the bench where visitors could sit. I don't frequent cemeteries much, but I don't recall many benches in them.
First Light at Oxbow - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
If you mention Oxbow Bend to any serious landscape photographer, they know exactly where it is, even if they have never been there before. It is one of the most photographed landscapes in the western US, photographed millions of times. Standing anywhere along the shoreline of the Snake River or from the road above, Mount Moran is always present, towering above everything. I have been lucky enough to stand there many times in the past ten years, and I will say that every time the scene is different. Contributing to the variety are the clouds or lack of clouds, the time of day (sunrise is the best time to shoot there), the stillness of the water, the presence or lack of wildlife, low to the ground fog or lack thereof, and the season of the year (ice and snow-covered peaks and/or fall foliage). Suffice to say, for some, visiting this majestic location moves you in ways that you never expect.
Dawn Light - Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
I am always beating the drum about revisiting locations when the weather doesn't cooperate, even if there are years between visits. I first stood at Sprague Lake with family and friends during a very cold and very windy day. Even though the lake is far from any real oceans, I swear that there were waves on the water surface. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit but not by much. The next time I stood on the lake's shore, there was a steady rain that made photography impossible. So the third time is a charm? I'll let you be the judge of that. I shot this photo last September, and, although it rained during the night, I was blessed with great light and clearing skies.
Dodging Raindrops - Doubling Point Lighthouse, Arrowsic, Maine
You would think that, when comparing coastlines of US states, it would be quite easy to determine the order of the longest to smallest. When I did a little research, I found that the lengths can vary tremendously, depending on the method of calculation. There are two methods that are often used, but there is not a clear definition of how they were calculated. For example, under one method, Maine is ranked 9th at 228 miles, and under the other it is ranked 4th at 3,478 miles. That is quite the disparity. A recent satellite study estimates that the Maine Coast is actually closer to 5,500 miles. Why the disparity? Two reasons come to mind. First, Maine has approximately 6,200 islands that technically should be counted. Second, Maine has many peninsulas that extend like fat fingers into the Atlantic Ocean.
Why am I interested in this you'd might ask? Well being a fan of lighthouses, I recently found that Maine has around sixty lighthouses, and I thought that it was a lot. Now that I understand the length of Maine's Coast, it seems like a small number.
Anyway, i leave you with this photo of Doubling Point Lighthouse, which sits on the Kennebec River and is considered part of the coastline, even though it is about 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Banff Morning - Banff Townsite, Banff National Park, Alberta
For those of you who follow my blog or any of my social media postings, you can't have helped but notice that one of my favorite places on Earth is Banff National Park. Ever since I first visited the area, I have been entranced with it. My first visit to this paradise was in the mid-1990s, when photography was far from my mind. Shooting with my point and shoot film camera became such a frustration for me that, when I got home, I immediately ordered a SLR camera and lenses. That first visit was a rebirth of my love for photography.
I recently came across this photo from my second visit in 2006, when I got up early one morning while my family was still sleeping (this was a vacation, not a photo tour). Walking around the town of Banff proved that you didn't have to wander very far to get some good shots of the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Lobster Lane - Owls Head Lobster Company, Owls Head, Maine
Today is officially the first day of Jeff Clow's Maine Photo Tour. The official name of the tour includes the name lobster (or lobstah in Maine talk) because, if you are visiting Maine, there is a proliferation of lobster shacks, restaurants, traps, buoys and boats. In fact, you can usually find a myriad of lobster-related merchandise that boggles the mind. I thought it appropriate that I post this photo of Lobster Lane from the pre-scouting trip that Jeff, Jaki Goode Miller and I were on back in April.
Approaching Ophir Pass - Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado
Fall is my favorite season of the year and I can't wait until the foliage comes to my home state of Connecticut. I think it will be late coming to CT this year, but I am hoping to see some great colors this week in Maine while co-hosting my buddy Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse Tour. The reds, oranges and yellows of the New England foliage season give the landscape such a vibrant look.
Until then, I am posting this shot of the foliage season in Colorado that I took last year. While not as varied in color as New England's, the Colorado landscapes more than make up for it with it's wonderful mountains as a backdrop. Here we are approaching Ophir Pass, about to cross over the San Juan Mountains to get to the famed Million Dollar Highway. What an epic drive with drivers extraordinaire Rick Louie and Chris Nitz navigating this treacherous road.
First Light - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
One of the best things about Grand Teton National Park are the many turnouts and overlooks that have been built along the park's two main roads, US Route 89 and Teton Park Road. These stops on the road provide many beautiful views of the massive Teton Range, which are part of the larger Rocky Mountain Range. I have a particular affinity for the Blacktail Ponds Overlook.
Being a sunrise location, you really need to get there early enough to get the morning light as it begins to light up the peaks and work its way down the mountains. One of the challenges when shooting at this time of day here is the high dynamic range of the scene that is often difficult for cameras to capture. Trying to blend the very bright mountains and the very dark foreground takes a bit of thought and practice. There is a fine line in balancing the image by bringing out details in the shadows while reducing the highlights to bring out the of the mountains.
Pink House - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
There is a section of Grand Teton National Park that is known as Mormon Row. This area of the park got its name from a group of Mormon settlers that settled into the area from Idaho in the 1890's. Today, only a few buildings from the settlement are left, including two of the most photographed barns in the world built by the Moulton brothers (Thomas and John).
After shooting the more famous of the barns (the Thomas A. Moulton barn), we headed to the John Moulton homestead to shoot some of the buildings there. This stucco house is known as the "Pink House" for its pink color. It was built by John Moulton 30 years after he settled there, replacing the original log cabin that originally housed his family.
Teton Reflections - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Before I talk about this photo, I'll try to get something out of the way. Every time I post a shot from this spot and name it Catholic Bay or Chapel Bay, I invariably have someone tell me that, whatever name I assign to it, the other one is the right one. I don't know which one is right, although the NPS website does mention a Catholic Bay and does not contain any mention of Chapel Bay. Suffice to say that it is a section of Jackson Lake, and that, whatever you call it, it is simply beautiful.
This spot is one of the easier places to find, but the hard thing about shooting it is whether the mountains are socked in with clouds or clear, or whether the lake's surface is smooth or rough. As you can see, I had the best conditions possible, with the exception of not having a few cumulous clouds in the sky. It is these times that all you have to do is kickback, relax and enjoy the beauty of the landscape.
Teton Worship - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
When one thinks of our national parks, the last thing that they think of are places of worship. If you think about it, what better places to build them than in front of the Earth's most beautiful sites? There are two that are in Grand Teton National Park, and this one, the Chapel of the Transfiguration, has the best view of the Tetons. Built in 1925 before the establishment of the national park, this Episcopalian chapel has a view of the Cathedral Group of peaks from both inside and outside the chapel. It was originally built to serve the many dude ranches that were located in the area.
I shot this one evening when the soft light was on full display. This is probably a much better sunrise location, but with the many other stellar sunrise locations, it didn't make my early morning cut. If I were able to spend a longer visit to the park, it would make my sunrise list of locations to shoot.
Finally - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Just about caught up with this year's photo trips and selecting photos to edit. I have spent the most time this year in Grand Teton National Park, and so this week's blog posts will focus on this beautiful place.
You might question my title for today's photo. Schwabacher's Landing is one of the iconic places to shoot in the park. I have visited this location numerous times in the park and have been totally shut out. On four of my visits, the mountains were socked in. On two other visits, the National Park Service, in its infinite wisdom, closed down the access road and I was unable to get there. So on this past visit with my buddy Jeff Clow, all I wanted was to get a decent shot of the Tetons from this spot. Jeff delivered big time (okay, Mother Nature also played a big part) and I was able to snag this shot on a beautiful morning. Normally, I might have wished for some nice cumulous clouds, but beggars can't be choosers. This location is often referred to as Schwabacher's Landing, but, in actuality, it is Lower Schwabacher's Landing, More on the lesser known Upper Schwabacher's Landing later this week.
Red Hills Ranch - Kelly, Wyoming
The Red Hills are located just east of Grand Teton National Park and are rarely visited by tourists. The main attraction of this area are the hills, which have a beautiful red color that I believe are caused by mineral deposits. It is an area that I have photographed a number of times. You might ask where they are in this photo, and my answer is that they are not, but rather to my back. On my visits here before I have tried and failed to get a shot looking west toward the Tetons, because, prior to this visit, the haze has always negatively impacted the scene. This time, the haze was almost non-existent, and I was able to get a decent shot. I composed this using both the split rail fence of Red Hills Ranch and the dirt road as leading lines to the top of the Tetons.
Roof Shadows - The Palouse, Washington
There are times as a landscape photographer that I shoot way too wide and sometimes miss an important feature of a scene. Sure, the scene is usually in a wide-angle photo, but so are a lot of other details that confuse the viewer's eyes and they miss the important part. That is why I find myself trying very different compositions of the same scene, trying to capture the "right" one. Why not just shoot the "right" one in the beginning? My answer is that you don't always know which composition is the one until you get home and edit the image. All you know is that something in the scene caught your eye and compelled you to want to take the photo.
For this photo, I took probably 25 shots of this abandoned farmhouse in the Palouse. I took wide shots, tight shots and photos from all different angles and heights. It wasn't until I reviewed the images that I discovered what attracted my eye in the first place. It was the shadows of the roof line and how the sunlight came through the openings in the roof that drew my eye to see inside that window. Had I not varied my shooting, I might never have found what inspired me. My advice is to mimic this behavior and you might realize what drove you to take a photo. After all, shooting digital doesn't cost anything but time.
Road to the Tetons - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
What can you say about the Grand Tetons that somebody hasn't said already? I am usually at a loss when trying to describe their beauty to someone who has never been there. These craggy mountains dominate the landscape and look different from almost every angle. I have visited these majestic peaks many times before, usually in the summer months. I visited the Tetons this past May and I saw them in a different light. As you can see in this photo, they were almost fully covered in snow. I had never seen them this way, and I think that they are even more beautiful with the snow covering. For this composition, I wanted to compose this photo in a way that would make the viewer feel like they were standing next to me when I took it. I thought that using the dirt road as a leading line and shooting a bit wide would accomplish the goal. After I processed the image, it didn't feel as rustic as I wanted it to, so I converted it to black and white. Hopefully, I succeeded in creating the right mood.
Buffalo Fork Cottonwoods - Teton Wilderness, Wyoming
One of the best things about taking a tour with my great friend Jeff Clow is that he always finds a new location that will surprise you. I have been on three photo tours with Jeff in Wyoming, and, on my last one, he sprung this great landscape on me. Just outside of Grand Teton National Park in the Teton Wilderness, the Buffalo Fork River (a tributary of the famed Snake River) meanders through the cottonwoods. While this scene must be beautiful all year round, it is even more so when the foliage begins to peak and the cottonwoods turn a brilliant shade of gold.
Standing on a promenade looking down on this scene, this shows the main reason that autumn is by far my favorite season to photograph landscapes. You can argue forever which area of the country has the best colors during peak foliage season. In my opinion, the only right answer to that argument is wherever you happen to be when you see the change of seasons.
Desert Wonder - Dead Horse Point State Park, Moab, Utah
There are scenes of the American Southwest that evoke great emotion and memories of the old time westerns. I am sure that the scenes that brings out those feelings are different for each of us. For me, the quintessential scene is one from Dead Horse State Park. This small park is nestled next to Canyonlands National Park, which has a great variety of different landscapes. This little park is more of a one-hit wonder, but what a great hit it is. In my opinion, this one scene is better than any one scene that can be found in Canyonlands.
Just looking at the erosion that the mighty Colorado River has created kind of boggles the mind. Standing about two thousand feet above and looking down on this natural gooseneck in the sunrise light brings chills. Add to that the legend of how this place got its name (wild mustangs were trapped there without water and passed away) just takes you back to the 1800's when settlers headed west.
Whatever comes to mind when you first see these iconic scenes of the west, I am sure that it will stir your mind to a time long ago.
Patiently Waiting - Maroon Bells, Aspen, Colorado
I have posted photos of Maroon Bells before and described the unbelievably crowded lake shore that teemed with photographers. Tripod legs interlocking, it was hard to get different composition. It was the peak of foliage season and I thought I would change it up by posting an image of the scene without the mountain reflections. I also changed it up by taking the great color of the foliage out with a black and white rendition. I wasn't sure I would like it this way, but the variations of the tones appeal to me.