Our landscape photography tutorial has taken us from Colorado to Wyoming to Montana, and we have filmed in some amazing locations along the way. Cell coverage is hard to find in this area of the country, but there is no shortage of beautiful landscapes to photograph. After packing up and heading out of Grand Teton National Park, we took a short detour through Yellowstone on the way to Montana. This was the first visit for both John and I, and it did not disappoint – I wish that we had more time to spend in such an amazing place! Still, with our filming schedule, we had to make the most of the couple of days that we had.
The day that we arrived in Yellowstone, we spent a few hours driving around and seeing the highlights. Photos can hardly show the vivid colors in a place like this – they are far more intense than you would think. As fun as it was to see Old Faithful and other dramatic geysers, my favorite sights were these colorful thermal pools. Because of the bacteria that feeds in the warm water, these pools can be bright yellow to orange in color, which is a striking contrast to the dark blue water. Places like this are made for photography, and we weren’t the only ones who thought so – some parking lots were so full that people had to walk more than a mile to reach the hot springs!
NIKON D800E + 20mm f/1.8 @ 20mm, ISO 100, 16/10, f/11.0
A running theme of our landscape photography trip is that we have seen a range of interesting animals along the way, too – this just as well could be a wildlife photography video! In one of Yellowstone’s orange thermal pools, a Baird’s Sandpiper started walking around and posing for some photos. We also saw a bald eagle, an osprey, and – of course – a huge number of bison. This area of the United States is wonderful for wildlife photography.
NIKON D800E + 70-200mm f/4 @ 200mm, ISO 180, 1/800, f/4.0
Our trip is about landscapes, though, and that’s what we saw the most. On the morning we left Yellowstone, we woke up early to photograph the sunrise at West Thumb. The clouds were incredible, and the cold air meant that we saw a lot of mist from the thermal pools. This view is not something I will forget!
Now, we are near Glacier National Park to film the rest of our landscape photography tutorial. Yellowstone was a great place to visit and clear our heads, but we’re back to business for the next couple weeks. Hopefully, we will have more photos and stories to share along the way!
The post On the Road: Traveling Through Yellowstone appeared first on Photography Life.
