I just finished up my first ever “Winter in Yellowstone” tour. It was a joy to see the park covered in snow. The last few times I was in Yellowstone it was either in the fall or in the summer. I also hadn’t been to Yellowstone in many years, so it was great to get back.
One of the main shots that I was after was the bison walking towards me in the snow, fully covered in frost. I know that is a classic shot that has been done to death, but I really, really wanted one of my own. For this trip it was not to be, even though we had a perfect opportunity on our first day…
Overall, we had really bad luck on the snow coach portion of the trip. However, when you set out to photograph wildlife, and you are not baiting your subjects the sightings can be hit or miss. That is part of the thrill of a true wildlife adventure. You just never know what will be around the corner.
Being in a snow coach allowed us to see the park in a way that many never do. There were times that we were the only ones around. On one day in particular, the winds were blowing at least 40mph with snow being blown all over the place to create a total white out. That day was special, it started with a lone bison covered in snow, ice, and frost. I took several different shots and changed my position and focal length often. I could have stayed with him for hours except that my fingertips and toes would not have made it. The outside temperature was -16 degrees Fahrenheit.
One of my favorite series of shots and most memorable experiences from the trip was the day we spotted two bull moose in a hoarfrost covered meadow. They were fairly young and did some mock sparring over and over again. We had to trek out in knee deep snow to get within shooting distance; it was like being a kid on a snow day!
During the trip we spent a lot of time in and around Lamar Valley and Gardiner concentrating our efforts on wildlife. However, the snow-covered trees continued to beckon me. On a few of our shoots I spent time framing out frosted tree scapes. Many of the trees in the park are Lodge Pole Pines. They looked like tall, thin Christmas trees that were heavily laced with snow. I decided to create a small series of high-key trees scapes from Yellowstone.
Bighorn sheep were in abundance, and we saw several full-grown males (rams) with 360 horns (horns that have created a full circle) fighting over a small, timid female that looked scared to death. I felt so bad for her. She climbed up next to a rock in hopes that the large males could not get to her. Over and over, they caught and chased her and each other. It was exciting to watch and even more fun to photograph. However, it was cold as heck, but the warm van awaited us with snacks and heat.
Photographing in the snow can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you are not doing it every day. There are other things to consider than just the exposure. Your shutter speed may affect the look of the snow, especially if your shutter speed is slow. I like to vary my shutter speed and experiment with different looks.
Overall, I enjoyed my time in the park and will most likely go again next year if I can find the time. I do wish we had been able to find wolves that we could photograph but at least we saw about twenty altogether.
In this post I have included a few of my favorites (a small portion of my images) from the trip. At the end of the post I put two of my favorite high key trees shots that I worked on. I’m in Death Valley right now checking out conditions for my group that are coming in on the 15th. I hope to share more soon.
