OUT WEST #29

Little Rock Creek, Wind River Range, Wyoming

Our last destination in the mountains of western Wyoming was the Wind River Range, an approximately 100 miles long part of the Rocky Mountains. We pitched the tent for three nights in Sink Canyon State Park, west of Lander, WY. These mountains are not so well known by the public as for example the Tetons or Yellowstone, but there is no lack of interesting geology and beautiful nature. We went on hikes and traveled off the beaten path by car, but time was too short to explore more than a small area of the range.

Wildfire smoke, Louis Lake Road, Wind River Range, Wyoming

One reason why I didn’t shoot a lot of wide landscape views was the fact that the impact of wildfires created a certain haziness, even if the fires were far away. The photo gives you an idea…

Mule Deer, Red Canyon, Wyoming

Finding wildlife is not very difficult in the Wind River Range, there was always a Pronghorn or Mule Deer somewhere, but when we saw this doe with her two fawns on a rock ledge in the Red Canyon near Lander, WY we had to stop and make the click. Mountains Lions are not uncommon and are a great danger for the young Mule Deer and this spot was obviously a good place to have control over the terrain for the mother.

Least Chipmunk, Popo Agie Falls, Wyoming

The Least Chipmunk is smaller than the Eastern Chipmunk that lives in our woods here in eastern Iowa. In areas that are more frequented by people, like along the hiking trail that leads to the Popo Agie Falls, the chipmunks have not much fear and can be easily photographed within the range of a 200 mm lens.

OUT WEST #27

At Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

This photo was taken at the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. My subject wasn’t the spring itself, like in my earlier post OUT WEST #17, but the surrounding area with its beautiful patterns and subtle tones. When I made the shot I had actually a black and white version in mind for the final image but now, back home in front of the screen, the color version appeals to me as well. I may post the B&W version at a later time. I still think about the final outcome…

OUT WEST #25

Moose, Gros Ventre, Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

We are not big fans of large campgrounds but there were a couple reasons we chose Gros Ventre at the Gros Ventre River for our stay in Grand Tetons National Park. First its location, with easy access to many good viewpoints, and second, it is known for the presence of moose nearby.

And yes, we watched four moose every morning. They were easy to find, we just looked for other people with big tripods, cameras, and long lenses…😉

There was a lot communication between the big animals going on, vocal and as well by body language, in particular the ears. At 8:30AM the show is almost over, they disappear and lay down in the grass between the sage brush and willow thicket and rest.

OUT WEST #24

Oxbow Bend, Grand Tetons, 2007, Nikon D200, Sigma 18-50, f/2.8, @35mm (equiv. to 52mm FX)

Ok, I’m cheating a little bit today and show you first a photo that I made already in October 2007. The fall colors were at their peak and the Grand Tetons had the first layer of fresh snow. Not so much the second picture from September 2018. Some leaves just started turning their colors and only the summits of the Tetons had some snow and that was probably from the last winter season. There was also a certain haziness in the air because wildfires were burning east of the mountains. With all that in mind, and again no clouds within reach, I was looking for a foreground that would add some scale and interest to the photo. When we saw these horses along the road I knew I had my picture.

It was interesting to pull out one of my old RAW files from Oxbow Bend, which I never had processed previously, and apply the tools of my current post processing workflow. Comparing results I still believe the NIKON D200 was a great camera but I can also tell that the lens, a Sigma 18-50 / f2.8, was not as sharp as the lenses I own today. However, for me it’s another proof that there is more than just the gear to make a good photo.

Grand Tetons, 2018, Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200, f/4. @110mm

OUT WEST #11

Red-tailed Hawk, North Tongue River, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Two photos today that mark one of our best moments with wildlife in the Bighorn Mountains. After a long day, with early morning photography, a nice hiking tour, and scouting for moose and other critters, we stopped at the small parking lot where scenic and not very busy highway 14A crosses the North Tongue River. This is prime moose territory, with lots of small willows along the river and still full of leaves that moose like to eat. While we looked out for moose and mule deer some other hikers pointed out this Red-tailed Hawk, perching on a fence post. First the bird was too far away, but suddenly the hawk flew closer to us and perched on another post. It was clear it was on a hunt for ground squirrels or mice and didn’t pay too much attention to our presence. After a few minutes it changed location again and was even closer as before. 

The camera went on the tripod quickly and I was shooting away in the killer light before the sun sets. Although the sun was very low already the light was still very intense. I knew I had a great opportunity in front of the lens and didn’t want to screw this up. Exposure compensation was between -0.7 and -1 EV in order to keep the details on its bright chest. The hawk was concentrated on its hunting efforts and posed nicely for about thirty minutes. Ones in a while he took off but always returned to another fence post. On its last take off the Red-tailed Hawk flew right at me, as he almost wanted to tell me, you had your chance dude, I hope you used it…!

Nikon D750, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head

OUT WEST #10

North Tongue River, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

I was asked if I had anything new in my photo bag during our recent trip. Nothing big, except for one piece of accessories that helped me to solve a problem with my landscape photography that had bugged me since awhile. I finally added a 77 mm, 1.8 Solid Neutral Density Filter (6-stop) from Breakthrough to the “tool box”. I have experimented in the past with cheaper ND filters for long exposures and one reason I never used them very often was because I didn’t like how they rendered the colors. There seemed to be always an unwanted color cast. I can tell you, the Breakthrough is the cleanest filter I have ever used. I was wondering if a screw on filter with 6-stops can still be used with the camera’s auto focus. And yes, you can!

At North Tongue River, near our campsite in the Bighorn Mountains I had plenty of opportunities to test, play, and have fun with this piece of glass. With moving water every picture turns out a little different, but selecting the one I like to show here in the blog was not influenced by lack of quality due to an unwanted color cast.

One of the things I realized during these long exposure shots is that I payed a lot more attention to composition. Having the camera on a stabile tripod is mandatory and really taking the time to envision how the blur of the water may impact the final image led to results I’m quite happy with. Most of the time during our vacation we had a blue or sometimes hazy sky. I was hoping to have a chance experimenting with fast moving clouds but this has obviously to wait for another time…

Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200mm / f4, Breakthrough X4 ND filter 1.8 (6-stop), Induro GIT 404XL tripod, KIRK BH-3 ball head, VELLO wired remote switch,  @200 mm, 6 s, f/25, ISO100

OUT WEST #9

Sunrise in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

This week I like to introduce you to one of our favorite mountain areas during this trip in regards of wildlife and landscape. We have crossed the Bighorn Mountains, located in north central Wyoming, twice before on our way to Yellowstone National Park in 2005 and 2007. Every time we said, oh, we need to come back to this area. Well, it took a long time, but we finally returned and spent a few days in these beautiful mountains that are not on the average traveler’s agenda.

These cliffs were near our campsite at the North Tongue River. We were at this overlook the day before around late morning and it was clear to me that the photo deserved a better time. Next morning we were on site around sunrise and the picture envisioned the day before became a reality…

Nikon D750, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4G ED VR, @145 mm, 1/50 s, f/10, ISO100