Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
My photo excursion Saturday was a bit disappointing in terms of wildlife. However, I think this capture helped to make up for it. It was pretty cold on the Great Plains as the sun rose, winter’s effects were still very evident in the frozen lake and the ice covering it. The colors of the sunrise were pretty but nothing overly extraordinary however the cool blue of the clouds and frozen water made for a cool scene. Conversion to black and white really seemed to make this image.
This old stump in Sprague Lake fascinated me for some reason and I had taken a number of pictures of it from a different angle. As I moved around, putting it between me and the morning sun, the waters began to sparkle like shifting stars in the sky. Pretty cool looking scene.
I was heading outside to do some yard work one morning recently when something very bright and shiny caught my eye. Looking closer, I see water droplets from my sprinklers were suspended on spider webs woven in some landscaping rocks. With a quick glance, it almost looks like the droplets are suspended in mid-air. Kind of fun and something a bit different from what I normally focus my lens on.
Red rocks and yellow lilies. I stopped at this spot primarily to look for moose. While none were found, I did however discover why the location is called “Red Rock Lake.” In this natural lake, sitting the cold, mountain water and surrounded by lilies are these huge red rocks. They were undoubtedly deposited there thousands of years ago by geologic forces but seem kind of out of place. Nevertheless, it made for a very pretty, calming scene.
Taken along the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park not long after sunrise. Most folks skip this area of the park but it is very scenic despite the burned trees still remaining from the devastating 1988 wildfire. Elk oftentimes are found along the river as are osprey. This past winter saw a great deal of snow and spring was wet so the landscape, even in July, was lush green. Couple that with the beautiful blue skies and it made for a gorgeous scene.
Taken at Yellowstone National Park a few weeks ago at a waterfall near Sylvan Pass on the park’s east side. The short hike to the waterfall was well worth it as the soft, morning sun shone through the water helping it to sparkle as it splashed at the bottom.
Flowing through many of the geyser basins at Yellowstone National Park, the Firehole River is one of two major tributaries of the Madison River. This image, taken two weeks ago, shows the river as it winds through a gorgeous canyon south of the Madison.
Using a slow shutter speed allowed the water to be blurred and look almost like fabric draped across the rocks. It was truly a beautiful scene and well worth the hike down a small canyon to reach.
This is how we do sunrises in Colorado. Taken this morning at Brainard Lake in Arapaho National Forest – Elevation 10,400 feet. A crisp morning and while the sunrise was gorgeous, I was there on a different mission: Moose! Lots of pics of those to share later. In the meantime, enjoy the view from above. 😉
It took me three sunrises to capture this image last week as smoke from wildfires in Washington and British Columbia was creating a great deal of haze in the sky on the first two.
On the last morning there still was some smoke lingering which you can see but at least it eased enough to get some pretty decent shots. The calm waters of Oxbow Bend allowed the freshly sunlit Tetons to be reflected in the water.
Scroll down for more scenic photos from Grand Teton National Park.
The colors of bacteria in hot springs. Taken at West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park yesterday. The orange area is actual bacteria growth which is pretty amazing given that the clear, blue water is actually at a temperature of over 200 degrees F.
