Glacier National Park in Black and White

Wild Goose Island

Glacier National Park, Montana

We arrived at Glacier NP late in the day last Thursday. On Friday morning we picked up a rental car so we could photograph along the Going-to-the-Sun Road where RVs are forbidden. The thunderstorms were rolling in and we realized that we were going to have some great mood for black and white photography. It rained off and on for the next eight hours. At times the visibility was down to 30 feet. But..... those little windows with breaks in the clouds were magical.

The result is this posting of my favorite black and white images. Two of the pictures were taken a couple of days later at Many Glacier when we still had some interesting sky and little wind allowing for nice reflections. As these pictures came to life in the digital development tray I could feel the mood unfolding that I felt in the mountains. I hope the magic of this park comes through.

We are off to Waterton Lake, Banff and Jasper in Canada and may not have good Internet connections. This may be our last posting until re-surface in about 10 days.

Thanks, Colby

Mammoth Hot Springs - Abstract Art

Genesis

Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

On our last full day in Yellowstone we visited Mammoth Hot Springs and were taken by the colorful abstract patterns and compositions. The colors, textures, line and reflections playing in the light shining through breaks in the clouds left us dazzled. Here are a selection of our favorites from that day.

For the last six days we have been in Glacier NP and our first dull day offered thunderstorms and great photography. I will try and post some Glacier shots tomorrow. It will be our last chance for awhile as the next day we are off to Waterton Lake, Alberta, Canada and will probably won't have Internet until we return to the States a week or so later. Carol decided that we were too close to Banff and Jasper Canada National Parks to pass them up. As you can imagine I didn't resist!

Can you find Waldo in the picture above?

Have the best summer ever!

Colby

Yellowstone Falls and River Canyon

Lower Falls

Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

We have just left Yellowstone NP and for the first time in a week we have a reliable Internet connection. What a week! It is so difficult to capture the expanse of the park. The caldera of the ancient volcano that erupted over 600 thousand years ago wasn't discovered until it was photographed from space. I felt like we were trying to capture the feeling of an elephant by shooting pictures up it's left nostril. There is no way to be on the ground and stand back far enough to capture the breath of the experience. So we can only present the experience in parts. We are catching our breath .... I mean literally. There is a lot less oxygen at 8,000 feet. I feel ten year younger at 4,000 feet today.

So.... there we were at Canyon Village at every overlook that takes in the Falls and Yellowstone River Canyon. Carol captured the classic view above. The water was flowing well providing solid green water streams over the crest.

Lower Falls - Black and White

This shot in black and white provided me a feeling of nostalgia from a time when early photographers would include park guests in the picture to provide a sense of scale or to entice 19th century politicians to create the parks for their constituency. The sun was just far enough to the west to light up the falls while back lighting the trees.... a nice effect for black and white.

Yellowstone River Canyon

From Inspiration Point, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Looking down river the river has created a nice canyon and the high sun illuminated the cliffs and brought out great color. It is one of the few times in landscape photography where midday sun is the best. It's also nice to occasionally sleep in.



Soon we hope to offer other postings with a few wildlife pictures and another with natures art seen at Mammoth Hot Springs. We are on our way to Glacier National Park for a week of shooting there. Hope you are having a great summer.



Colby

Yellowstone Geysers and Pools

Black Pool Flowing Into Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yesterday we arrived in Yellowstone NP and immediately went off to watch Old Faithful. Afterwards we visited the West Thumb Geyser Basin and saw the scene above. It's amazing to see the geothermal features interacting with a mountain lake.

Today we explored the geysers north of Old Faithful for colors and patterns that moved us. See some of our shots from the day below. We will be in the park for another six days and the we expect the subjects will be varied and special. More later.

Summer 2010 - The Grand Teton National Park

"Snake River Storm"

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Carol and I are on a photo safari this summer visiting The Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks among other wonderful places. The picture was taken at the Snake River Overlook that Ansel Adams made famous with his iconic picture. We waited for hours as thunder storms rolled over us. We were provided with a great show of atmospherics. The picture above was our favorite. To see the picture larger click on the picture. Stay tuned for more to come. The beauty out here is an amazing blessing. Thanks.

Colby

Lake Champlain

Pines on Stony Point

Lake Champlain, Westport, New York

We left Maine Wednesday and had a rainy day of travel to Smuggler's Notch State Park near Stowe, Vermont. The rain didn't stop us from shopping in Stowe but we parked the RV in a down pour at the campsite and the torrential rains kept us inside until the next morning. Not to much photography taken. Thursday we visited the Essex Shipyard on the western bank of Lake Champlain and stayed with friends at their summer home on the shore near Westport, New York. What a beautiful spot. It rained into the night but promised to clear so I was up at dawn and down to the water for the picture above.

Twin Tree Sunrise
Lake Champlain, Westport, New York

What a beautiful morning. These two magnificent trees overlook the bluff above the cove where a few boats swing from their mooring ball. Their shadows played across the lawn towards me and the trees showed nicely in the backlight.

Rustic Guest Cabin
Lake Champlain, Westport, New York

On the property are the remains of two turn of the century guest cabins made from salvaging the wreckage of a steam ship that met its demise off the point pictured in the first picture. The ceilings are held up from the arched beams taken from the knees in the hull of the ship.

Tomorrow we head up to the Adirondacks to camp near lakes at two different parks for the week.

Lily Bay State Park

Flint Clifts
Mount Kineo, Moosehead Lake, Maine

Yesterday was our last day on Moosehead Lake so we decided to take a five hour cruise on the SS Katahdin, a lake passenger and cargo steam ship from early in the last century. It was a beautiful day but the cruise was mid day so the sun was harsh for photography. We had one good opportunity when the ship cruised within 20 yards of the cliffs of Mount Kineo. The water is 100 feet deep right up to the rocks. Carol saw the above cliff with a natural bonsai pine and lichen creating a nice picture.

Glorious Sunset

Lily Bay on Moosehead Lake, Maine

After the cruise and dinner we headed back to our campsite. The sun was beginning to set so we headed for the park beach. I have shot many sunsets and don't usually get the camera out if the late light is not highlighting some features away from the setting sun. As you can see this was different. The show was amazing and grand in scale. This picture was taken with a super wide angle lens (14mm) and the sky was clearly the show. We waited until the show finished and the lights dimmed. All we could say was, "Thank you."

If you would like to see a larger version of the picture click on the image. We are off to Cathedral Pines Campground on Flagstaff Lake, Maine.