First Visit to Grand Teton National Park

coscorrosa

To keep from maxing out (and stop accruing) vacation time, I had to take a few days off, so I decided to go to Yellowstone and the Tetons for four days (first visit to either place), as I'm planning on going during the fall for a few weeks and wanted to get a feel of the place (plus it was a good time to see the baby bison and elk, and the wildflowers would be at or near peak). I made this decision less than 24 hours before leaving

It's about a 900 mile / 13 hour drive from Seattle (about 3-4 times further than my impulse trips to the beaches of Olympic National park). The return trip was about 16 hours on 4 hours of sleep - fun stuff! Totally worth it too. I wasn't treated to any fantastic light for sunrise or sunset (more rain and overcast weather than typical apparently), but I still had fun. I think I got some good wildlife shots too but I haven't gone through them yet.

Anyway, here are some of landscapes from Grand Teton during my brief trip.

#1:



#2:



#3:



#4:



#5:



#6:



#7:



#8:

Qarik

#2 and #8

*takes deep breath*

G*D DAMN!!

thapamd

Stunning! All of them are breath-taking!

dseidman

Outstanding images! Numbers 1, 3, and 8 stand out the most to me. Excellent job on the others as well.

Driving that kind of distance with no real planning is sure impulsive but I'm glad it was worth it. I was wondering where you had disappeared to.

Allan FG

#3 and #8

Really are winners

dlplumer

Incredible series Ron. What a great trip. 4 & 7

squirl033

great stuff, Ron... #3 and 6 are fabulous, but i think #8 is my favorite... love the way the band of fog separates the foreground from the peaks behind...

i was planning a trip there myself this September, till i lost my job, and until i get back to work, there won't be any jaunts longer than those "impulse trips to the beaches"... :cry

ront

Excellent Series Ron!! #1, #2 and #8 are just incredible photos IMHO!!

Ron

Awais Yaqub

Wow clapclap

hawkeye978

Love #6 and 8. Whole series is impressive.

AtlPikMan

Umm, Lets See.... Amazing Shots. That last one is Epic.

Tango

whats this like your 5th vacation this year?

nice series, wonderful drama.

coscorrosa

Qarik wrote:

#2 and #8

*takes deep breath*

G*D DAMN!!

Thanks! I didn't think I would make it to the spot for #8 in time (just after sunrise as I was shooting at Schwabacher's Landing), but I got there just at peak and a few minutes later the good light was gone. #2 was sunset the previous day at Schwabacher's Landing, I didn't have time to make it to beyond the beaver pond (you can see the dam on the far right) where most of the shots from this location are taken before the clouds completely covered the sun. Now I know the places a little better and can plan my time more accordingly.

coscorrosa

thapamd wrote:

Stunning! All of them are breath-taking!

Thanks Mahesh! I stole your idea and shot at Snake River Overlook at sunset

coscorrosa

dseidman wrote:

Outstanding images! Numbers 1, 3, and 8 stand out the most to me. Excellent job on the others as well.

Driving that kind of distance with no real planning is sure impulsive but I'm glad it was worth it. I was wondering where you had disappeared to.

Thanks Danny. Yeah, it was a fun drive. I finally put the nail in the coffin of my car though with all the driving in the last 6 weeks (4000 miles). It's going to be a strange feeling driving a new car that's worth more than my camera bag

coscorrosa

Loud Al wrote:

#3 and #8

Really are winners

Thanks - I shot #3 only to realize that Ansel Adams copied my composition. Out of respect, I'll choose not to pursue legal action but I'm a little miffed to say the least.

coscorrosa

dlplumer wrote:

Incredible series Ron. What a great trip. 4 & 7

Thanks Dan, it was a real fun trip, even though I was learning as I went. I have a pretty good idea now. In autumn, I'll be able to do a lot more close up telephoto type landscapes instead of the wide angle grand vistas from this trip. Should be fun. Hope I don't provoke any grizzly or bison.

coscorrosa

squirl033 wrote:

great stuff, Ron... #3 and 6 are fabulous, but i think #8 is my favorite... love the way the band of fog separates the foreground from the peaks behind...

i was planning a trip there myself this September, till i lost my job, and until i get back to work, there won't be any jaunts longer than those "impulse trips to the beaches"... :cry

Damn, that's too bad. At least we are close enough that impulse trips to the beach are possible (most of my trips this year have been impulse trips to ONP, Rainier, the Columbia Gorge). I've oscillated between having a lot of time and no money to having a little money and no time, and I think I've decided that I like having a lot of money and a lot of time the best even though I've never personally experienced it

coscorrosa

AaronNelson wrote:

whats this like your 5th vacation this year?

nice series, wonderful drama.

Hey pal, that's 5 vacation days I've taken this year. FWIW, I've earned 7.5, so I'm still running a surplus. I have enough flexibility where I can usually work on a Sunday and take the next Monday off for example, and most of my trips have been local (Olympic National Park, Columbia Gorge). The only plane I've been on was a quick trip to Las Vegas (when I went to a wedding and Death Valley).

Oh and thanks for the comment

coscorrosa

Thanks to all for the comments and feedback. It's a nature photographers paradise, with all the great mountain vistas and the crazy amount of wildlife.

schmoo

Ron, I saw that you had posted a Grand Tetons thread and my eyes immediately went like this --> :oogle

And of course you didn't disappoint! Holy sweet light what a trip. I like the way you think, and are glad that you got some time off. Could you have taken a more leisurely trip back to rest if you were dangerously close to maxing out vacation?

coscorrosa

schmoo wrote:

Ron, I saw that you had posted a Grand Tetons thread and my eyes immediately went like this --> :oogle

And of course you didn't disappoint! Holy sweet light what a trip. I like the way you think, and are glad that you got some time off. Could you have taken a more leisurely trip back to rest if you were dangerously close to maxing out vacation?

Thanks schmoo! And the only way I could have had a more leisurely trip back would be to spend one less night in the Tetons so that option was off the table

scole

Again, coming in late but #2,3, & 8 are fantastic.

ridgemac

Great shots!
I'm impressed by the number of great shots in the short period of time you had there!
Thanks for sharing.

Secluded Valley

Beautiful Ron . All of your shots are beautiful. I could never choose a favorite just as I could never choose a favorite spot in the Tetons to photograph from.

Kristine

NorthernFocus

For an impulse trip to a place you'd never been... I have to say, not bad. OK, pretty damn good. Or more accurately, AWESOME Good job

kdog

Beautiful set, Ron. Looks like a worthwhile trip. All great images, but I like the last two best.

Cheers,
-joel

coscorrosa

Places to photograph in Grand Teton National Park
Thanks Christine and Dan!

A few have asked so I'll list some of my favorite spots in the Tetons. I don't claim to be an expert, I was only there 4 days, so this isn't an exhaustive list, but cobbled together based on research and my little experience.

In general, most of the landscapes are better at sunrise as the Tetons will be front lit (with some nice alpenglow). For sunset, you'll have to hope for some clouds and drama in the sky and/or think about B&W as the contrast gets pretty crazy. For autumn I'm hoping to get some more intimate type landscapes that don't include the Tetons themselves and these should be good at sunrise and sunset (and the middle of the day if it's overcast), but for the grand vistas with the Tetons, sunrise is better.

Most of these you can plug into google to find the exact location, they're all within 30 minutes or so of each other.

1. Snake River overlook, this is where the classic Ansel Adams shot was taken. Good place to shoot in the middle of the day with clouds or at sunset (also good at sunrise, but every place is good at sunrise). Shots #1 and #3 were taken here.

2. Schwabacher landing. Great spot to get a reflection of the Tetons, get there early to get your spot before the rest of the huddled photographer masses arrive! This is where shots #2 and #7 were taken. The classic spot is north of the beaver dam about 200-300 yards past the parking. The trail can be muddy and filled with puddles, so be prepared.

3. Mormon Row. This is where that barn shot was taken, off of Antelope Flats road (ignore google maps and your GPS, Mormon Row does NOT connect directly with the main highway). There is a large bison herd along here too which is where I took most of my bison photos. Good spot for pronghorns too (and I also saw a black bear nearby). Just after sunrise is the best as that's when you get the nice golden light on the barns.

4. Pilgrim Creek. This is where shots 4-6 were taken. The peak time for this shot is probably in June when the lupines are in full bloom. There is a dirt road just north of Pilgrim Creek (which sits between Jackson Lake Lodge and Colter Bay), head east on this road a little bit until you get to a service road, and then hang a right on the service road. If you have boots or waders you can walk to the pool and get a nice reflection, or if the wildflowers are in bloom, you can use them in the foreground.

5. Oxbow Bend (I didn't take any photos here). It should be really nice in the autumn though. You can get a reflection of the Tetons is the water is calm. Supposedly a good spot for moose too. Just south of Jackson Lake lodge.

6. String Lake, just north of Jenny Lake. Lots of Teton reflection opportunities here, I didn't get a chance to photograph it at peak time, but I walked along the trail. I saw a grizzly bear nearby.

Howe Creative Photography

Beautiful!!! So pretty!