National Park Tips – Yellowstone

National Park Tips – Yellowstone

Right now I’m about halfway through my stay at Glacier National Park. At some point in the future, I will write a post with tips for this park. But, as the summer vacation season reaches it’s peak, I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences at different National Parks in hopes that it may help you maximize your enjoyment when visiting these magnificent places.

I spent some time in Yellowstone last September and these are a few of the things I learned regarding photography, and just spending time there in general.

Above Grand Prismatic Spring

Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Prismatic Spring is the third largest hot spring in the world, so big it’s visible from space. The striking colors of the pool match the dispersion of light found in the rainbow.

1.) Give Yourself Plenty of Time

This is by far the most important thing to keep in mind when visiting Yellowstone. The park is vast! If you only have a few days, then you might want to pick a few of the sights you want to see and save the others for another trip. I was there for only four days and it felt like I spent most of my time driving from one place to another. When you look at the map and distances between places, DOUBLE the amount of travel time you think you will need. Thousands of other people are trying to get to the places you are trying to get to. Add to that road construction and wildlife delays, and the drive ends up taking far longer than you imagined.

Yellowstone Falls in the Mist

Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on a misty, rainy autumn morning.

2.) Stay Where You Play

This is a tip I stole from an RV blog that I read, and it goes hand in hand with tip #1. There are four major “hubs” in Yellowstone. In each area, you will find campgrounds, hotels, shops, and restaurants. Mammoth in the northwest corner is an area of geothermal activity, rivers, waterfalls and canyons. Elk regularly wander through the village. The Norris/Madison area is also surrounded by geothermal wonders and in close proximity to Old Faithful. In my experience, this is the most crowded area of the park. The West Thumb/Fishing Bridge area is where I stayed on my visit. Fishing Bridge has the only full-hookup RV sites in the park. The area is adjacent to Yellowstone Lake and there are good wildlife viewing opportunities north in the Hayden Valley and east toward the Bighorn Pass. The Canyon Village/Tower area is the place to be for access to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, numerous other waterfalls, and the closest hub to the more remote Lamar Valley wildlife viewing opportunities. Keep in mind that you will likely see wildlife throughout the park, but certain areas provide better odds for certain species. Here is a link to a map that will give you an idea of how these places are situated.

Bison at the Yellowstone River

A wild bison browses near the bank of the Yellowstone River at Sunset. Herds of bison are ubiquitous in Yellowstone National Park in Northwestern Wyoming.

3.) Bring a Telephoto Lens

If you want to photograph wildlife, especially the large animals such as bears, bison and elk, you will need a long lens. With all the stories in the news lately about people getting too close to wildlife, I can’t emphasize this enough. Even if you happen to find yourself in close proximity to a wild animal, you put yourself and the animal in danger by lingering to take photos. When I visited, I observed too many people getting too close to wild animals, including bears. Stay back and zoom in.

Grizzly

A large adult grizzly bear in the forest at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

4.) Slow Down and Enjoy the Wonder

Again, this relates back to tip #1. If you don’t give yourself enough time, you end up being one of those stressed out, speeding, tailgating drivers who endanger the wildlife and other drivers. There will be times when you will get stuck in a “bison jam.” There will be times when parking lots are full and you can’t go where you wanted. Relax, take a deep breath and look around you. The place is amazing, even if it didn’t go exactly as you planned.

Orange Spring Mound

Yellowstone’s Orange Spring Mound is a large travertine mound created by the buildup of dissolved minerals, pushed to the surface by the geothermal activity of Mammoth Hot Springs.

5.) Get Up Early

Especially if you want to visit some of the more popular sights, like Old Faithful, you will find they are less crowded early in the morning than later in the day. As a bonus, the natural light for taking photos is generally better either just after sunrise, or just before sunset. This is more of a general tip for all National Parks and all photography, but it is worth mentioning.

These are just a few of the things I learned during my visit. If I go back, I will likely try to spend a few days in each major area, rather than try to see it all from one base. Or I will plan multiple trips focused on certain areas. A place as vast and full of wonder as Yellowstone cannot be fully appreciated in a hurry. Instead of trying to see it all, decide what you want to see most, and spend some time lingering. You’ll be glad you did.

Questions and comments are always appreciated.

From salmonberry to trillium. The journey so far.

From salmonberry to trillium. The journey so far.

I realized recently that it’s been almost exactly five years since I decided to go down the photography road. In the spring of 2009, I was surfing the internet trying to decide how to spend my income tax refund. I had always wanted a good camera, and vowed to get one when my little Nikon Coolpix died. Problem was, it refused to die. Then I thought, why do I have to wait for my camera to break down before I can get a better one? That day, I ordered a Nikon D60 with a 28-55mm kit lens. My first DSLR. Little did I know at the time, that decision would change my life.

The day it arrived, I was so excited! As soon as the battery was charged, I was outside with it.  I had no idea how to do anything besides put the dial on “auto” and press the button. I just knew having a good camera was the key to good photos. At the end of the day, I uploaded my photos to the computer to see how much better they were going to be than the ones from my old camera. That day, I learned two things. One, it’s not the camera that makes great images, and two, I wanted to be a great photographer. Since that day, I have been relentless in my pursuit. I’m not even close to being a great photographer yet, but five years seems like a good milestone to reflect back from.

Over the next few months, after I got my hands on that first DSLR, I began to understand not only what it means to be a great photographer, but how much effort it takes. I had to learn what aperture means, what ISO is, and how they combine with shutter speed to produce exposure. I had to learn what focal length means, what depth of field is, and how to determine hyperfocal distance. I had to learn what metering is, how to do it, and the differences it makes. If doing this well meant I had to read my camera manual a dozen times, I was there. If it meant taking a class to learn how to use Photoshop, I was there. If it meant getting up before the sun to catch the light at a particular place, or missing dinner to catch the sunset at another place, or lugging a tripod with me on a five mile hike to get a shot of a waterfall, I was there. If it meant trying, and trying, and trying again before I finally got the result I wanted, I was there.

I thought it would be fun to share some of those early photos here, and compare them to more recent images. Here is a flower I shot back in 2009:

Salmonberry

Salmonberry

I had no idea where the focal point was, I let the camera decide. Apparently, it decided the front of the leaf should be in focus, not the flower. Here is a more recent flower:

Trillium ovatum; pacific trillium; purple; flower; moist; wet; rainforest; dew; water; drops; droplets; delicate; small; green; yellow; fern; moss; beauty; beautiful; flora; nature; natural; Loree Johnson

Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum)

One of my first attempts at a beach sunset:

Pacific Sunset

Pacific Sunset

At that point, it’s easy to see that not only was focus eluding me, but exposure as well. Here is a recent beach sunset:

four mile beach; santa cruz; california; ca; long exposure; surf; wave; formation; formations; waves; tide; tidal; rock; rocks; water; sun; sunset; cloud; clouds; sand; sea; seascape; sand; ocean; pacific; bay area; scene; scenic; nature; natural; evening; afternoon; dusk; twilight; reflect; reflection; ocean; beach; Loree Johnson

Sunset at Four Mile Beach

Over the past five years, I’ve upgraded the camera twice and acquired various lenses, filters, tripods, software, and other gear. I can say for sure that getting a new piece of kit doesn’t make me a better photographer. It generally gives me more options, or allows me to overcome certain limitations that I ran into. But, with each new thing, comes a whole new learning curve and new challenges. I spend more hours doing this than I ever spent doing a full-time job. Then again, photography is more to me than a hobby or a fun way to fill my leisure time. It’s my life, my purpose, my passion.

In 2010, I decided to give wildlife photography a try, since wildlife is so abundant in this area. However, my first attempts at it were so awful that I didn’t even keep any of the images. All I could find were some images from 2011:

Eagle in Flight

Eagle in Flight

It was mostly trial and error since I had read so much information on the internet, I didn’t know what to believe. The above eagle was shot at 1/800, f/5.3 and ISO 100. The one below was shot at 1/2000, f/7.1 and ISO 1000:

on the wing; wet eagle; american icon; Haliaeetus leucocephalus; bald eagle; freedon; liberty; fierce; patriotic; patriotism; patriot; raptor; bird; fierce; talon; talons; wing; wings; feather; feathers; in flight; fly; flying; rain; drizzle; overcast; weather; winter; wild; wildlife; nature; natural; tail; predator; wingspan; underneath; under; in; and; the; a; on; over; to; of; with; under; above Loree Johnson

On the Wing

There was a time when I would look at work by great photographers and say to myself “I’ll never be able to do that.” Now I look at a great image and ask myself “what do I need to learn in order to be that good?” There was a time when I would see a great photograph, and set out to create one like it. Now I see a great photograph and set out to create a better one.

I could come up with many more examples of the progress I’ve made, but suffice to say, I’m getting there. Maybe someday I will be a great photographer. Or maybe I will die trying. Either way, I can’t imagine a better way to spend my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the “rules”

About the “rules”

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs”–Ansel Adams

When I became obsessed with photography, sometime in the spring of 2009, I wanted my photographs to be better. I wanted to learn how to make magic with my camera, but I didn’t know how. I spent many hours researching, reading, learning about photography. And in my zeal to learn how to make better images, I unknowingly adopted some of the “rules” that other photographers so adamantly preached. Looking back, I see how those rules helped, but I also see how they hindered. We all want to know the formula for making spectacular images, but in my experience, there is no formula. Knowing how the camera works is essential, knowing how the light works is essential, but strictly following rules only stifles creativity.

wet eagle; american icon; Haliaeetus leucocephalus; bald eagle; freedon; liberty; fierce; patriotic; patriotism; patriot; raptor; bird; fierce; talon; talons; wing; wings; feather; feathers; in flight; fly; flying; rain; drizzle; overcast; weather; winter; wild; wildlife; nature; natural; tail; predator; wingspan; underneath; under; in; and; the; a; on; over; to; of; with; under; above Loree Johnson

Fierce Eagle

I remember the first time I wanted to attempt to shoot eagles at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge. I was selling microstock photography at the time, so I posted in a forum on one of the microstock sites asking for advice. Most of the responses were discouraging. I was told I needed tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear. I was told the only way to get good, close photos of eagles was to spend hours hunkered down in a blind. I was told most of the good eagle photos you see are either shot in captivity, or with the aid of bait. I’m glad I didn’t listen. I’ve found that with patience, persistence, and a bit of luck, photographs of eagles can be done without all of those things. The photo above was shot from my car in the pouring rain.

Mount Shasta; Mt. Shasta; Heart Lake; hike; climb; high; white; snow; alpine; reflection; reflect; mirror; water; mountain; magnificent; high; crisp; cool; steep; blue; sky; cloud; peak; wild; wilderness; elevation; silence; peace; nature; natural; scene; scenic; Loree Johnson

Heart Lake

Some of the rules I learned for landscape photography were, never center the subject, and always shoot during the “golden hour.” (An hour after sunrise, or and hour before sunset.) The image of Heart Lake was shot in mid-afternoon on a sunny day. There are also many landscape photographers who insist that graduated ND filters and circular polarizing filters are a necessity. While I keep a polarizing filter in my bag, I rarely use it. And the set of GND filters I bought is in a box of stuff I never use, having tried them two or three times and discovering that blending exposures in post processing works much better for me and gives me a lot more control over the result.

sunset; ocean; beach; grass; bright; sea; weeds; orange; red; sky; rocks; sun; pacific; oregon; northwest; nature; landscape; photography; scenic; beautiful; natural; beauty; photograph; outdoors; outdoor; landscape; photo; scenery; scene; picture; clouds; loree johnson

The Pacific Ablaze

But I have to say, the most important lesson I’ve learned over these past five years is–persistence. If I don’t get the shot I want, I try again. If the “rule” doesn’t work for me, I break it. It took me nearly three years to get an image of the full moon rising over Lake Siskiyou with Mount Shasta. I went back to the same spot dozens of times, and failed to get the shot. But, I kept trying, and eventually I got it! And for me, the satisfaction of that is better than any award, or prize, or sale. So my advice is to listen to the rules, take them into consideration, but don’t get so caught up in them that you can’t break them. Because you will never know what you can do if you always follow the rules.

moonrise over the lake at mount shasta; full moon; winter; lake siskiyou; mt. shasta; mountain; moon; lake; december; sunset; reflect; reflection; frigid; cold; alpine; glow; blue; orange; long nights; scene; scenic; nature; natural; california; ca; northern; siskiyou county; water; mirror; night; dark; Loree Johnson

Moonrise Over the Lake at Mount Shasta

 

 

 

 

 

How did editing photos become a bad thing?

How did editing photos become a bad thing?

Have you ever taken a photograph of something you saw as beautiful only to be disappointed later when you looked at the actual image? I would guess that nearly everyone has had this experience. When it happens, you end up apologizing with phrases like “you really had to be there” or “photos just don’t do it justice.” This is the main reason why I edit and manipulate photos. I want to present an image of the scene the way I saw it, not necessarily the way the camera recorded it. Yet, often I read comments like “too bad it’s Photoshopped” or “that’s not how it really looks,” as if editing a photo is something that shouldn’t be done. In fact, even the word Photoshop seems to have become a negative. Now I understand if you are an editorial photographer capturing images to illustrate a news story, it would be dishonest to manipulate the image. But why do some people hold fine art photographers to the same standard? Isn’t art supposed to be about the vision of the artist? In the words of the late Ansel Adams: “The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance.” Many people rightfully respect Adams’ skill as a photographer, yet not many like to acknowledge that his images were highly edited and manipulated.

Image credit: ALINDER GALLERY

Image credit: ALINDER GALLERY

This is a photo of Ansel Adams with his famous image “Moonrise” next to the same image as captured on the film negative without manipulation. Would the image on the left have been as collectible and highly sought after as the image on the right? I doubt it.

These days, the RAW file is the equivalent of the negative, and the darkroom has been replaced by software, but the transformation is the same. Photographers who aspire to be artists must develop not only the skills required to properly capture a photograph, but also the skills to properly develop the image. This is where the artistic vision is revealed. While some images take many hours to be developed to my satisfaction, others take only a few minutes. But, it is a fact that none of my photographs are what would be considered “straight out of the camera.”

Mount Shasta; Mt. Shasta; Little Shasta Church; Little Shasta; Shasta; church; spiritual; holy; religious; mountain; sunset; glow; alpenglow; autumn; fall

Shast Alpenglow with Historic Church

My goal in editing an image is to convey my vision of the scene, and with any luck, some of the emotion I felt when I was there. It is never to mislead or “pull one over” on anyone. I’m not ashamed that my photos are edited, in fact, I’m rather proud of they way they turn out.

Saint Johns Bridge; St. John's; bridges; Willamette River; steel; suspension; green; gothic; depression; Portland; Oregon; OR; Rose Festival; Linnton; tall; tallest; Cathedral Park; lamp; post; posts; gloomy; rainy; span; construction; architecture; beauty; beautiful; cloud; clouds; storm; stormy; water; Loree Johnson

Gothic Lamp and Bridge

So, if you wanted to ask, I will save you the trouble. Are my images edited? Yes. All of them. Some are “more” edited than others, but every single one is edited and no image I post is ever straight out of the camera. And that’s because it’s my vision, not the camera’s, that makes it uniquely mine. I hope you enjoy my art. Oh, and if you really want to know how any particular image was made, I will be happy to share. Just ask me.

 

 

 

Patience and Persistence

Patience and Persistence

Continuing with the theme of things I’m grateful for, these two attributes were not apparent in my personality before I became a photographer. At least not to the extent they are now. I do have to say, however, that patience and persistence are not always looked upon as positive, especially by the unfortunate souls who happen to be with me when I am stalking a shot. There are times when photography is best practiced as a solo activity. Non-photographers usually have a hard time finding the joy in waiting for just the right moment, or going back to the same locations dozens of times in hopes that the light will finally be right. For example, the three friends who were with me when I captured this image all went back to the car, while the mosquitoes dined on my arms and legs. I mean really, am I going to let a few itchy welts stop me?

CA; California; Loree Johnson; Shasta; abandoned; barn; big; blue; building; cabin; cloud; clouds; field; glow; grass; green; large; mount shasta remembers; mountain; mt.shasta; old; ranch; scene; scenic; shack; sun; sunshine; trees; valley; weather; weathered; wood; wooden

Mount Shasta Remembers

Then of course, there’s Burney Falls. A lovely waterfall, which is a two-hour drive, one way, from where I live. Knowing that cloudy days are usually the best time to photograph waterfalls, I have headed down there several times when the sky was overcast, only to find that it was sunny and clear when I got there. Most people just don’t get my disappointment at clear skies and sunshine! But, after many discouragingly sunny trips, the clearing clouds and intermittent sun finally combined to give me something unique.

sunshine and mist; the most beautiful waterfall; refreshing beauty; wall of water; burney falls; waterfall; waterfalls; spring; water; rock; rocks; moss; covered; mossy; close; closeup; section; part; flow; flowing; McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park; California; CA; Shasta County; spectacular; big; large; splash; mist; cool; clear; pure; nature; natural; scene; scenic; northern; spray; Loree Johnson

Sunshine and Mist

Likewise, I visited this spot on the shoreline of Lake Siskiyou dozens of times in the hopes of capturing the moonrise over the mountain reflected in the lake. On this particular afternoon, I saw that a storm was brewing and realized there was little hope of seeing the moon. But, I decided to go anyway, on the off chance that the clouds might clear and give me a glimpse of the full moon. Alas, it wasn’t in the cards that the moon would show. Instead, I was treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets I can remember. Again, persistence paid off, but not in the way I expected.

beautiful turbulence; Mount Shasta; Mt. Shasta; mystical; powers; sunset; volcanic; volcano; glow; cloud; clouds; snow; snow-capped; peak; swirl; swirling; lenticular; storm; pink; sun; red; mountain; California; CA; evening; dusk; twilight; Siskiyou County; trees; tree; forest; sky; dramatic; scene; scenic; nature; natural; Loree Johnson

Beautiful Turbulence

Photographing wildlife also takes patience and persistence. Wild animals rarely cooperate with the photographer, posing the way you’d like them to. Eagles are particularly stubborn and tend to just sit there and stare at you, even when you are willing them to fly with all the telepathic energy you can muster. And when they do decide it’s time to take off, they usually fly in the wrong direction. I have an ongoing joke about all the photos I have of “eagle butt,” taken as the eagle flies away from the camera. Only once in a great while do they fly towards you, and you better be ready!

animals; bald; bird; eagle; eggs; feather; female; flapping; guarding; male; nest; parents; predator; protecting; raptor; roost; soar; woodland; american; rare; fly; mate; pair

Bald Eagle leaving the nest

Sure there are times when luck plays a part. But, mostly it comes down to either waiting patiently, or trying again–and again. So, for nearly all the places I’ve photographed, I can’t wait to go back again and get a better shot, even if I was lucky the first time. And, if you go out on a photo shoot with me, you probably want to bring along something to read.

Zion National Park; Utah; storm; clouds; rock; rocks; cliff; red; orange; trees; weather; sandstone; desert; southwest; canyon; fog; mist; sky; beauty; nature; natural; scene; scenic; beautiful; Loree Johnson

The Storm Clears

 

 

 

 

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