"Chasing Winter's Beauty: A Photography Adventure Through Yellowstone"
Last summer, I visited Yellowstone National Park for the first time and instantly fell in love with the park. From the breathtaking views to the magnificent wildlife, there’s always something new to discover. I was fortunate enough to participate in a winter snowscape field seminar with the talented photographer Kevin League. It was an incredible opportunity not only to learn new photography skills but also to pick Kevin's brain about his craft. I arrived a day early, and from the falling snow and the crisp winter air, I could tell this trip was going to be something special. The seminar was hosted by Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that is the official partner of Yellowstone National Park.
Anyone who has visited the park in the summer will tell you how beautiful it is. However, in my opinion, the park's beauty in winter surpasses that of summer. Not only is the park less crowded, but there’s something magical about cresting the hill coming in from Gardiner and seeing Mammoth Hot Springs blanketed in snow, with steam rising from the terraces. Walking along the boardwalk feels like stepping into another world. After admiring the hot springs, I made my way to the historic Lamar Bison Ranch, where the seminar would take place.
After checking in and settling in, the adventure began. One of my favorite parts was getting to speak with Kevin and improve my photography skills. While the weather didn’t cooperate perfectly for winter landscapes, we made the most of it. Kevin, along with our guide Scott Wolf, took us on an adventure where we learned about the park’s history. On our way to explore Mammoth Hot Springs and the park’s north entrance, we encountered my first experience with snow-covered bison. The snow had been falling since the night before, and we observed the bison as they dug through the snow in search of grass to eat.
Next, we visited the Upper Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, starting with Canary Spring. This was when I had the opportunity to showcase my photography skills. A single dead tree poking out of the snow, along with steam rising from the springs, created a landscape that looked almost cinematic.
On our way back to the Bison Ranch, we stumbled upon a mother moose and her calf feeding on vegetation in a snow-covered clearing. Although I had seen moose before, seeing them in the snow made them seem even more majestic. After watching them for a while, we moved on to see what else the park had to offer. Our search for wildlife and landscapes continued, and to cap off the day, we spotted three bighorn rams on a rocky ledge. We watched as the rams effortlessly navigated the snow-covered rocks. We then returned to the Bison Ranch and began planning for day two.
On day two, we began before sunrise and headed to "Little America" to capture some sunrise landscape shots. The spot did not disappoint, and once again, my eye for composition was evident. There were three perfect locations for a sunrise shot. The first was a shot looking east down the Lamar Valley, where a solitary tree stood, providing a strong focal point for the image. The second was a group of sagebrush with an unobstructed view of the sky behind it, making it the ideal spot to practice a new technique Kevin had taught us: focus stacking.
After photographing the sunrise, we were informed about a moose sighting nearby, so we headed over to photograph the moose. We spent about an hour observing a young moose, and I patiently waited for the perfect shot—a moment when the moose walked under the branches of a tree. When I finally captured the image I had envisioned, it turned out exactly as I had hoped.
We then explored the northern range of the park and embarked on a small snowshoe trek up Pebble Creek Canyon. Snowshoeing through the snow-filled canyon and breaking trail was an unforgettable experience. During the hike, I nearly lost my 200-500mm lens when the mount on my harness came undone and the lens dropped into the snow. Thankfully, the lens survived the fall and remained unscathed.
That was the last major photography opportunity we had, as another storm was approaching.
Overall, this field seminar was an amazing experience that deepened my love for Yellowstone. Photographing the park in winter was something I will never forget, and I’m already planning another trip to Yellowstone next winter. I also plan to take another field seminar with Kevin League this fall for a Yellowstone Fallscape. I look forward to working with Kevin again and capturing the park during my third different season.
