BetterPhoto Q&A
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Matt Teich		Photography Tips for SHooting Gran Teton and Yello Does anyone know of resource material regarding shooting at Gran Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I will be visiting late August and would like to get as much information on recommended areas to shoot any tips you guys might have and resouce material I can purchase. Thanks Matt To love this question, log in above July 25, 2006

Sharon Day		The Tetons face east so mornings are a great time for shooting the mountains and lakes. Yellowstone has opportunities all day long. Many areas are best in the mornings as well as late afternoon. I like shooting the Lower Falls in the mornings but late afternoon offers better light if shooting the canyon towards the opposite direction. Minerva terrace is a good place in the mornings unless you're shooting towards the buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs. There are great views from Minerva Terrace so I'd like visiting that area both times of the day. Be sure and use a polarizing filter on the thermal pools, but the sky is so blue you really don't need it except for the pools and thermal features like algae. To love this comment, log in above July 25, 2006

- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery		Anybody know the history of the name Yellowstone? Come from gold prospectors or certain kind of mineral deposits? To love this comment, log in above July 25, 2006

Bob Cammarata		You will receive a guide and map of Yellowstone when you enter the park. Avoid the East Entrance. The road there is under construction and major delays are the norm. There are vast areas of fire damage on the east end of the park. In June, the sea of yellow wildflowers contrasted against burnt pine logs offers many photo ops. The North entrance offers access to Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Geyser Basin. These areas are best visited in the morning. Be sure to keep your lens cap on when not shooting. If you get "geyser gook" on your front element it's real tough to get off. Visit the southwest portion of the park and Old Faithful on a weekday early or late in the day...unless you like crowds. A deep blue sky is best for active geysers like O.F. (The water and steam are more visible.) For the animals,...bison and elk wander freely throughout the park. You can take time to watch them and wait for different behavior patterns to manifest themselves. A medium telephoto is fine for these guys but a super-tele in the 400 to 600 mm range will be more appropriate for grizzlies, black bears, wolves and other predators. When photographing wildlife, you'll see what I call "bear jams"...which is when you find a bunch of cars and motor homes pulled over and a crowd of folks with huge lenses pointed somewhere in the distance. This usually means someone had spotted a grizzly and everyone else is pulling over to get in on the fun. Late May to mid June is a good time for photographing young and newborns. You will see many examples of parenting during those weeks. Also, visit LeHardy Rapids. If you're lucky, you can watch spawning cutthroat trout try to leap the falls. It's quite a spectacle. (It takes a quick trigger finger to capture one.) The south exit from Yellowstone leads into Grand Teton. It's true that the morning hours are best to capture the scenic vistas that abound there. Try to visit Oxbow Bend a few hours after sunrise on a calm day...you won't regret it! You can visit my website and check out "An American Journey" to see many recent photos from Yellowstone and Teton. Bob To love this comment, log in above July 26, 2006

Bob Cammarata		This link might provide what you need for your August trip: http://www.yellowstonepark.com/planner/ Bob To love this comment, log in above July 26, 2006

Irene Troy		Hi Matt - I just e-mailed you lots of info, but if you do not receive that e-mail, let me know. Meanwhile, take a look at Bob's gallery - he recently visited the park and has some great images to share. Also, take a look at my gallery for even more images. BTW: as I put together some info for you, I started thinking (danger!!): perhaps BP could start an area on this site where we could exchange info on places we know or have visited and what we think is worth doing and seeing. A photographers forum for sharing our travels with other photographers. Are you listening, Jim, Heather and Kerry? As if you did not have more than enough to do already! To love this comment, log in above July 26, 2006

Sharon Day		Irene, I think that's a great idea!!! I'd love to know where to be to photograph certain places and the best time of day to do so. As an example, last spring we visited the Flint Hills in Kansas and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The buildings face east so morning is the best time to photograph the TPNP if your main interest is in the historical buildings. Another example is the Great Sand Dunes NP. It's a morning place too, but if you're wanting to shoot scenery from the top of the dunes late afternoon would be best. Info like this would be invaluable when planning a vacation. To love this comment, log in above July 26, 2006

Nobu Nagase		Bob seems to have covered just about everything... But I just wanted to add one small attraction... If you take the south exit from Yellowstone NP as Bob mentioned and drive toward Jackson Hole, do remember to stop by a tiny church called "Chapel of Transfiguration" (with a short detour if I remember right). It's a small church built in 1925 with Grand Teton in the backdrop. You can photograph outside with the rustic building in foreground or photograph inside the chapel through a tiny window and capture the rising teton in the distance... I took photos when visited a few years back but unfortunately I was not yet in serious photography at the time... To love this comment, log in above July 26, 2006

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