Category: Best of the Tetons

A monthly journal of wildlife reports, scenic opportunities, and tidbits for both photographers and Teton visitors!

Recent Daily Updates Archives:
2015: Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2014: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug: | July: | June: | May: | Apr: | Mar: | Feb: | Jan:
2013: Dec: | Nov: | Oct: | Sept: | Aug:

April Overview:

April is a month of transitions—and this April is off to a record start! Most people I speak with suggest the valley is at least a couple of weeks ahead of normal. Normal is a relative term, of course. Going into the month, much of the snow on the valley floor has melted. Animals are already on the move! Click here to view April of 2014, then click on March 2015 and you should get a good idea for the beginning week or two of April 2015. Here are a few quick notes: 

• The Inner Park Loop Road is closed to vehicle traffic until May 1st. You can walk, hike, bike, or roller blade the road during April.
• Access to some of the normal “hot spots” will be limited. Schwabacher Landing will not be open until May 1 along with a section of the Moose-Wilson Road.
• The valley is waking up early this year. Grizzlies should be visible beginning in early April. Carry bear spray!
• Elk, Bison, Bighorns, and Wolves are migrating north out of the National Elk Refuge. Moose are visible in many areas right now. This is a great time to see wildlife.
• Most of the large game animals will be shedding their winter coats and may look “shaggy” for a while. Bucks and bulls will likely have lost their antlers.
• Some birds like Trumpeter Swans will be migrating out of the valley, while others like Osprey will be moving in.
• April is a good month to photograph the Teton Range with it’s full blanket of snow.
• Watch for an eclipse in the on the first weekend. To start the month, sunrise will be a little after 7:00 am and sunset will be between 7:50 and 8:00 pm.

Important Winter/Spring Links

• Best of the Tetons : Start Here!: This page will give you a good overview of the earlier Feature Posts
• Helpful Links and Resources: Weather Reports, Web Cams and Ski Reports have links in the right navigation bar, but this page has many additional links.
• Winter Closures: Many areas are closed during the Winter months. Click the link, scroll to the Winter section and look for the Winter closure maps.

Hybrid Photography & Fly Fishing Trips in GTNP: I’ve been offering One-on-One Photography Excursions for a while. For those trips, we get up early and I drive the client(s) around the valley looking for good light, great landscape opportunities and wildlife. I do all I can to help them with their photography. These new hybrid trips cost a little more, but it adds a special new twist. We get to do photography and fly fishing. More importantly, we get to float down the Snake River to access areas of the park most people never see. I am teaming up with Snake River Anglers for these trips. They are licensed fishing guides in GTNP and know the river very well. Here’s the link for regular One-on-One Photography Excursions.

Oldie But Goodie Post of the Day

Pretty In Peach: The Historic Stucco House on Mormon Row: Antelope Flats Road opened early this year, giving us vehicle access to the Mormon Row homesteads. This house was built John and Bartha Moulton. The barns and some of the outbuildings got a bit of a facelift last summer. The road south is currently barricaded, but you can easily make the short walk to the T.A. Moulton Barn and additional homesteads.

 

Most Recent Feature Post: While Most People Were Sleeping:

This post contains a variety of night shots taken over the past six or seven years. They all have a little artificial light added. It’s not really a dedicated “Light Painting Tutorial”, but more of a page of ideas to get your juices going if you like being out at the same time stars are passing overhead.

April 2, 2015:

Last night, I stayed up until midnight working on this new Feature Post: While Most People Were Sleeping: I was tired this morning and opted to stay home. If things go well, I hope to make a drive up to Oxbow Bend this afternoon to look for Grizzly, Fox, and Otter activity. It has been a while since I was there and I am sure the snow levels will have dropped in the region. In the southern part of the park, I am sure more of the big game animals are working their way north and towards their summer zones. Check back later for any updates!

April 1, 2015:

Hairy Woodpecker:

Photos and reports coming. For now, check out the daily updates of April of 2014 and March 2015.

April 1st is “Gaper Day” at the JH Mountain Resort. They’ll have gusty winds and highs around 42°F. The high mountains should get a new layer of snow from this front.

Blood Moon this weekend (via the Weather Channel). Another lunar eclipse is on tap for this weekend. The next one will not happen for 16-17 years. NASA’s chart for April 4.

Poonan Parihar Photography: I followed a back link to this blog to Poonan’s site. Her photos are “world’s apart” from what I do here, due primarily to her unique subject matter.  I believe you will enjoy them as much as I did. She has a wonderful “touch” and an inspired artist’s eye. MJ

Miss Rocky: Not long after I took this shot, I loaded up and did a “South Park” loop. I checked the Swan Pond at Boyle’s Hill. The ice has melted completely and swans are now swimming very close to the fence. The biologists added a couple of new feeders close to the parking area. A few of the Trumpeter’s were wild, while 18 or so are captive (damaged wings, etc).  I counted a couple of dozen Trumpeters and quite a few Mallard Ducks. After leaving the Swan pond, I continued the loop on South and then back to the highway looking mainly for foxes, plus show shoe hares, ermine, and so forth. Here’s a link with more info about the Trumpeter Swans of Boyle’s Hill.

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Size and Scale Relationship at a Fixed Focal Length.

In August of 2013, I created this post: Distance and Scale Relationships in the Tetons (and elsewhere) In that post, I captured images with a 70-200mm lens until I got close where I changed to a 24-70mm lens. I created a slideshow that illustrates how the barn appears to grow and the mountains shrink as you get close. In those images, I adjusted the zoom of my lenses so the mountains and barn filled the frame at about the same proportions. Click the link above and watch the slideshow and you’ll see what I mean.

Today, I returned to the barns for a slightly different approach. Using a Nikon D800 full frame camera and the same 70-200mm lens, I took a series of six images, all at 70mm. I could have used my 24-70mm for the same effect. To confirm distances, I used a “rangefinder”. I set up at 180 yards from the barn and waited for the morning light. I shot at ISO 100 and F/9 for all six images.

70mm at 180 yards: ISO 100, F/9

70mm at 150 yards: ISO 100, F/9

70mm at 120 yards: ISO 100, F/9

70mm at 90 yards: ISO 100, F/9

70mm at 60 yards: ISO 100, F/9

70mm at 30 yards: ISO 100, F/9

Observations: First, light was much better today than in my first post! The “teaching moment” in both sets of photos is the relationship in size and scale of two fixed objects—based on how far you are away from the closest subject. In this case, the mountains look huge when back 180 yards, yet appear to get smaller as I moved closer to the barn. Conversely, the barn looks small in the scene at a distance, yet appears to grow as I moved closer.

When set up at 180 yards, it might be possible to get a similar shot to the 90 yard shot by using a zoom lens and zooming to the appropriate focal length. A telephoto capture will compress a scene. This image taken at 102mm. It is possible to—as some people might suggest— “get lazy” and compose from one spot using a zoom lens. It is also possible to use the same technique for creative captures. Personally, I like the options available when using a zoom lens.

This image was taken at 200mm from a different angle. I like the look and feel of the distant trees resulting from the tight telephoto capture.

380mm: I’d have to go back to get distances, but the fence row is probably 160 yards from the road and homestead buildings are another 160 yards. Even with the morning fog, these building are amazingly compressed. At 70mm, the buildings would have been very small in the scene. If I moved a lot closer to the fence row, the fences could have been very large and overpower the buildings.

Old Faithful: There are numerous ways of photographing Old Faithful. I could have been on the front edge of the boardwalk and use a wide angle lens. There wouldn’t be much in the way of clues to establish the scale of the geyser.  I could have been at the back edge of the boardwalk with the same wide angle. The people would fill much of the frame and the geyser would appear smaller. In this case, I moved quite a bit farther back and shot at 98 mm. If back twice as far and letting the steam fill roughly the same area, the people would be much smaller, making Old Faithful appear much bigger. I included this image to illustrate the effect is NOT limited to the barns at Mormon Row! Or the Old Patriarch Tree! You have so much more control, whether by moving in and around with a fixed lens, or by zooming in or out with a zoom lens and moving closer or farther from the closest subject. And, it works with an iPhone, tablet, or point-and-shoot camera!

Please Help! If you like what you are seeing here, please click on the Social Media link/icons below and help me spread the word! Mike Jackson

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Cut essentially from the “same cloth”, both seek solitude and beauty.

Over the years, I’ve met many photographers who were also avid fly fishermen. It seems the proportion of people sharing both passions is abnormally high.

“Trout don’t live in ugly places.” I can’t remember where I heard this quote, but it stuck in my head when I heard it. We moved to Jackson Hole back in 1986 for exactly the same reason. We wanted to live in some place best described as “beautiful”. The Grand Teton range rises from the valley floor not far from my home in town. There’s not a better backdrop!  Jackson Hole has some of the best wildlife and landscape photography in the U.S. and some of the best fishing to boot! If that’s not enough, within a relatively short drive, I can be in Yellowstone or other “Blue Ribbon” fisheries.

Many of the people I’ve met come here for the same opportunities. Some are quite serious about both! Getting up long before sunrise wouldn’t phase either. Neither would staying out late into the nigh. Both “hope” for a fantastic day, yet are more than willing to accept only a good day. On days when the fish aren’t biting or the light and clouds are not cooperating, they are will to concede the day was still great if only because they got to spend it outside in such a beautiful place. Standards are not etched in stone, you know!

Most fly fishermen and photographers become good at either by paying attention to details. Fly fishermen are watching for hints of a pending hatch. A swirl in the water can indicate fish are seeing and feeding on tiny insects floating under the water, while noses out of the water might indicate they are feeding on flies in the surface film. Bubbles after a take can mean they are taking flies on the surface. A photographer, tuned to the surroundings, might be changing lenses or settings simply because they heard the distinctive honk of a nearby Trumpeter Swan. They can be clicking off shots while others are just beginning to change lenses. A photographer might drive by an area and notice peeled branches where a porcupine has been feeding. Most people would drive by and never see the clues—much less know to be looking for the barbed critter.

Cutthroat Trout aren’t generally known to be early morning feeders. Perfect! A photographer has a chance to take images of the morning sunrise and even a few moose before the first hatch. On most days, the water warms slightly around 10:00 am to even 11:00 am, initiating an insect hatch. Fishing can be great for an hour or two. During the heat of summer, terrestrials like grasshoppers can get blown into the water and bring nice fish to the surface. As the sun drops in the sky, photography usually gets better all the way to sunset. Caddis flies typically emerge later in the day, sometimes at sunset. It’s the one time of the day when the photographer/fisherman has to “pick a side”. For me, a fiery sky trumps rising fish!

Solitude and Beauty: Most photographers and most fly fishermen I’ve met have spent time on the ski slopes at some point. They’ve chosen the solitude of a babbling brook and vista views over feeling like cattle being herded into chutes on the mountain. It’s not that they are anti-social, but simply made a lifestyle choice that suites them better. I am a “catch and release” fisherman. In some areas, like in GTNP, that’s a requirement. There are a few areas of the valley that allows taking a couple of fish within certain size slots. Aside from those places, a fisherman normally comes home “empty handed”…and usually with a few less flies in the vest than when they left. They bring home memories of the day, some of which have a tendency to grow in size over time. Photographers, on the other hand, normally come home with a card full of images that permanently document their outing—for better or worse. The antlers can’t get larger, but the details of how difficult it was to get the shots can get hazy or embellished over time!

 A Green Drake hatch can bring big fish out of the shadows and feed with reckless abandon. A decent cast with the right sized fly on the line often yields great results. Those days don’t happen too often, so when a fisherman gets to experience one, they’ll remember details of the day for a long time. Timing is everything! I experience much the same feeling when I see a big bull moose approach a stream in evening light. They stop to take a drink and then slowly make their way across the stream. With every click of the camera and every step the bull makes, I know in the back of my head it is an experience to be treasured. Once the bull disappears into the brush on the other side, I get to take a deep breath and understand why I live here and why I make it a point to be out as often as I can! >>MJ

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Light passing through clouds, trees, over mountains, and filtered by any of them can enhance an otherwise “basic shot”.

If you are lucky, and if you are patient, Mother Nature offers up occasional fleeting moments to a ready photographer. Light, gets all the attention. It’s the “star of the show”, but shadows are equally important, working hand-in-hand. The dynamic duo of light and shadows can make even a basic photo pop. This page contains just a few of these magical moments I’ve captured over the years.

John Moulton Barn: June 16, 2014. Shadow Mountain is partially lit behind the barn.

Oxbow Bend: October 20, 2009. Many people set up at Oxbow Bend long before sunrise, but on most fall days, the “keeper” shots happen when early morning light hits the bank of aspens.

Mormon Row Bison: Aug. 17, 2014. I’ve always liked this shot. Common wisdom would tell you most people will look at the object with the most contrast, but I’d almost bet the first bison you looked at in this shot is the bigger bull with the dust lit by the morning light.

Sleeping Indian: Jan. 22, 2012. I think this shot needs the band of light across the bottom. It was taken from Spring Gulch Road.

Washakie as the Fog Lifts: Sept. 19. 2014. This was taken along the Gros Ventre one morning as the fog lifted and as the sun cleared the eastern mountains.

Boar’s Tusk: July 15, 2012. The Boar’s Tusk is located northeast of Rock Springs. I took quite a few shots that day. In some, the rock was lit while the background was dark. I picked this one with the formation still partially in shadows and the distant prairie in filtered light.

The Meadows at Arizona Creek: Sept. 10, 2006. Camas grows in this meadow during the early summer. The Native Americans harvested the bulbs there from the purple flowering plants. Other bulbs in the same area were poisonous, so they knew to take only the flowering bulbs.

The Murphy Homestead: July 7, 2012. Taken on a late afternoon of the northernmost barns along Mormon Row.

Bison: Aug. 11, 2011. I took this one from the Gros Ventre Road with Death Canyon revealed behind the larger bull.

String Lake: Oct. 1, 2007. Taken very early one morning during the peak color.

Murphy Barn and Homestead: March 15, 2015. Taken from Antelope Flats Road. I waited until the clouds passed over the buildings and onto the flats behind them.

Morning Fog: Sept. 28, 2009. Gold morning light hit the area south of Oxbow Bend, allowing each layer to become more diffused. This isn’t exactly the same as some of the other banded light, but I included it here because of the layering effects.

Blacktail Butte: Oct. 1, 2013. I took this shot from Mormon Row one morning, looking West.

Bull Moose: Oct. 22, 2014. Instead of clouds, cottonwood trees cast long shadows in this scene.

Mount Leidy: Oct. 2, 2009. I took this shot from the Oxbow Bend area late one evening in the fall. “Look up, look down, and remember to look behind!”

Morning Bison: Aug. 19. 2014. I took this image early one morning looking east from Mormon Row. If there are fires in the area, sunrise and sunsets shots can be dramatic. Again, this shot is not as much about bands of light as bands of color resulting from filtered light.

Most of these images were captured either early in the morning or late in the evenings. Light is usually rich and interesting—casting long shadows onto the landscape and across the subjects. Watch for days with broken clouds and get out there!

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