The Temptation to Wrap up the Trip 


It was early September and the final day of our ten-year anniversary trip that began with a visit to Grand Teton National Park followed by 24-hours in Yellowstone. We had been awe-struck by the soaring Tetons, stood at dawn (coffees in hand) watching the sun rise on Mormon Row slowly lighting up the distant mountain, hiked miles into a massive gorge carved out by an ancient glacier, taken in the geothermal wonder of Yellowstone, and had seen a wide range of wildlife along the way.


As a photographer, you really can't beat the natural beauty this volcanic corner of Wyoming has to offer. It's rugged, wild, and dramatic. However, on our last day of the trip and with a nearly full memory card, I felt like I hadn't quite captured an image that really conveyed what Yellowstone was all about - the wildlife existing freely as they have for thousands of years in one of America's last truly wild places.


Sure, I had photos of Bison, a Fox, an Elk, an Eagle (from about a mile away) but they all felt static and uninspiring. More of a "Documentary" shot that said "Yep...that's a Bison." More reactionary than intentional. And on the last full day of the trip, mostly satisfied with the images I had captured so far, we packed our bags and made plans to head to the airport the following morning.


However, later that night, I pitched my case to Katie for us to make an early morning drive through the massive sub-alpine valley famous for its diverse range of wildlife known as Hayden Valley (it was on the way to the airport, after all) to see if we could capture something truly special...


She was less than thrilled for another early morning wake up call (are we those kind of vacation people??), but agreed - "Okay, let's do it."

Set Your Alarm, We Ride at Dawn!


No one could argue with our initial plans to sleep in, have breakfast, and hit the road for home on our last day. We were physically exhausted from miles of rugged hiking, bodies sore and aching. We had woken up before dawn several mornings to capture incredible images available only in the Grand Tetons like the sun rising over Mormon Row changing the mountains to a gentle shade or purple, or a herd of Bison rising from their slumber to start the day, (which mostly entailed grazing and the occasional Bull Fight). And to be fair, I had already captured incredible images and was mentally plotting out the pages of the photo book I'd create when we got home. However, something was tugging at me...what if "that shot" is still out there? A Grizzley bear, a wolf, an Elk bugling, or something else we hadn't seen yet. The temptation to sleep in at our hotel in Canyon Village and hit the road was no match for the call to get back out one last time and try to capture something epic.


So, we agreed...one more alarm. One more early morning. One more shot to see what's out there. Our destination? The vast wilderness area of Hayden Valley at dawn.


And We're Off!


In early September, the sun rises between 6:00AM-6:15AM in Yellowstone...which means if we wanted to grab coffee and get out the door in time to reach Hayden Valley at sunrise about 20-minutes away, we'd need to be up at 5AM. Ugh!!


5AM alarms go off. We grunt. We groan. We debate calling it off and giving in to the sleep we both needed. Eventually, we muster the mental and physical strength to get out of bed and start the day. Suit cases, camera bags, tripods, all in the car. Coffee? Check! And just like that, we're on the road for Hayden Valley.


I didn't know what we'd see. The night before, we overheard other hotel guest say they had just seen wolves in Lamar Valley at the park's northern edge. Wouldn't that be amazing? Or maybe we'd see #399, the area's famous Grizzly Bear also known as the "Queen of the Tetons" (who tragically was hit and killed by a car in Grand Teton not long after our visit - just a profound loss). I did know, however that our best chance to see anything was just after sunrise when the wildlife is typically the most active.


The sun was rising as we departed our hotel in Canyon Village and made the winding drive down to Hayden Valley. Almost as soon as we arrived in the area, I noticed several cars had stopped on the side of the road with their occupants out and looking toward the Yellowstone River. If you've ever been to Yellowstone, you know a traffic jam like this is a good thing!


I pulled over, hopped out to see for myself, and began to witness one of the most incredible scenes unfolding before me.


The rising sun was beginning to illuminate a cloud of steam rising off the gently flowing Yellowstone River. The hills to the East provided enough foreground shade to allow the backlit steam to visually separate from the hillside like a curtain, giving it an even more dramatic effect. It was a cool morning with sparkling dew coating the grass on either side of the river. Looking into the river itself, I saw what everyone else saw; a large Bull Bison forging the river, his head and back barely above the water with the steam rising and leaving a rippling wake in his path. THIS was the moment I came to Yellowstone for...and I was there to see it up close.

Capturing the Moment


I was very excited, to say the least...so much so that a million thoughts of how to capture this moment raced through my mind. I had one chance but many options. Do I take tight shots? Focus on the eye? Zoom out and get environmental shots to capture the whole scene? Where do I stand? Off to the side? Dead on? Do I shoot wide open and maximize shutter speed? Or slow it down and trace the motion? Video? Instagram LOVES video...maybe this is the reel that finally lands me Instagram fame! (200 views later I can confirm Instagram fame was not in my future).


In the next 3-5 minutes, I did it all. And at times, I did nothing at all...just sat there watching this 2,000 pound beast gracefully swim across and emerge from the river, with a dramatic sunrise scene taking shape as if nature itself had staged a performance of morning light and rising mist just for his crossing and the twenty or so people who got to share that moment. 


Of the images I captured, the cover image of this blog is my favorite. An Environmental Shot showcasing the Bison backlit by the rising sun and a veil of mist morning from the river as he emerged on the bank, steam rising from his back, and making his way for the grazing grounds to the West.


What began as debate to sleep in and be content with the photos I had that week, ended in pure elation in our decision to give it one more go...and to go back out there and see it for myself. Even Katie agreed it was worth it 😉