Bison & Grizzly Confrontation

Encounters like this are what make Yellowstone an unforgettable place. Whenever two species or individuals are interacting it is a magical experience. All you have to do is capture it.

Blue

The last of this week's series on color and the last shot of cranes flying for awhile. I'm working on a video of crane activity in the morning, however it's currently twice the length of my usual minute movies so there is some serious editing to do before it is published.

Green

Hold that thought! It will be a memory for a few months. Recorded at Seven Mile Creek County Park, Nicollet County. This park will be closed for the season starting next April. It may be the last color a visitor will see in the park for a long time.

Orange

Recorded at Crex Meadows where the sky can have incredibly intense color. Depending on the weather it can also be very, very flat. We were driving into Grantsburg at the end of the day and the sky became this phenomenal color, needless to say supper was postponed.

Technical: WB 6k, Saturation +2. The color almost exactly as seen.

Yellow

During autumn leaves make the tree. In a few short weeks textures and branches will be its signature. This small tree will once again be hidden under its larger neighbors.

Sunrise Over Lake Sakatah

I was roaming southern Minnesota lake country and stopped to watch the sunrise.  The tranquil scene was taken from a conveniently located boat landing.

Technical: cropping to 16X9 to emphasize the tree line. WB@6k

Clouds over Crex Meadows

Earlier this week I spent an afternoon and morning  at Crex with Gary L. While waiting for cranes to come in at sunset these clouds caught my attention. 

October Sky

I missed the fluorescent pink and red dawn clouds but arrived in time to see hundreds of blackbirds flying from one feeding site to another. I am awestruck by the apparent ease these huge numbers of birds fly in tight formation. Another question, "Who decides when the flock should take flight?"

Autumn Detail

While photographing fall colors this single leaf caught my attention. I was drawn to the simplicity of the contrasting colors. To me the leaf says "autumn" as much as a brilliant maple tree draped in autumn leaves. Photographed at Minneopa State Park, Blue Earth Co., MN.

Minneopa Color

For some reason fall colors also draw me to water. Minneopa State Park has both so yesterday I went on my annual fall visit. There are now bison in the prairie section of the park but the gate is closed during best photo times so I'll wait for a good atmosphere day to try my luck with them.

Dawn's Early Light

The quiet of the Lamar Valley at this time of day is only occasionally broken by vehicles heading out to wolf watching sites. The light and quiet make it worth getting up early and arriving ahead of the crowd.

Technical: HDR capture, blending in Lightroom 6. 

Mother Moose and Calf

On one of the last mornings in Yellowstone we were able to watch this moose pair for a few minutes. Our attention was called to them by another visitor who had spotted them on the way into the Park. We quickly parked, got our gear, and watched from a distance. The quiet of the morning was unbroken and our whole world was in this little corner of the meadow.

Feeling Small

Standing among the cottonwoods, in the middle of Lamar Valley, in the Yellowstone National Park after sunrise on a September morning. From the road the valley is vast, from this perspective not only is it vast but I also felt very small.

Tower Bridge

Most visitors go down the hill to see Tower Falls. A much easier walk is upstream to see the bridge. The rushing water drowns out any vehicle noise and the low water levels make it a great place for contemplation. It's one of many hidden gems in Yellowstone within sight of the road.

Technical: HDR using Lightroom6

The other rut

The elk rut gets the most attention because of their aggressive behavior in Mammoth. The other rut in September is more subtle but no less energetic with antelope bucks ripping sage and high speed chasing of rivals. Antelope are also more civilized and begin their activity well after sunrise.

Morning in the Wild

My last post was of an intimidating bull walking toward me on the parade ground in Mammoth. This bull was on Swan L. Flat heading toward a solitary cow. While head shots are nice this seems much more intimate with me peaking over the sage. Now that I am back in Minnesota with internet access I'll be posting daily until the images run dry and fall color begins here.

Technical: All wildlife images are stills taken from C100 video footage.Only two wildlife images were taken with the Canon7D and both were pitched. My transition to wildlife video is about 99% complete.