Author: Brad
Fall in the Tetons
My favorite time of year is almost here, Fall in Grand Teton National Park. There are almost unlimited landscape photo opportunities with the Aspen and Cottonwood trees turning gold, against the backdrop of the majestic Tetons. The light stays warmer longer, and the skies are a deeper blue. Animals are much more active as the temperature cools, and can be very accessible. Fall is the perfect time of year for a Grand Teton wildlife tour. The first big wildlife event of the Fall Season is t...
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The Top Ten Photos of 2018 from Jackson Hole Photography Tours
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! After a busy December, I’ve had a chance to edit some photographs and reflect on the 2018 season. The following ten are some of my favorites from last year, and not necessarily for the technical aspects of the pictures, but rather the experiences and moments that led to the creation of the images. I’d also like to thank all of you who joined AlpenGlow Tours last year, and I hope that 2019 brings you some outstanding photo opportunities...
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Grand Teton Wildlife Tours – Grizzly Bears
Photographing Grizzly Bears Spring is one of my favorite times to offer Grand Teton wildlife tours, for this season gives us the best opportunity to photograph Grizzly Bears. While we've had plenty of snow this winter in the Grand Teton area, the bears are now coming out of hibernation. The Grizzlies tend to remain in a smaller area to conserve energy while searching for food, and I expect them to be accessible until mid June. In my opinion, the Grizzly is true symbol of the American West. T...
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Jackson Hole Wildlife Tours – Great Gray Owls
Photographing the Great Gray Owl Of all the animals I encounter during my Jackson Hole wildlife tours, the Great Gray Owl has to be one of my favorites. Although they are not common, once located they can be very cooperative subjects. The Great Gray Owl is an ambush hunter, and will stay on their perches for extended periods of time while listening and looking for prey. This behavior can give photographers more time than usual with birds to capture some nice portraits. Once I feel that I've ...
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Winter wildlife tours in Jackson Hole
A favorite time of year, winter wildlife tours in Jackson Hole can offer some unique opportunities. To begin with, the animals are much easier to spot! With a heavy blanket of snow covering the valley and the trees being leafless, the wildlife "pops" off the landscape. The stark snowy backgrounds can also help to isolate the animals in the image by creating some nice negative space. While we do have more overcast days during the winter months, this can provide for some nice, even light on ...
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Photographing Grizzly Bears
Historically, April and May are the best months for Photographing Grizzly Bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As the snow melts and the temperatures begin to climb, the bears emerge from a long hibernation. Although we have had some unseasonably warm weather and there have been confirmed sightings of Grizzlies already out in Yellowstone, I expect that the region will receive some more snow and that the majority of the bears will emerge in early April. Grand Teton and Yellowstone Natio...
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Yellowstone in the Winter
Yellowstone in the winter is simply an amazing experience. I've just returned from a six day tour of the park with two excellent photographers from England; the trip was everything that I'd hoped it would be. We started by taking a snowcoach from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful, following the Madison River. The coach stopped for every wildlife photo opportunity, which included three locations of Bald Eagles, Trumpeter Swans, Elk and Bison. After two more stops at Fountain Paint Pot and Bl...
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Jackson Hole Fall Colors
Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and the Jackson Hole fall colors are amazing right now! The valley is full of yellows from the Cottonwood and Aspen trees, contrasting nicely with the greens of the Pines. The cool nights and bright days we've had in September have brought the colors to a peak, and the occasional thunderstorms bring some dramatic lighting to the area. Just south of Jackson, the Snake River Canyon and Palisade Reservoir have an abundance of reds among the hillsides...
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Yellowstone Photography Tips
My clients often ask about Yellowstone photography tips. Other than getting out early and staying out late for the best light, one of my best tips is the proper use of different filters. A circular polarizing filter is quite useful for increasing contrast in the sky and also for enhancing colors. I like to use this filter when shooting the hot pools in Yellowstone; it can really make the colors pop. Polarizing filters have the greatest effect when the sun is at a 90 degree angle to the su...
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Jackson Hole Photographers
Along with some other Jackson Hole photographers, I've been doing more night photography lately. With todays cameras, capturing the beauty of Grand Teton National Park under the stars has never been easier. I use a variety of different flashlights to lightpaint different subjects, from a small headlamp all the way up to a 1 million candlepower spotlight. After setting the initial exposure for the sky or stars, I'll then experiment with the length of time the subject is painted. Do some exper...
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