Exploring the Tetons

Exploring Grand Teton National Park and chasing images in the day and night.  After a couple of nights in Yellowstone, I moved camp south to the neighboring Grand Teton National Park.  I had several areas picked out for sunrise images and some locations I wanted to do some night photography.

Having waited until the fall I knew the Milky Way would be more in the southwest and west in the night sky which would open up some options to do some of the classic views of the Teton Range at night with the Milky Way beyond.

I was hoping to do Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher's Landing, Snake River Overlook, and maybe a few other spots.

All of those locations are great in the morning.  They could also be good at sunset if there were clouds.  Finally all of them would work with the Milky Way too if it was clear.

As always with landscape photography there is the weather factor and it could be clear or cloudy.  I was prepared for both and hoped for the best.

As luck would have it I was able to photograph several locations and get good light at sunrise, some Milky Way images, and then have some good hikes.

Sunrise is always a good time for the what the first light will bring to the Tetons and this trip was no exception.  Even on a mostly clear day, low fog made for a great shot of the Tetons.  I also caught a rainy morning at Schwabcaher's Landing with great soft light.

The Milky Way images worked out too with night images of the Tetons over Jackson Lake, Schwabacher's Landing and Oxbow Bend.

As always the park had a lot of people and the famous overlooks can be crowded, so while I will visit them, I often go looking for more solitude and had a spot along Jenny Lake all to myself for a sunset in the rain one day and a night of Milky Way images another.


The Tetons also let me make good use of differing lenses.  My favorite night lens is the fisheye but the 24mm and 55mm lenses worked well to bring the mountains closer and make the Milky Way bigger in the frame.

After four nights there I was exhausted from the long days and being up half the night chasing the Milky Way.  I had several very good images from the trip and had seen some amazing sights.