I spent a week and a half in Yellowstone and Grand Teton this autumn. I didn't make any plans on when or how long I would be at each place so I adapt my trip to the conditions. I was lucky to be in Grand Teton for peak aspen color, which just so happened to be after a fresh coat of snow on the mountains.

Here are some of my favorite shots from or near Oxbow Bend:

Beautiful fall colors. they are all great, but I like #3 the best with the reflection.

#1 is terrific. Great composition and color. Clouds and dusting of snow are icing on the cake. When were you there, and what lens for this shot? Nice work.

Gary

All beautiful renditions of amazing scenes. I especially love the reflections in the second shot.

Wow, these are all great shots Ron. What excellent colour in #1. Beautiful sky colour and reflection in #2. #3 is the money shot for me, it's a classic!
David

mgmoogk wrote:
#1 is terrific. Great composition and color. Clouds and dusting of snow are icing on the cake. When were you there, and what lens for this shot? Nice work.

Gary

Thanks Gary. That shot was taken October first in the early afternoon (actually on my way down from Yellowstone, I was scouting without intending to take photos but couldn't resist). The lens was a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS, the focal length on this shot was 170mm on a full frame body.

Thanks for the comments everyone, I swear that in all the hours I was at Oxbow the water was calm enough for a reflection for only a few minutes The first shot was taken at the pull out about 1/4 mile down the road from Oxbow.

Super work, #1 is my favourite of this fine set. Just the right combo for the composition I think. The little bit of colour on the distant hill just draws the eye into this one

Rob

These pictures are almost overwhelming in their clarity and color. The fill the senses (and they're sized perfectly for display here). The photography does justice to the magnificent scenery. Not that the lens is the key factor, but I think you just sold a bunch of f2.8 zooms.

Lovely set, Ron. A joy to view.

Barry

Images like these make clear why I'm jealous of you folks over there in the U.S.: opportunities like the ones on display here just don't happen in my neighborhood! Especially #3 is stunning. Job well done!

First and last are over the top. Well done.

Best,

Jose

Great set of images - for me the first one is the real prize winner but that last one is close behind.

Very nice work.

Alan

The 2nd one is sweet ! Lots of creative cropping options exist. I would be tempted to crop the sky because the foreground has stronger color and contrast between the blues and the magenta/pink tones.

pjbishop wrote:
These pictures are almost overwhelming in their clarity and color. The fill the senses (and they're sized perfectly for display here). The photography does justice to the magnificent scenery. Not that the lens is the key factor, but I think you just sold a bunch of f2.8 zooms.

Thanks!

Of course when the shot doesn't work, it's the equipment, but when it does work, it's the photographer I usually use a 16-35 and 24-105 for the majority landscapes, but when I need something longer to compress the scene, all I had was a 100-400 which is OK but the optical quality (at least on my version) isn't as good as the other two lenses. The 70-200 is really nice though, I'm sure the f/4 is fine (and a lot lighter!) for landscapes but the 2.8 allows me to use it for portraits and approachable wildlife too.

Emile Gregoire wrote:
Images like these make clear why I'm jealous of you folks over there in the U.S.: opportunities like the ones on display here just don't happen in my neighborhood! Especially #3 is stunning. Job well done!


Well believe me when I say I'm fully aware at how lucky I am to be close to scenes like this. It was a bit of a revelation when I drove to Yellowstone and realized it only took 11 hours (from Seattle). That means I can make impulse trips there by taking a Monday or Friday off from work. Same goes for Grand Teton which is only a few hours further, and Glacier/Waterton which is closer than both (but I haven't been there yet - on my list!). Then of course the North Cascades, Olympic National Park, Rainier, and the Columbia Gorge are all easy day trips. There is no shortage of stuff to shoot in this part of the country, I just wish I had more time to shoot it!

alichty wrote:
Great set of images - for me the first one is the real prize winner but that last one is close behind.

Very nice work.

Alan


Thanks Alan, the first is my favorite of the series too.

abhijeeth wrote:
The 2nd one is sweet ! Lots of creative cropping options exist. I would be tempted to crop the sky because the foreground has stronger color and contrast between the blues and the magenta/pink tones.

It's funny you say that, I was playing with cropping options quite a bit on that one and couldn't bring myself to crop out any of it, as I liked the clouds and the reflection and didn't want to throw any of them away, even if it may have improved the composition or overall photo. Maybe when I come back in a few months I will be more willing to sacrifice one or the other

Again thanks to everyone for the comments and feedback. There's a good chance I'll be back there next autumn as well (and maybe then all the roads in Yellowstone will be open!).

I love this set. I can't choose a favorite. The color is really good in all of them.

Ron

Just stunning the contrasty colors in #1 is just gorgeous as is the reflection in #2, beautiful work, man you logged on some serious miles this summer.

Ray Still

Abiciriderback wrote:
Ron

Just stunning the contrasty colors in #1 is just gorgeous as is the reflection in #2, beautiful work, man you logged on some serious miles this summer.

Ray Still

I did! Here's the GPS report from the Yellowstone/Teton trip (which I diverted to Zion/Death Valley when the forecast turned bad):

Hey Ron,

Max speed of 115mph? What do you have wings on your car?

A very sweet series of shots. I did a similar thing last year where I went up there for a little over a week and did not have a single reservation, simply going where the opportunity presented.

My favorite of the group is #3. I really love that look of the fall colors and that angle on Oxbow.

Jim

coscorrosa wrote:
Abiciriderback wrote:
Ron

Just stunning the contrasty colors in #1 is just gorgeous as is the reflection in #2, beautiful work, man you logged on some serious miles this summer.

Ray Still

I did! Here's the GPS report from the Yellowstone/Teton trip (which I diverted to Zion/Death Valley when the forecast turned bad):

Abiciriderback wrote:

Dude Max speed 115 I thought you bought a new larger vehicle to spread out in not a rocket

Ray Still

Why must they be mutually exclusive? When you're behind three huge trucks along a two lane Nevada highway and there's no room to pass in between them because they're all tailgating each other this is what you have to do Also, I like how the GPS stops keeping track of time at 100 hours...