I'm sure some of you know that I have a love affair with Glacier National Park. I've spent dozens of weeks in the park over the years trying to do it justice with photographs. There are so many spots that I have on my wish-list to photograph... last week I was finally able to check one off.
Cracker Lake has been on my radar for many years now, but I never got around to photographing it before now due to a few variables... but namely the long hike in the dark through the most active Grizzly territory in the park. Towards the end of a workshop I was leading I was joined by one client-turned-friend Mazen, my great friend Rob, and my lovely fiance Candace (yeah, I tricked her into agreeing to marry me recently).
It wasn't until we had a group of 4 that we all felt comfortable making the 12 mile day-hike to photograph this incredible scene... the last 6 miles made on the way back in the dark with twitchy nerves due to potential Grizzly Bear encounters. Man, it was so worth it. One of the most beautiful and peaceful hikes I have made in Glacier Park. Sweeping views abound and various types of terrain keep you motivated to see what is around the next bend or down into the next valley.
Arriving to this lake is worth it on it's own, even without getting any photos. It's the most vibrant turquoise colored glacial lake I have seen in Glacier... so dense with glacial silt that from the shore you can only see about 6 inches deep into the water before it becomes too milky to see further. Meadows of wildflowers blanket the shores and the vertical relief of Mt. Siyeh and Allen Mountain intimidate... hard to do the scale justice here while trying to fit all the elements into a 14mm frame.
I guess what I am getting at is that this is one of the most precious gems of Glacier I have seen (and there are many more I am anxious to see) so you really should take some time to explore this park... especially if you're a photographer, it's paradise.
This was shot with the Sony a7r (which is really growing on me) at 14mm. No exposure blending needed, but it is a blend of 11 different focus points at f11.
p.1 #7 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
What an image!
You have everything here in this wonderful photo!!!
Yes, congratulations on your success in tricking your fiancé!!!
Be Good!
ps: You've got my vote.
p.1 #8 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Ryan, beautiful image! I love the colors in this. The many different focal points definitely paid off. Blending the images must have taken some work, especially if there was any wind during your exposures. Great work on this!
Keith W.
p.1 #9 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Really nice image. Over the years I've done a good bit of hiking in GNP but haven't been to Cracker Lake, obviously well worth the effort. Glad it all worked out for you. Beautiful.
BTW, I've been on the fence about whether to purchase a Sony A7r and this shot just about made me pull the trigger. Well done.
p.1 #10 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Hey Ryan,
What a super cool shot here. Love the flowers, love that cool lake. But the first thing that jumped out at me was the sky. It looks like you had the polarizer adjusted too much. If it was mine, i would lighten up the dark blue so there wasnt that obvious shift from the lower light blue to immediately being a very dark blue. I love your shot, but i would graduate out the blue in the sky if it was mine.
p.1 #15 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Awesome shot nestled between the bountiful wildflower display next to the lake.
I agree, Glacier National Park is a stunningly beautiful park. If one likes mountains, deep glacial valleys, snow and ice (depending on the season!), wildlife and a wide variety of water features GNP is really unmatched by any other park in the US. Just the combination of all the elements in one place is awe inspiring. The vertical relief of the mountains is also incredible. They rise 3-5 thousand feet commonly throughout the park from the lakes and valleys below.
It is hard to do justice to the almost vertical walls of rocks that encase Cracker lake. They are immense.
Glad you mentioned the Grizzly Danger. It is ever present in the summer months and it is real. It really has prevented me from photographing more areas of the park since going in a group is a MUST in the hour around dusk and dawn. Even in a group is scary. Maybe I am a bit too careful. But I will never forget going down the loop trail from Granite Park Chalet at night with a group of 5 well spaced folks and just moving along as fast as we could down to the lot. Our senses were on high given that fatal attacks have happened on that very same trail. That said I have never seen a bear while on the trail.
p.1 #18 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
The foreground flowers catch the eye, and then following them in you hit the turquoise of the water, and from there you get to the pay-off, which is the gold on the cliff face. Nice work!
p.1 #19 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Lovely pic and the focus stack paid off well! I do agree with Jim that the sky has a gradient density filter look to it that should be easily enough corrected in PS. Congrats on your engagement as well!
Dave
p.1 #20 · The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
Great photo and awesome hike. I completely understand the bear encounter worries. The one time we hiked it we fond ourselves less than 40 yards away from a grizzly just after crossing a small log bridge. Scared the beegeebers out of us but he turned away. Beautiful country.
