Want to photograph Yellowstone, but don’t know were to start?This week I am going to show the top 5 places to visit in Yellowstone. I will discuss how I photographed them; and what angles are best! Read to the end for a special photography guide!
#1- The Turquoise Pool Why? Well these pools have a depth of color that I have never seen before. The water is crystal clear and fades from turquoise to dark blue. These factors make it a wonderful portrait or wall hanging!
One thing I noticed abut photographing these pools is that if you want to capture the depth of color and clearness of the water it is all about the angle. I found that the more height you have looking over the pool instead of looking across allows you to capture the depth and color of the pool more easily.
#2 -The Paint PotsThis next stop is right next to the turquoise pool, and is a really cool picture when you capture the steam rising from the rocks!
One thing I would take into consideration when photographing these sights is to have a faster shutter speed, so you can capture the steam and movement of the mud. I shot these pictures at a shutter speed of 1/2500! Learn more about shutter speed by reading… Shutter Speed Explained.
#3 -The Geysers Geysers are all around the park, but on the Fountain Paint Pot Trail there is a cool geyser that will probably make it on the wall!
These are some of my favorite pictures because of the way the steam floats through the air, because of the contrast it creates with the mountains in the back, the white landscape, and the water sitting behind the geyser.
#4 -Grand Prismatic Spring When I visited this spring it was our last stop of the day. What I throughly enjoyed about it was the easy 30 minute hike to the lookout. This allowed me to stretch my legs before the drive home, and the pay off was the view at the top!
Take a look at the settings I used for these pictures! The colors of this spring are wildly intricate and vibrant! The way the landscape around the pool is vibrant with tan, red, and orange; than the pool starts out turquoise than fades into a darker hue of blue.This look out also makes for a wonderful portrait! I would highly recommend visiting this spot!
#5 Old Faithful Most people come to yellow stone mainly to see old faithful, and I now understand why! I didn’t fully understand how majestic it really is until I saw it myself!
What I learned about old faithful is that it only erupts for 1-5 minutes. When I was there it was only about 60 seconds; so here are a few things you can do to ensure that you get the best pictures possible!
Old Faithful Photography Guide
- #1-Pre set all your camera settings before the geyser goes off so you have as much time as the geyser allows to take your photos.
- #2- Arrive 10 minutes early to get a good spot.
- #3-Take vertical and horizontal pictures so you have options when you want to use them for various things.
My Experience…
This was one of my favorite trips; the scenery was breath taking, and I love the mountains. I have traveled lots of places but this trip to Montana is in my top 3 favorite places I have visited!
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
Wherever you are. Wherever you go. You can find beauty in Gods creation.
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