Our 1st Week in Yellowstone

[EveryMilesAMemory]

My wife and I are working in Yellowstone this summer for the sole reason that we'd be able to have the 2.2 million acres at our beck and call to photograph.

So far, our first week has been a photographers dream. We've seen and photographed every animal except a Grizzly, a Moose and Wolves. We've seen both the wolves and a Grizzley, but they were too far off to get any decent shots of so we just sat glassing them through scopes and binoculars, probably one of the best way to see wildlife in the park!

So here is what we've captured in the first week.
1. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561075904_C5X57-L-1.jpg
Baby Bighorn Sheep nibbling on some appetizers

2. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561082399_xf34a-L-1.jpg
The Daddy Bighorn Ram yelling at the camera:D

3. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561346133_FeZWZ-L-1.jpg
Vixen drinking out of a pond

4. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561247608_8MXQz-L-1.jpg
Great Horned Owl Fledgling near the Mammoth Visitor Center

5. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561401330_ppQqE-L-1.jpg
Bull Elk sitting on the edge of the forest

6. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561314051_hFN7y-XL-1.jpg
Coyote in hot pursuit to cross the road near Madison

Full Gallery can be seen here (http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/gallery/8523085_Vb4ZX#P-1-15) if you'd like to see lots more. I also posted some more shots on Page 3

Thanks for looking

[gjl711]

Very nice. I definitely need to get my butt out there one day.

[Flo]

Pat, what a gig for the summer! Excellent captures.wow..I look forward to a summer of wildlife as it should be!

Love the vixen shot.

[sparker1]

Great shots, Pat. I wish I could talk my wife into a summer at Yellowstone. We always enjoy it, but never spend more than a week.

[BigStig]

Great shots I am going there for a week vacation early August I can't wait these realy got me excited.
thanks

[Ephily]

The Fox shot is incredible. Perhaps you should crop out the pole/tree on the side, though.

Great shots, all of them!

[kywolftn]

excellent

[jgrussell]

What a wonderful series. You're sure making the most of the opportunities you have!

[Momtothefurmonsters]

Wonderful shots! Should be an amazing summer! Can't wait to see more pictures.

[Ockie]

beautiful photos!

[EveryMilesAMemory]

Thanks to everyone who has replied with comments.

I'm thinking this summer will offer a wealth of photo opts and I cant wait till we actually know our way around the park. Right now, we're just going where guests point us.

Maybe I'll keep this section updated each week with new photos we take.


The Fox shot is incredible. Perhaps you should crop out the pole/tree on the side, though.


I was wanting to do the same thing, but havent had a chance to really work on it in photochop. That's just out of the camera.

Thanks again

[bhowdy]

Excellent start to your collection Pat.

We'll be there in a week 6/20 - 6/28, seems like the calendar has stopped moving.

Then I will be back (solo) in February for another week. My wife says the winter trips are too cold for her!

Where are you and your wife working this summer?

[black_z]

That Elk has a WAY bigger racker than what I saw there a couple weeks ago!

Nice shots!

Love the thin DOF on the Coyote! :)

[EveryMilesAMemory]

Where are you and your wife working this summer?


We'll be in the Old Faithful General Store, Lower Basin working in the Fountain. Feel free to stop by and I'll fill ya' in with the latest wildlife sightings we know of.

We try and ask as many of the guests as we can where and when they've seen stuff so we know where to head to on our days off


Love the thin DOF on the Coyote!

That's the 400mm f/2.8 I'm amazed with the images every time I use the thing. That Coyote was running across a field and I jumped out of the truck, knelt down and snapped off a few while it was coming towards us.

The fact that the lens could grab on to a moving subject, lock the focus and track the coyote all while I was hand holding it is a testament to the amazing speed of the lens!

[Maureen Souza]

These are wonderful....Makes me anxious for our trip out there next spring.

[Mike55]

We'll be in the Old Faithful General Store, Lower Basin working in the Fountain. Feel free to stop by and I'll fill ya' in with the latest wildlife sightings we know of.


How long will you guys be there for? I should be in the park early September. I'll defintiely try and get some wildlife info from you.


That's the 400mm f/2.8 I'm amazed with the images every time I use the thing. That Coyote was running across a field and I jumped out of the truck, knelt down and snapped off a few while it was coming towards us.

That lens is something else.


The fact that the lens could grab on to a moving subject, lock the focus and track the coyote all while I was hand holding it is a testament to the amazing speed of the lens!

Yes. I have to say out of all the Canon telephoto shots I have seen, the 400 2.8 images impress me the most. Just something about the overall IQ.

[EveryMilesAMemory]

Hey Mike, we'll be here through October, so feel free to shoot us an email or stop by the store with a map and we can go over some good spots to shoot

[snowyowl13]

Excellent.

[GARY DEFEYTER]

All of them are great as usual but the Coyote does it for me. Nice action shot.

[Brad Remick]

canicomecanicomecanicome????? huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh????

[fiveFPS]

I like the cloud/mountain shot you had in your gallery.. keep up the great work!

[FlyingPhotog]

Wonderful images Pat.

You sure picked a great place to drop anchor for a while. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I look forward to further installments!

[marjnap]

Nice series, love the Coyote action shot.

[EveryMilesAMemory]

Thanks for all the comments.

I agree Jay, we knew we had blew the wad late last year and had to pick a place to drop anchor for a few months to earn some gas money.

After 38 states and two months in Baja in two years time, we decided Yellowstone would be a perfect spot to sit still for 5 months.

Best part is the guy camped right beside us is a fellow shooter that has some amazing shots from his years working in the park. He has a 500 f/4 and we're already talking about on our days off allowing each other to use what ever we might want between the two of us.

We know we always have separate days off, so he can borrow any of my gear and he made the same offer to me with his lenses.

Isnt life Grand!!

[ajosteve]

Excellent series Pat....I would love to go there! Well done!

[Tom Reichner]

Sounds like a wonderful time, Pat! How fortunate you guys are to be there for so many months.

I especially like the dynamic positioning of the coyote in full stride. And you enjoyed some very good lighting for that Bighorn lamb image.


So far, our first week has been a photographers dream. We've seen and photographed every animal except a Grizzly, a Moose and Wolves. We've seen both the wolves and a Grizzley, but they were too far off to get any decent shots . . .

Every animal ? ! Surprisingly, there may even be quite a few more species in the park that you have yet to enjoy. How 'bout a Pine Marten, a Wolverine, or a Badger? Also, the diminutive Long-tailed Weasel. And of course the River Otters! And the cats - Cougar, Lynx, and Bobcat.

The thing I like most about Yellowstone is that no matter how much you see and photograph, there is always still so much more out there.

You're very fortunate to see the fox - I've been to Yellowstone about 15 times, and never seen one there.

We'll be in the Park in a couple weeks - we'll try to look you up in the General Store. Hopefully you have some more great experiences to share between now and then.

-Tom

[tonylong]

Wow, Pat -- I chase wildlife around this area, but there's never enough. Seeing your stuff makes me want to take a road trip real bad!

[Morlow]

Wow great shots! #3 and #6 are stunners for sure. I was actually supposed to be working up there until October 3 myself. I started at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge on April 9, and long story short my mom died unexpectedly after I was there for only two weeks, so I decided to come back home and be with my family.

I know I am missing out on so much up there but I have also found a lot of new life back here at home since I came back. Actually since I got into photography I have really appreciated life in general a lot more. Photography really makes you see things differently and appreciate beauty that I would have never seen before, and Yellowstone has unlimited beauty to appreciate.

[bull]

Nice capture !!

[dlpasco]

Great shots! I especially like the fox and coyote. I hope to sneak over there at least once this summer.

[EveryMilesAMemory]

Tom, you're right, I havent seen every animal, but I'm not sure if I want to see the Cougar or the Wolverine:D Hopefully throughout the summer and into the fall, I'll get a chance to see some more.

We have seen the pine marten, the weisel, and went looking for the badgers and the otters, but no luck with either.

Morlow, I'm sure your family needs you more than Yellowstone does, and this ol' park will be here in a few years. Sorry for your loss.

Tom - The Fox was just outside the East Entrance at the Pahasaka Teepee Lodge. There is a den right under the front porch where the mother and father have 6 kits

http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561215852_Sc9Ab-L-1.jpg

Day we were there, it was pouring rain/sleet/snow, so we only got to see the mother out hunting for the hour that we sat there watching.

http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561409626_5hyeJ-L-1.jpg

One of my goals this summer is to work on Birds in Flight, snapped this Red Tailed Hawk handheld with the 400mm

http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561231162_yYEZF-L-1.jpg
Sat watching this Osprey fishing, but we were above it, so there was no way to get any good shots of it actually hitting the water. Not sure if I can follow anything that fast!! Handheld with the 400 f/2.8

http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561412391_eMPFS-L-1.jpg

Same with this Eagle, sat watching it but once it went in for the dive, I was at a loss to follow it. Handheld 400 f/2.8

Ok, you all might think this was funny as I did.

We were coming around a turn when we spotted a couple of coyotes along the edge of the road. We stopped because one was in the middle of the road and the other was just sitting there looking at us.

The one that was along the edge walked out into the road, stopped, took a dump and looked back at us, sort of like he was saying "There, that's what I think of you" and continued to trot off to follow its friend

http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/photos/561427988_9TW52-L-1.jpg

Thanks again for all the comments!

[black_z]

lol

[Tom Reichner]

Hi, Pat!

So, that's the Pahasaka Teepee fox! I've sen many images of this fox within the past 2 or 3 weeks, and yours is unquestionably the nicest one yet - excellent work!

Interesting that you've seen a Pine Marten and a Weasel, but not the Badgers or Otters. You've definitely seen the toughest of the group. Many folks will tell you that they've seen plenty of Otters, and a few Badgers, but never a pine Marten or an Weasel. Did you happen to get any photos of the Marten or Weasel?

[rawkhopper]

Beautiful. You're so lucky.

My favourite is the coyote. Great action shot.