Winter Workshop
January 20 thru January 29, 2011
January 30 thru February 6, 2011
Winter time is a very special time in Yellowstone. Even if you have visited during any of the other seasons, winter transforms Yellowstone into a true winter paradise.
Because of the altitude of the Yellowstone Basin, winter can be specially challenging and the weather very variable, but this is good news for us photographers. Why? For two reasons; one there are no crowds, that is right, the crowds at Yellowstone in the warmer months are legendary, fortunately for us the park is almost desolate in the winter and sometimes you will feel like we are the only ones in the park; reason number two is that wildlife is most active during harsh weather, because they need to find food in order to stay warm.
However this harsh weather will have also an effect on us, so it is important that you have the right cold weather gear. Not to worry though, we will provide you with a list of recommended equipment and clothing to keep you cozy and comfortable, additionally our vehicles will never be far away, so you can always warm up if needed.
During this workshop we will travel via a privately chartered snowcoach to Old Faithful via Yellowstone Lake where we will then spend two nights in the Old Faithful basin, making images of the geysers, thermal pools and the wildlife that take shelter here in order to take advantage of the warmer temperatures the abundant thermal features provide. We will then travel back up in the privately chartered snowcoach back to the north side of the park via the Geyser Basin. The private snowcoach will give us the control to stop along the way where and when we want, in order to take advantage of the best photographic opportunities.
This workshop will provide great opportunities to make images of Bison, Wolves, Coyotes, Elk, Pronghorn, Big Horn Sheep, Eagles, and some breathtaking winter vistas.
Sample Itinerary
| Day 1 | Arrive in Bozeman, MT (BZN) Instructors to pick participants at airport and transfer to Hotel in Gardiner Introduction meeting and go over conditions and wildlife reports and final itinerary Overnight in Gardiner |
| Day 2 | Introduction to Yellowstone Day Brief stop at Mammoth to introduce geological features Travel to Lamar Valley stopping at different photo opportunities along the way Lunch in Cook City Travel from Cooke City back to Mammoth/Gardiner via Lamar Evening photography opportunity at Mammoth thermal features doing light painting and long exposure photography Overnight in Gardiner |
| Day 3 | 2 Possible Tracks One vehicle (Juan) will concentrate on wildlife The other vehicle (George) will concentrate on landscapes and macro Evening presentation, program and/or image review Overnight in Gardiner |
| Day 4 | Travel via private snowcoach to Old Faithful basin via Yellowstone lake (long route) Many wildlife and scenic opportunities along the way Very long day out in the field Evening photography opportunity at Old Faithful thermal features doing light painting and Long Exposure photography Overnight in Old Faithful |
| Day 5 | Old Faithful thermal features & Wildlife Opportunities to make images of Geysers, thermal pools and wildlife that take refuge in this area. Evening presentation, program and or image review Overnight in Old Faithful |
| Day 6 | Travel via private snowcoach back to Gardiner via Geyser Basin (short route) Many wildlife and scenic opportunities along the way Free evening Overnight in Gardiner |
| Day 7 | 2 Possible Tracks One vehicle (Juan) will concentrate on wildlife The other vehicle (George) will concentrate on landscapes and macro Evening trip recap and image presentations Overnight in Gardiner |
| Day 8 | Travel to Bozeman airport for departures |