I could a lifetime watching the steam in Yellowstone as it boils from the ground and fills the air until after a short travel, it disappears. This process is a 365 /24/ 7 which we can only witness when the air temp gets low, below freeing to below zero is the best. This morning the air temp was 19 degrees and the steam was putting on quite the show. The darken skies were the perfect backdrop of the drama. Having watched steam a lot, I’ve come to learn its a pillow, cloudy, soft form, not sharp by any means. I dropped the shutter speed down to 1/20 to render it that way, soft. The trees, the clouds, they are sharp giving the steam a space to tell their brief story. The timeless steam needs time.

The vast landscape of Yellowstone comes to life in the winter when the temperatures drop and all the steam comes to life. The explosive nature of Yellowstone becomes even more apparent when that hot steam smacks the cold air and then is lite up by sunrise. One of my favorite spots in The Park to witness and photograph this mighty act of nature is Fountain Paint Pot Flats. This particular morning we were out to watch the wolf pack we’d seen the night before tuck themselves into the forest to the right of the pano. As the sun rose we heard the howls and then the sun squeezed through the clouds for a heart beat for one of the finest moments I’ve been fortunate to witness in The Park. No one click told the whole wonder, the entire grandeur which meant three images were required. Slide the pano above, you will feel the chill, be warmed by the light and agree one, na, three better!

One thing I do when I’m returning to a locale to shoot is do my visual homework. For example, I’m heading out to Yellowstone for a grand week in the cold and snow. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do this many times and some photos like that of Old Faithful, I take every time no matter how many images I have in my files of its irrupting. Other shots I might have not done as well as I liked or, I want to do at a different time of time. And over the years the kit has changed so the one important thing I do is look at what lenses I’ve used in the past. This is real simple to do in Bridge. I simply select all my Yellowstone images in my Gallery folder and then filter on lenses. It shows me focal length and how many photos I’ve taken with a particular lens. It helps me get in the right state of mind and go as prepared as I can doing my winter wonderland prep.