The wx man promised us big, bold, stormy clouds. The cool day and God skrim would be perfect for photographing Moose, so off to the Tetons we went. What we found was quite the opposite, bald, warm skies. Jackson Lake had a fog layer present when we arrived a little after sunrise. We dashed over to the shoreline to take advantage of the temporary clouds. They were disappearing quickly. It was pretty easy clicking, the Z 6III in Dark Tone Monochrome that, in combination with the clear, crisp air, produced that gorgeous B&W sky. Then we saw a little wisp appear above the Grand Teton and the longer we watched, the bigger it got. Once the grand fog had left, we did as well, racing to an advantage point for the growing cap. Within a half hour, as you can see, it was really picturesque. The drama in the harsh light, for a change, worked in our favor, producing the simple yet dramatic portrait of rock. The skies produced a bald, B&W, beauty!

I was so happy the wx man’s forecast for clear skies was so wrong! We stopped so much in Lamar Valley, many thought we were on wolves or something. They would pull up and out their window, ask, “What is it, what to you see?” I would reply Lamar Valley or Yellowstone. They would turn, make a funny face and speed off. It’s so gorgeous, Yellowstone wx in fall!

A symbol to travelers crossing on the Santa Fe Trail, the Tooth of Time. When they came up to this massive rock, they knew they were a week away from reaching the town of Santa Fe. The Tooth is part of Philmont Scout Ranch and has come to mean a whole lot more to those who trek these mountains, many climbing the Tooth in the dark to celebrate the rising sun from its summit. I was not on the trail to summit, rather, at the Stockade. In years past, the skies have been bald from this vantage point, so I made no clicks. Those simple wisps of clouds made all the difference. A simple switch to the Z 8’s Dark Tone Monochrome was all that was required to make the click. The elements in B&W naturally arranged themselves, the moon being the final topped. It’s a major reason I love the simplicity of B&W.