Saturday
Saturday was one of my favorite days of photography yet… I hiked up to Taggart Lake, which was a great hike up to a beautiful lake in the mountains. Super clear water, lots of snowy & fun hiking. It was a cold & snowy day, it felt really good to strap on the backpack, stuff it full of camera gear & get out hiking.
I found a fox and had this perfect lighting…the overcast lighting made the orange on the fox pop out while darkening the greens from the bushes. Loved these shots!
After my hike I decided to hang out up near where Bear 399 tends to wander around. She ended up walking by with her 4 cubs. It was a total shit show though… she’s the most famous and probably the most photographed grizzly of all time. There were probably 50-75 people there, following her. I really really did not like it, and bailed after I got a few crappy shots from the road. I decided this isn’t the type of wildlife photography I'm into at all.
On the drive back out of the park, I stopped at a picnic area to make a coffee & find some snacks. While I was there, a few other photographers also stopped by and we spotted another grizzly with a tiny cub in the bushes. She was looking for berries & digging around. I sat with her & the few other photographers for about 10 minutes before the crowds descended on us and the rangers came to kick everyone out. It was a MUCH better bear experience compared the mess around 399.
The sun was setting behind the Tetons and a light snow fell from the sky. Amazing atmosphere and lighting to shoot this image of her breath as she surveyed the scene. Incredible.
After the sun set I went to Bin22 and treated myself to a “first bear sighting” dinner & drinks. Yum!
Sunday
Sunday I took a bit of a rest day! I drove into town, showered, got a coffee & sat around, read my book, super chilled out. Eventually I did get bored, and figured I may as well go and sit and read in the park. I drove into the park & sat in a pull off snacking & relaxing. As I was sitting there this coyote came by, so awesome!
I also drove up to another popular bear spotting sight, and sat around waiting to see if I could get lucky. I ended up meeting a few other incredible photographers who were waiting. It was fun to chat & see the images they had captured over the last few days.
Monday
Monday I also took a bit of a rest day from too much physical activity. My left shoulder has been hurting pretty badly, probably a combination of carrying my camera pack everywhere (probably 20+ pounds with the lenses, water, snacks & batteries + tripod) and sleeping on my left side on the hard cushions in the Jeep.
I didn’t get any photos on Monday, but did meet a few other photographers, one of which told me about a sweet spot outside the park where a bear called Felicia and her cubs tend to hang out… will check that out tomorrow.
Tuesday
Dude, whaaaat!!! Today was my 30th birthday, and what a treat! It was a beautiful day in town, work was slow, I showered & had a great lunch. Then headed up to the spot the local photographer told me about in the mountains. As I pulled up, I saw people packing up & heading out. I saw someone I met earlier in the week and asked how it was going. Apparently the bear & her cubs were JUST out playing in the snow, rolling around and having a great time in the snow. I JUST missed it… crazy. I had to decide if I wanted to wait around for them to come back out, or drive back down the mountain & find a hike to do.
I ended up choosing to wait, and about an hour or so later she came back out!! It was magical, she dug around and munched on berries with her cubs. Then they made their way back to the snow, and I got some serious dream shots… it was so much fun & so amazing. National Geographic was literally filming next to me… unreal!
Seriously an amazing birthday treat…
Wednesday
I took another day to hang out in the park… I basically drive up here every day! I hung out around the dam & walked around for a while. There were two BEAUTIFUL White American Pelican’s on the lake. They drifted over towards the dam & I laid down on the dam with the 200-600mm and snapped photos of them. I tried to get as low to the water as possible, accidentally dipped my lens hood into the water… oops hahaha. Worth it for the shots!
I also saw an Osprey at Oxbow Bend in the northern section of the park. It had recently caught a fish & was eating it in a tree near the parking area. It was so amazing to watch it tear this fish to bits over the course of half an hour or so. I have like, 250 photos of it at various points of destroying this fish 😂
There was also a “bear jam” up by Colter Bay. It was a grizzly called Fritter and one of 399’s older female cubs, 610. These two bears have been mingling together this season, which is just crazy. It’s totally wild that the grizzlies up here are so well known & identified. When speaking with other photographers it isn’t strange to hear them all referencing each bear by name. There’s the famous 399, Fritter, Blondie, Felicia, 610, and many others. It’s so amazing to talk with the local “bear people” about each bear’s past story, their lineage, which bear is mingling with which, and so on.
Thursday
On Thursday I decided to take a rest day from the wildlife photography & go fly fishing. I found a nice spot at the Deadman’s Bar road area. I parked & walked down to the water with my camera bag & fishing stuff. I’m definitely rusty, and this definitely isn’t the best place to fish the Snake River. But it was still a lot of fun to hang out near the water and practice my casting. I have so much to learn with around fly fishing… I should probably hire a guide some time & pick their brain.
After fishing I went and watched the sun set at Schwabacher Landing, a pretty iconic spot. I bet sunrise would be crazy here, with the very still and picturesque Snake tributaries.
I camped up at Shadow Mountain again tonight, sometimes it’s nice to camp near other people & walk around with a cider & chat with the other campers… my other spot is ultra isolated. Good to have options!
Friday
I think I’m going to find a hotspring today…