Hey all, I hope you are all well and enjoying warmer temps across the northern hemisphere. I just wrapped up a busy spring season leading workshops here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and what a great time it’s been!

We had many amazing encounters across the three workshops I led. Fox kits playing on a log, grizzly bears in fresh spring snow, pink alpenglow illuminating the Teton Range… each group got to experience some truly special moments, and create some beautiful photos in the process. I want to give a huge thank you to all participants for making these last few weeks such a fantastic time.

But, stories from spring will come at another time. Today, I want to share a story from just 24 hours ago, when I got to do something I’ve dreamed of doing, and get an image I’ve dreamed of getting, for years. This was seriously a lifetime Yellowstone experience… I’m still in disbelief.

Yesterday, I flew over Yellowstone in a helicopter and photographed Grand Prismatic Spring from the air.

Seeing the park from above is something I’ve wanted to do since I first moved here, and it’s all thanks to a very generous client who tipped me with this helicopter ride that I got to do so.

This trip started in West Yellowstone, Montana, where we went through a safety briefing and then loaded up into the helicopter. The flight served only one purpose: to photograph Grand Prismatic Spring. We would fly there, take time shooting it, and fly directly back. Flights over the park and heavily regulated and not permitted in certain cases, so we didn’t have the option to sightsee. But that was okay… getting this image is exactly what I had come for.

Camera setup for this was simple: mirrorless camera body, 70-200 or similar lens, and a polarizer. The polarizer is a critical element here… you have to be able to cut reflections off of the spring to capture the deepest, richest colors it produces.

Thankfully, the weather was sunny… exactly what you want when photographing Yellowstone’s hot springs. Cloudy days, much like an unpolarized image, produce muted colors in your images that just don’t show the true nature of the spring.

The flight over the park to Grand Prismatic, while not a main focus, was incredible. Seeing the landscapes I know so well, but from the air, gave me a whole new perspective on the scale and immensity of Yellowstone.

Just an iPhone snap out the side of the helicopter… what a vast wilderness this place is.

As we marveled at the scenery, Grand Prismatic itself came into view. A fire-ringed sapphire speck in the distance, nestled among a sea of soft greens and browns.

We were now moments away from arriving, so I went ahead and locked in the settings I would need…

1/2000 shutter speed to avoid motion blur - the helicopter was moving quickly, and playing with lower speeds might have ruined my images.

f/8 to give myself plenty of wiggle room on depth of field.

ISO 800 to match the current lighting situation.

As we closed in, I began firing away, getting both close-up detail shots, and wider shots that show the entire spring. It was such a frenzy to get images in the few minutes we had over the spring that the whole thing is really a blur in my mind. However, once I was sure I had the shot, I did force myself to put the camera down and just take it in with my own eyes for a few precious moments.

Grand Prismatic has long been my favorite thermal feature in Yellowstone. I’ve always been impressed by its size and range of colors. But taking this flight, seeing it from this perspective, gave me a whole new appreciation for it. This was absolutely mind boggling.

I don’t know what else to say but wow… what an experience!

Again, this flight came to me in the form of a gift from a client on one of my winter workshops, and I just want to say thank you so much to the person who made this happen. You may not want to be named, so I won’t put that here, but I appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness so very much.

While I don’t have much time to go through photos right now (I’m currently in Seattle International Airport, on the way to six weeks of work and fun, and fun work, in Alaska), here is one more I quickly edited from the flight. Thanks to you all for reading, have a great rest of your weekend, and enjoy :)

Field Notes: The Flight of MY Dreams

The Spring Awakening