It finally happened. I managed to make a trip to someplace I’ve wanted to go see and photograph for a few years now. This scene is famous for a reason. So, of course, I wanted to try it out for myself. Check out the serenity which a summer evening at Grand Teton National Park yielded. Hint: it was gorgeous!
The plan was to visit Grand Teton National Park this summer. When the vacation window worked out, we made it happen. However, things did not go according to plan. The reason is that, just after we arrived, I discovered that the sun let off a flare just the day before during travel. This meant a good chance for an aurora to show up. With a KP index of 6.67, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so we made the 3-hour one-way drive out to Wyoming.
With conditions like these above, can you blame me for wanting to try? Of course, having a tiny bit of experience chasing auroras last year, I knew there was a good chance that things would not work out. So, I planned on a sunset shoot just in case. After all, I didn’t want the trip to be a waste. I was not disappointed. Check out what a glorious sunset awaited me at my chosen location.
What peace! What beauty! I couldn’t believe what serenity was waiting for me at Grand Teton National Park that summer evening! When I arrived in the parking lot, the sun dipped behind the mountains. The beams of light coming up from behind Teewinot Mountain were bright. So, I used the coyote rule and took my shot. It was a good thing too since the light beams faded as I searched for the perfect spot to plant my tripod for the evening.
The place was full of people. I must say that this beautiful scene is popular and lots of people know about it. So, I did need to worry about other people in my field of view. Thankfully, people were respectful that way. Sadly, though this is a popular place for spotting wild moose, none made an appearance. Oh well.
Once it became dark, I kept checking for the aurora to appear overhead. I’d heard about dancing streamers and ribbons appearing in this particular park during 1 of last year’s solar storms. I hoped that it would happen again, but the half-moon was a problem. I wasn’t sure that I would see anything over its light. As it turns out, the aurora did appear, but it was way to faint to see with the naked eye. I needed the camera to even tell it was there. Here’s what I captured. It’s more of a test shot or proof-of-concept rather than an actual serious attempt at an aurora photo for me.
The anticipated aurora was there, but it was not going to turn into dancing streamers and ribbons of light. Sigh … I knew this could happen. That’s why I planned the sunset shoot too.
I had 1 last attempt up my sleeve that night. It was unexpected too. So, I made my way over to 1 of the famous barns in the dying hope that the setting moon might reveal an aurora show. It did not. However, I found I was far from the only photographer with the idea of trying for an aurora at that barn. Others came and left while I waited. Then another group came with different plans.
This group was light painting the barn. I hadn’t considered that idea as I didn’t want to ruin things for others. However, I wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity. So, as the photographer’s assistant painted the barn for his photographer, I opened up my shutter and captured the light and scene too.
I must say that this is a different take on the famous barn than I anticipated. But I like it. The dark skies of Grand Teton National Park can indeed lend themselves to some beautiful astro-landscape photography.
In case you are wondering, it was a long trip back. We didn’t make it to bed until after dawn. Still, I think the summer evening trip to the serenity of Grand Teton National Park was worth it. How about you? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
