A Jackson Hole Winter in Black and White

This page contains a collection of images taken in December of 2020.

Sometimes, a black and white image says so much more. They can evoke more emotion than a color image! After being constantly barraged with vivid color, it can be refreshing to take a “new” look at familiar subjects. Black and white images are far from new, but seeing a batch of them can be like taking a deep, long breath during an otherwise hectic time. Think of it like comfort food for the eyes!

The Grand

The Tetons make great backdrops for black and white photos, especially when there are hints of clouds to put against the crisp mountain air.

John Moulton Homestead

Other times, low clouds and fog simplify the background for a feeling of isolation. This scene is almost a black and white even when taken in color. The pink color on the plaster of the old farm house is about the only loss or change.

Low Clouds

Low clouds and hoar frost add to the scene on many cold mornings. The same old homestead can be dwarfed by the nondescript mountains. I like to keep an eye out for alternative vantage points. That old barn has been photographed a “gazillion” times, so the challenge is to find a different way of seeing it.

Passing Bison

Wildlife, like this small herd of bison, can augment a remote rural scene.

Shoshone

Moose begin growing their antlers throughout the summer months. Sometime in December, hormones trigger the bull’s system to drop their beautiful antlers to the sagebrush. A few of the bulls can keep their antlers into January. Especially when coated with a layer of fresh snow, they make a good black and white subject.

Sparring Bulls

Prior to dropping their antlers, bulls often gather in small pods. Harmless sparring matches are fairly common in November and through the middle of December.

Grizzly 399

Most of the bears in Grand Teton National Park are already in their dens by December but Grizzly Sow 399 likes to stay out and feed on carcasses and gut piles left by the elk hunters. I got lucky to see her this year!

Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans find open water, such as the Kelly Warm Springs and along Flat Creek. The ghostly steam softens details.

Trumpeter Swan

Trumpeter Swans often bathe in the morning, then flap their wings to straighten their feathers.

Coyote

During the summer months, many critters are difficult to see in the sagebrush, tall grasses, and forests, but they are easy to spot against the white snow.

Patient Fox

Simplified backgrounds are a hallmark of winter photography.

Bighorn Ram

Put an animal in his environment. I like to try a few alternative compositions when possible.

Bighorn Ram

Or go the other direction and get close! Black and white photos can reveal a lot of texture and details.

Bighorn Ram

Each snowfall modifies the landscape. During the early part of winter, snow can melt one day and then dump again overnight. I like the variety we get as the dull landscape transforms into a winter wonderland.

Bighorn Ram

Bighorns and mountain goats are in the rut during December. They spend a lot of time feeding, but there is always a chance to witness their rut behavior, like this “lip curl”.

Winter Landscape

My best advice is to learn to modify your “photographic day” by watching for the little jewels Mother Nature reveals. Special light and clouds can be short lived, and are generally unpredictable. Catch them when you can!

White Rainbow

I’ve never seen a full “white rainbow” before, much less photographed one! When Mother Nature offered one up, all I had to do was capture it!

Buck Rail Fences

“Cool stuff” is all around, but it is all too easy to overlook!

Kelly Wagon

Some subjects are “here today and gone tomorrow”. Sometimes the winter snow buries a subject. Other subjects disappear forever, often in the name of progress, to clean up a “mess”.

Frosted Fence

Common manmade objects can be quite interesting with good light and special conditions, like this hoar frost on a fence post on Mormon Row.

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Many areas of Grand Teton National Park are closed to vehicular traffic in the winter, but you can still hike, snow shoe, or cross country ski into them. The Chapel of the Transfiguration is such a place, along with the Mormon Row barns and homesteads.

Abstract Weld

Not everyone buys into it, but I love to photograph interesting textures. There is a lot of it in the Jackson Hole Valley. This is an abstract shot is of a weld on the gate at the Taggart Lake Trailhead.

Cowboy Bar

And, not everyone would stop to take a shot of an old neon sign, but there is something that draws me to them!

Night Stars

I don’t see that many night shots processed as a black and white, but I find them interesting.

Snow Mounds

Common subjects, like these snow mounds and cattails can be worthy subjects.

Canada Geese

Most tourists come to Jackson Hole in the summer and fall. Simple winter scenes are often quite compelling.

Trumpeter Swans

Trumpeter Swans winter in Jackson Hole. When conditions are right, they fly through the valley each day to get to their feeding zones. On cold days, they’ll often be sleeping the day away on the ice covered streams.

Clark's Nutcracker

Numerous bird species winter in Jackson Hole, like this Clark’s Nutcracker. Others, like Cedar waxwings and Bohemian waxwings migrate through the valley, but not before they polish off most of the berry bushes. You can usually find Mallard Ducks, Coots, Barrow’s Golden Eyes, and Mergansers along Flat Creek.

Snake River Bend

I included a lot of photos in this post already, but I could have easily posted three times the number! As the moose lose their antlers, I gradually look for other subjects. I never know from year to year what “special” animal will make an appearance. Last year, we had a mountain lion in relative close range for about a week. I’m always game for any kind of owl and porcupines and badgers. All of them would make good black and white subjects. Before the end of winter, I also hope to find a few wolves and get some good days with the bison before they move onto the National Elk Refuge.

Photos on this Page

I believe every photo on this page were taken in December of 2020. Most were taken with a Nikon D6 and a Sigma Sport 60-600mm. The night shot was taken with a Nikon D6 and Sigma 24mm Art Lens. While I own third party Black and White software (filters), all of these images were quickly processed in Lightroom Classic. Some fine edits, including dust spot removal, are done in Photoshop.

 

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Subzero Camping in November Grand Teton Bridger-Teton Frozen Ground

https://youtu.be/L_fs-Inax2c I take you out for a cold camp in northern Idaho in late November. It was quite cold, -12ºF (-24ºC). My Western Mountaineering Puma bag is rated to -25ºF (-32º C) and I was toasty warm. The ground at my camp was frozen solid. I couldn’t drive tent stakes in. I had to use […]

The post Subzero Camping in November Grand Teton Bridger-Teton Frozen Ground appeared first on Adversity Expert.

Subzero Camping in November Grand Teton Bridger-Teton Frozen Ground

https://youtu.be/L_fs-Inax2c I take you out for a cold camp in northern Idaho in late November. It was quite cold, -12ºF (-24ºC). My Western Mountaineering Puma bag is rated to -25ºF (-32º C) and I was toasty warm. The ground at my camp was frozen solid. I couldn’t drive tent stakes in. I had to use […]

The post Subzero Camping in November Grand Teton Bridger-Teton Frozen Ground appeared first on Adversity Expert.