RECENTLY UPDATED - Montana
I've only been to Montana a few times, and my visits have been almost exclusively limited to Glacier National Park. Beautiful mountains and lakes, as well as abundant wildlife make it a must-see destination for nature lovers.
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Panorama B): 30x10, 36x12, 48x16, 60x20, 72x24, 90x30, 90x30 Triptych (3 x 30x30), 108x36, 108x36 Triptych (3 x 36x36), 120x40, 120x40 Triptych Triptych (3 x 40x40), 144x48 Triptych (3 x 48x48), 162x54 Triptych (3 x 54x54), 180x60 Triptych (3 x 60x60).
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48.
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 72x36, 72x36 Triptych (3 x 24x36), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40), 96x48, 96x48 Triptych (3 x 32x48), 108x54, 108x54 Triptych (3 x 36x54), 120x60, 120x60 Triptych (3 x 40x60).
Perfect Montana Morning (Wide)
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Panorama B): 30x12, 40x16, 50x20, 60x24, 75x30, 75x30 Triptych (3 x 25x30), 90x36, 90x36 Triptych (3 x 30x36), 105x42, 105x42 Triptych (3 x 35x42), 120x48, 120x48 Triptych (3 x 40x48), 135x54 Triptych (3 x 45x54), 150x60 Triptych (3 x 50x60).
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle A): 10x8, 14x11, 20x16, 24x20, 30x24, 40x30, 50x40, 60x48.
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45, 40x60, 48x72.
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 72x36, 72x36 Triptych (3 x 24x36), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40), 96x48, 96x48 Triptych (3 x 32x48), 108x54, 108x54 Triptych (3 x 36x54), 120x60, 120x60 Triptych (3 x 40x60).
I'd visited Glacier National Park, in northern Montana, many times prior to my Summer, 2022 visit. All these visits, however, had been limited to the “main” part of the Park – Going to the Sun Road, and the areas immediately around this spectacular drive. Because of increased visitation, Glacier instituted a “permits only” entrance policy for Going to the Sun Road, and the surrounding, most-popular portion of the park in 2021. Without a permit (I'm notoriously bad at planning far in advance), I decided to visit Two Medicine Lake, in southeast Glacier – one of the other parts of the park that does not require an entry permit. I camped practically on the shore of Two Medicine Lake, and snapped this photo, along with many other beautiful compositions of this lake, on a morning with an absolutely perfect sunrise. I truly don't know that I've ever gotten so many great photos in such a short time. There are a million options for composition here, and you'd be hard pressed to take a bad photo at a place like this with similar conditions. Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 72x36, 72x36 Triptych (3 x 24x36), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40), 96x48, 96x48 Triptych (3 x 32x48), 108x54, 108x54 Triptych (3 x 36x54), 120x60, 120x60 Triptych (3 x 40x60).
During a week between art shows in Wyoming and Montana, I decided to visit a place I'd never been before – Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, less than a hundred miles east of Yellowstone National Park, on the Wyoming / Montana border. The scenery here was much more reminiscent of the American Southwest than what I think of when I visualize Wyoming or Montana. It was a refreshing change of pace, and the crowds here were minuscule compared to what I've come to expect in the more popular National Parks in this part of the country. This view is somewhat similar to Horseshoe Bend (in northern Arizona) or Dead Horse Point (eastern Utah), but what makes this viewpoint different is that on the left side of the photo, you can see that this bend takes place where two rivers (Porcupine Creek and Bighorn River) converge before continuing downstream as the Bighorn River. Oh, and there are wild horses all over this area! Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 72x36, 72x36 Triptych (3 x 24x36), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40), 96x48, 96x48 Triptych (3 x 32x48), 108x54, 108x54 Triptych (3 x 36x54), 120x60, 120x60 Triptych (3 x 40x60).
At the end of my Glacier National Park visit in the summer of 2020, I took a new route back towards Colorado, and somewhere south of Browning, Montana, I came across a bison farm. And while there, I came across something I'd never seen before – an albino bison! What a unique find! Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30).
A whole bunch of Glacier National Park was closed during my 2020 visit, but the short and beautiful Avalanche Creek hike (it's less than a mile … more of a stroll than a hike) was not. I went here first thing in the morning and got this shot. Most of the hike is on a boardwalk, which has good and bad implications. On the negative side of things, it makes taking long-exposure photographs from a tripod difficult, because people walking on the boardwalk twenty or more feet away can shake the boardwalk and make images blurry. It was a good thing I was there early, because later in the day, the boardwalk would certainly have been too busy for this shot to even have been possible. As it was, I had to wait something like 15 minutes in order to find the 15 or so seconds I needed to get this photo. But as often is the case in photography, my patience ended up paying off, and I was able to get this great photo that really shows just how blue glacial melt can be! Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45, 40x60, 48x72, 54x80, 60x90
I spent some time watching a group of mountain goats from Glacier National Park's Highline Trail during a summer 2020 trip. They wandered around for a bit, but eventually made their way out of the hot sun and onto some cliffsides, where most of them went to sleep. This one, though, kept wandering, and eventually settled on this great spot from which he was able to survey all the land around him. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45, 40x60.
Glacier National Park is probably best-known for its (disappearing) glaciers, beautiful lakes, mountain vistas, and wildlife. But one other thing Glacier has to offer, and it's something I've never seen anywhere else, is the assortment of multicolored river rocks found along the shores of Lake McDonald, as well as in and along McDonald Creek. When the rocks are dry, they tend to be a grayish brown color, but when they are wet, their beauty truly shines. Purples, blues, and reds appear like magic. While the composition of this shot was easy, it took a bit more work to capture than one might think. I took this photo along the shores of Lake McDonald, and I had to fill up a jug with water from the lake and spill it on the rocks. It was a hot day, though, so I had to keep running back and forth from the lake to the rocks to keep them wet, because they kept drying off before I was able to get the shot I wanted! Eventually it all worked out, though, and I got this awesome shot. I shot at f/22, which produced the many sunstars seen throughout the photo. Nope, it isn't a filter! Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48, 80x54, 90x60.
Glacier National Park is probably best-known for its (disappearing) glaciers, beautiful lakes, mountain vistas, and wildlife. But one other thing Glacier has to offer, and it's something I've never seen anywhere else, is the assortment of multicolored river rocks found along the shores of Lake McDonald, as well as in and along McDonald Creek. When the rocks are dry, they tend to be a grayish brown color, but when they are wet, their beauty truly shines. Purples, blues, and reds appear like magic. While the composition of this shot was easy, it took a bit more work to capture than one might think. I took this photo along the shores of Lake McDonald, and I had to fill up a jug with water from the lake and spill it on the rocks. It was a hot day, though, so I had to keep running back and forth from the lake to the rocks to keep them wet, because they kept drying off before I was able to get the shot I wanted! Eventually it all worked out, though, and I got this awesome shot. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48, 80x54, 90x60.
I spent some time watching a group of mountain goats from Glacier National Park's Highline Trail during a summer 2020 trip. The flowers were in bloom, but the goats were mostly avoiding these multicolored meadows. But eventually my patience paid off, when this young goat left its mother's side and went for a wander through the flowers. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30.
The Columbian ground squirrels in the area around Glacier National Park's Logan Pass Visitor Center are practically tame. Visitors are discouraged from feeding them, and I believe people are much better about this than when I was a kid - I remember people getting squirrels and chipmunks in National Parks to eat out of their hands. Nonetheless, these animals are used to there being so many people around that they'll scarcely pay you any attention. I saw a kid nearly (accidentally) step on one during this 2020 visit. And this particular squirrel stood on a rock with walking paths 3 feet from him in several directions and just chirped loudly for several minutes, all while people walked right by him. It made for a good picture! Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45, 40x60, 48x72.
There are a lot of fully-established trails in the area around Glacier National Park's Logan Pass Visitor Center, and there are also some that are less crowded, such as the path to Logan Creek Falls. When I visited in the summer of 2020, some of the trails were closed, and others were packed with tourists. In the middle of the day, I didn't feel like dealing with crowds, so I went on the less used path to Logan Creek Falls, and came upon this field of wildflowers along the way. Absolutely beautiful. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle A): 10x8, 14x11, 20x16, 24x20, 30x24, 40x30.
There are a lot of fully-established trails in the area around Glacier National Park's Logan Pass Visitor Center, and there are also some that are less crowded, such as the path to Logan Creek Falls. When I visited in the summer of 2020, some of the trails were closed, and others were packed with tourists. In the middle of the day, I didn't feel like dealing with crowds, so I went on the less used path to Logan Creek Falls, where I had this view more-or-less to myself. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45, 40x60, 48x72, 54x80, 60x90.
The construction of the Logan Pass Visitor Center, at the summit of Glacier National Park's Going to the Sun Road, was completed in 1966, when a lot less visitors made it to this absolute gem of a National Park. These days, it is packed with tourists, and if you want to find a parking spot, you need to arrive early. Fortunately, being a nature photographer, I'm out and about hours before most park visitors are even awake, and was thus able to easily get a parking spot when I visited in the summer of 2020. I knew from previous visits that bighorn sheep frequently visit this parking lot, especially early in the morning. This big guy was one of five or six big males that came down to the parking lot to say hello to all their fans before moving off into the surrounding valleys to begin grazing. I followed them (from a safe distance, of course) and began shooting when the parking lot was safely out of sight. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle A): 10x8, 14x11, 20x16, 24x20, 30x24, 40x30, 50x40.
Going to the Sun Road is a – if not the – highlight of Glacier National Park. There are many pullouts along the 2-lane road that afford incredible views of the surrounding area, such as this one of Paradise Valley. I took this photo shortly after sunrise, with the sun coming behind me, and just beginning to paint the tops of the mountains a super-saturated shade of orange. Available in the following sizes (Panorama B): 30x12, 40x16, 50x20, 60x24, 75x30, 75x30 Triptych (3 x 25x30), 90x36, 90x36 Triptych (3 x 30x36), 105x42, 105x42 Triptych (3 x 35x42), 120x48, 120x48 Triptych (3 x 40x48), 135x54 Triptych (3 x 45x54), 150x60 Triptych (3 x 50x60).
Most of my photography steers away from the abstract, but during a 2020 trip to Glacier National Park, when I was hiking along the shores of McDonald Creek, something caught my eye. I'm still not quite sure what it was, but when I looked at this isolated portion of the creek, I was able to envision it as something more like a painting than a photograph. I used what is called a neutral-density filter (basically sunglasses for a camera) to allow myself to take a long-exposure photo and turn the movement of the rapids into something that looks like a painting. Available in the following sizes (Panorama B): 30x12, 40x16, 50x20, 60x24, 75x30, 75x30 Triptych (3 x 25x30), 90x36, 90x36 Triptych (3 x 30x36), 105x42, 105x42 Triptych (3 x 35x42), 120x48, 120x48 Triptych (3 x 40x48), 135x54 Triptych (3 x 45x54), 150x60 Triptych (3 x 50x60).
Most of my photography steers away from the abstract, but during a 2020 trip to Glacier National Park, when I was hiking along the shores of McDonald Creek, something caught my eye. I'm still not quite sure what it was, but when I looked at this isolated portion of the creek, I was able to envision it as something more like a painting than a photograph. I used what is called a neutral-density filter (basically sunglasses for a camera) to allow myself to take a long-exposure photo and turn the movement of the rapids into something that looks like a painting. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48, 80x54, 90x60.
My 2020 visit to Glacier National Park was, because of COVID, limited to the western portion of the Park. I'd hoped to explore some portions of the Park I'd never visited before, but I guess I'll have to save that for another trip. Fortunately, there's no shortage of things to see and do, even when one is limited to accessing only about half of Glacier, and one of the more easily accessible parts of the western side is Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek. There are beautiful rocks that line the shores and bed of Lake McDonald and McDonald Creek, and they are t wonderful subject for nature photography. I took this photo shooting almost directly downward through a few inches of rapidly moving water in McDonald Creek, and love how abstract and strange-looking it turned out. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48.
Alright, alright … this was actually taken at moonset, not moonrise, but “Moonset at Glacier” just doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Anyway, I took this photo from the shores of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park shortly after sunrise. I turned the exposure down quite a bit in order to maintain the detail in the moon. Upon looking at this photo a bit more closely, you might see a small hut and some type of electronics tower on the peak to the left. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30.
