National Geographic Creative Photo Workshop February 4-6, 2016

by | Field Notes

Winter Photo Workshop
February 4-6, 2016

With the guidance of two phenomenal National Geographic Creative Photographers, Robbie George and Barrett Hedges, a group of enthusiastic photographers from all walks of life met to enjoy Yellowstone winter wonders. Three clients hailed all the way from Italy, one from Germany and the other from Michigan. With open eyes and a thirst for wildness, each entered this workshop with empty memory cards and left this experience with newfound knowledge about Yellowstone’s unique attributes.

Before I was to meet up with the group for the Northern Range days of the program, they had previously experienced multiple days on a snow coach out of West Yellowstone. In hopes of seeing a wild bobcat along the Madison River, sadly the stars did not a line for such a moment. But they did have seriously cold days with frost-covered bison, great thermal features along the Firehole River and other wildlife sightings.

For our time, the focus was to hopefully photograph a wolf, but also to take advantage of all that the Northern Range of the park had to offer up for us during the time we were together.

Out in the pre-dawn hours and gone in the park until after sunset, we were blessed with amazing sightings each day… Alas, a headshot of a wolf was just not going to happen. In all honesty, you need to count yourself lucky if you get close enough for such opportunity. We saw beaver, moose, eagles, wolves, coyote, fox, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and much, much more!

I would like to think that our highlight was to be set up in advance of the Junction Butte wolf pack and be in the right place to capture the chase as two of the pack chased and killed a cow elk not far from where we stood. (See Tom’s attached image).

Below you will find a few images that were captured during the workshop. I would like to thank Susanne and Tom for submitting a few of their images for this post and to Robbie and Barrett for putting the workshop together.  Please do not hesitate to contact Yellowstone Insight if you are interesting in a privately guided Photography Tour.  We offer tours YEAR ROUND, based from Yellowstone’s Northern Gateway Community of Gardiner, Montana.

For more information about the two workshop photographers who led this trip, please check out their websites:
Barrett Hedges – bearheadphoto
Robbie George Photography – robbiegeorgephotography

Yellowstone 0206 Wolf Chase-2

A mature bull elk enjoys time along the Gardner River, Yellowstone. February 2016.

A mature bull elk enjoys time along the Gardner River, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Line of bull elk, Soda Butte Creek Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Line of bull elk, Soda Butte Creek Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Moose in the willow, Geode Creek, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Moose in the willow, Geode Creek, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Nervous Coyote, Tower Junction, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Nervous Coyote, Tower Junction, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Redpoll, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Redpoll, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Wolf pup with elk antlers, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Wolf pup with elk antlers, Lamar Valley, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Lined up perfectly. February 2016.

Lined up perfectly. February 2016.

Bald eagles on cow elk carcass, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Bald eagles on cow elk carcass, Yellowstone. February 2016.

Coyote near Lamar River & Soda Butte Creek Confluence. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Coyote near Lamar River & Soda Butte Creek Confluence. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Coyotes feast upon a female bighorn ewe, Lamar Valley. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Coyotes feast upon a female bighorn ewe, Lamar Valley. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Skittish Coyote. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Skittish Coyote. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Lazy Days of Winter. Near Tower Junction. Yellowstone. February 2016.

Lazy Days of Winter. Near Tower Junction. Yellowstone. February 2016.

No wind, no problem. Photo Workshop, February 2016.

No wind, no problem. Photo Workshop, February 2016.