Image of the Week: Jesse Hamner at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP

Don't let bad weather keep you indoors.

After five days of hiking the Bechler River Valley in southwestern Yellowstone with two of my backpacking buddies, I found myself sipping a cold beer and listening to live piano music at the Yellowstone Lodge near Old Faithful. A thunderstorm raged outside, and the lodge was a welcome shelter for us to wait out the deluge.

As sunset drew near the storm cleared, and we saw through the lodge windows that mist was clinging to the earth and the sky was developing color. Gathering up our gear, we beat it over to the Grand Prismatic Spring, a geothermal natural water spring a stone's throw away from the lodge. With the sunset light and the marvelous fog, the photo opportunities abounded.

Using my two buddies as models, I shot dozens of frames on the boardwalk, including this one of Jesse walking toward me with the sun at his back.

Edgy weather can produce some gorgeous light, so don't give up when the going gets rough. Stay dry, find a safe spot, and wait it out. You might be rewarded for your patience.

And if your shelter has beer and Debussy, all the better.

Have questions, comments? Let me know what you think.

Technical Data

I shot Jesse Hamner at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP with a Mamiya RZ67 Pro and a 50mm ƒ/4.5 lens on Fuji Velvia. The exposure was 1/30s at ƒ/11.

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