grand prismatic spring
deposits in Yellowstone thermal feature
deposits in Yellowstone thermal feature
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Oct, 2016Views
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Contest Finalist in The Beauty Of Yellowstone National Park Photo Contest
Peer Award
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
At the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National ParkTime
The photo was taken around midday. The morning had been spent driving around looking for various animals. It was a blustery day with snow and rain. Road conditions had limited our ability to get around the park so here we were at the spring.. Might as well get out of the warm van....Lighting
I had to make the best out of what I was offered. Cloudy and snow. The weather as worsening and "waiting for the light" was not an option. Don't wait for the light, find the light.Equipment
Taken with a Canon 5D Mk II and a EF24-105 L lens at 58mm with natural light. F4 and 1/1000 of a second to freeze the mist coming off the ground. A Gitzo tripod at minimum height. I would have hand held but quite frankly sharing the boardwalk with a few hundred others make me a bit nervous in setting my tripod down...Getting a little old to lay on my belly while busloads of tourist walk over me.Inspiration
As I approached the upper boardwalk it was quite evident that a different perspective was going to be required. With the upper observation area closed for construction the classic shot of the spring from above was not available. I really wanted to capture the beauty of the mineral deposits on the periphery of the spring. The inspiration was that I finally found myself in Yellowstone AT the spring and wasn't going to leave without giving it my best at capturing the beauty before my eyes.Editing
Processed in Lightroom to bring out color and highlights. Then a single frame HDR in Googles HDR Efex Pro.In my camera bag
I carry both a Canon 7D and 5D MK II most of the time. My go to lenses are the EF-S 10-18mm, the 24-105L, the EF100-400 and a 100mm macro. I try to be prepared. Never know what I'll run into and 'time a wastin" on getting thru my bucket list. Started to late in life with the photography to not be prepared... Keep extra batteries inside my coat and away from the cold Invested in a Gitzo GT3541LS tripod and love the solid platform. Coupled with a Markins Q20 ballhead and a RRS clamp. One thing that you don't want to forget around the thermal features in Yellowstone are plenty of microfibre cloths to keep the cameras and lenses dry and clean.Feedback
I guess the best advice I can give is when handed a lemon, make lemonade.. While we try our best to be in the right place at the right time with the perfect light we do work in the outdoors a lot and have little to say about what mother nature will throw at us. Instead of huddling around with other photographers complaining that the light isn't right, keep looking for the shot that can happen with the light and conditions you find yourself in. Many of us only get a one opportunity at some of these beautiful locations. Take the shot. Find a different perspective. Go low, go high, zoom to isolate a feature. We all look at hundreds of photos on the web of places like the Grand Prismatic Spring before we find ourselves standing there. Do you see anything interesting that rarely was represented in those photos? Capture it. Bring it to life when back home to reflect the beauty you remember.
