Glacier National Park - Black and White and Uncommon Views

The leaves have fallen. Glacier Park's fall colors came about two weeks early this year. As quickly as they came, they disappeared - it all happened pretty quickly this year. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best fall colors I've ever seen, I'd say this fall was about a 6 or 7 on the east side.

Black Bear in fall colors, Glacier National Park, Montana. Nikon D4, Nikon 200-400 f4, a-fs VR II. 1/500th @ f5 iso 400.       © tonybynum.com 

Generally, fall colors on the west side of Glacier National Park are fantastic - they're also more predictable. You can almost always find good color someplace. On the east side, it's always different from year-to-year and you never really know what you're going to get - it's very unpredictable.

But how important is color? We’ve seen a lot of saturated photographs of Glacier National Park. I’ve created a few colorful photographs of Glacier National Park myself.  I’m sure some of you have also seen black and whites of Glacier too.

When the color goes away, or when I feel a need to put energy into my photography, I create black and white images. They are much harder to create, take more time and a lot more attention. Color can carry the image but black and whites are about shadows, lines, and composition.

Chief Mountain, Black and White - part of Chief Mountain is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and part is within the boundaries of Glacier National Park. The leaves have all dropped and winter is on its way in Northwest Montana. Notice that this composition breaks the rules. The subject is in the center. I find that my images are often better (more appealing to me) when I can break at least one rule.  Nikon D810, Nikon 50mm 1.8, 1/125th @f8 iso 100. ©tonybynum.com  

I’m often asked, “how many keepers do you get in a day?” It’s a hard question to answer.

Sometimes it’s one, maybe two. Other times none. On this day, I did okay. I think keepers are a matter of taste but I find that I do my best work when I’m stressed but able to remove myself from it and go to places where there’s solitude. This time of year, after all the tourists have left the Park, solitude abounds.  

Two cow moose feed in a small pond in Glacier National Park. Nikon d810, 24-120, f4 af-s, 1/500th @f6.3, iso 100. ©tonybynum.com   

While I’m creating images, I’m completely lost in the moment. Somehow I'm able to let the presence of time and the abundance of solitude take over. I create better images when there are fewer modern, mechanical noises. Fewer cars, and no people.

I allow things to flow. I seldom shoot with a tripod for this reason. A tripod limits my creativity. For me, the time it takes to set up a tripod boots me out of my flow. Sadly, I've never learned how to incorporate a tripod into my landscape photographs without disrupting the flow. Most of the time, I just need to shoot and not worry about composition and tripod placement. I allow myself to just see arrangements, lines, darks, and lights, and go, as they say, with the flow.  

A stream leading to Rising Wolf Mountain, Glacier National Park. Nikon d810, Nikon 12-24 af-s 2.8, 1/125 sec @f11, iso 64. ©tonybynum.com 

Don't get me wrong, I love photographing humans in their element, but sometimes I prefer to craft images when the world around me is calm. I mentioned stress. I find that when my mind is spinning with the news of the day or the stresses of life, when I leave it all behind, for just a morning, I create better photographs.

On this day I discovered that what caught my attention most were the shadows, not the usual bountiful colors we so often experience in such magical places.

Here're a few keepers from today. How many, I did not count them, you can if you like.

Rising Wolf and Sinopah in the distance, Glacier National Park, Montana. Nikon d810, Nikon 24mm f1.4, 1/2500 @ f4, 64. ©tonybynum.com 

Sinopah Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana. Nikon d810, Nikon 24mm af-s f1.4, 1/250 @ f8 iso 64. ©tonybynum.com 

My favorite capture of the day. I particularly like this photograph. It has all of the elements that I look for in a good quality image. Shadows, clouds, a strong subject, and a broken rule - the subject is centered. Nikon d810, Nikon 24-120 af-s f4, 1/640 @ f6.3 iso 200. ©tonybynum.com 

There's only one thing better than bringing a little bit of glacier home with you, and that's actually being here in the flesh. Click this hyperlinked text for more Glacier National Park Photographs.The link is safe, it will take you to more of my photographs of Glacier National Park.

Tony

Spring in Glacier National Park - grizzly bears, going to the sun road, two medicine, wild goose island

While most grizzly bears are still hibernating along the rocky mountain front, as this recent news article reports, spring is nonetheless progressing.

A grizzly bear sow with two cubs emerge from their winter slumber. Nikon D300, Nikon 500mm f4, VR TC 1.4. This is about a 20% crop, the bears were rather far away and there was no harm done either to the bears or to myself.  I grabbed a few photographs and moved on.  © Tony Bynum Photography

The Two Medicine Road recently opened from the Glacier Park boundary to Running Eagle Falls.

Running Eagle Falls, Glacier National Park. Nikon d300, tokina atx 12-24 f2.8. © Tony Bynum Photography 

The rest of the road remains open to hiker biker access only. The pavement is clear of snow and ice, so it's an easy ride into see two medicine lake if your up for it. On my recent trip I captured this image of Sinopah Mountain reflecting in Two Medicine Lake. It was a stunning spring day, probably the nicest day of the year here in Glacier National Park!

Sinopah Mountain, and Rising wolf (frame right) reflecting in Two Medicine Lake, Glacier Nation Park. Nikon d4, nikon 24-120, f16 hand held. © Tony Bynum Photography 

The days are getting longer, it's light till almost 9 PM! There are new faces showing up in town to ready the Village, the lodge, and the Park for tourist season. Things are waking up!  Make sure if you are planing to a trip to Glacier Nation Park, to bring your bear spray, a first aid kit, a water bottle, a gps and maps, a notebook, and camera! If you are traveling by air, forget the bear spray you'll have to buy a can once you land, don't worry, they are available everywhere for about $40 bucks.  When you leave, drop the can off at one of the park gates, or in one of the local shops, and ask them to share it with someone who needs it!

As a side note, I'm told by sources within the Park that the Going to the Sun Road from the mile and a half gate at Saint Mary will open sometime after June 20th this year! That's rather amazing. This mean there's no quick access to the location from which to photograph Wild Goose Island, until after June 20th.

Wild Goose Island, Glacier National Park. The wild goose island image is one of, if not the most photographed location in Montana, and certainly within glacier national park. You can hardly go by this location without seeing a horde of people standing there pointing their cameras at it.  Just bare in mine that this is about 10 miles past the gate and wont be accessible until June 20th or so 2014.  Sorry, if you have a complaint, shoot it up the chain to the Park officials. Nikon d700, nikon 24-70 2.8. Tripod, f16, 1.3 seconds, pre sunrise.  © Tony Bynum Photography 

So, in essence, if you're planning a trip to the east side of Glacier National Park, before June 20th, make sure you know that you wont be driving any farther than Saint Mary. The entire area of Two Dog flats, and Rising Sun are closed. The small camp ground at Saint Mary is open however.

Balsam springs to life in massive fields along Glacier National Park's east side. Two Dog Flats, Red Eagle Mountain, Glacier Nation Park, Montana. Nikon d3, nikon 17-35 f2.8 handheld, f16. © Tony Bynum Photography 

Here's to a wonderful spring in Glacier National Park!

Montana Based Photographer, Tony Bynum 

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