How to Photograph Grand Teton National Park

Some of the most impressive fine art photo prints are those that are photos of the American Southwest and Rockies. Every day at FinerWorks we have the priveledge of printing images like these and are always talking to people that would love to have the opportunity to capture these images. What is also amazing is how bug a market there is for large scenic prints of this nature. Based upon that I am republishing and article (with permission) from WikiHow that discusses how to photograph the Grand Teton National Park. If you plan to take a trip there anytime soon, make sure you read this article.

Want to make sure you go home with great photos of this spectacular national park?
This article assumes that you will be entering Grand Teton from the south (Jackson, WY) entrance.

Steps

1. Get up and moving before sunrise. This is the best time for wildlife viewing.
2. Stop at Mormon Row. You’ll want to make this shot at the utter crack of dawn. Go north out of Jackson into the park. After passing Moose Junction start watching the right hand side of the road, you will see a sign for Antelope Flats Road. Turn right and proceed slowly, there can be substantial herds of bison in this area. You will pass some roads going into residences, you are looking for a wide spot on the left where the road going north is chained off. Park here. Walk north on the dirt road, if it’s still dark, don’t wander off the road, there is a small creek that you can fall into if you don’t pay attention. You will find the most photographed barn on earth very quickly. Set up and wait for sunrise. Shoot like crazy. Get back in your car, turn around and go south on the same road to find the other barn that is a must get shot.
3. Stop at Schwabacher Landing next. Go back to the main road and turn right, heading north again. Schwabacher Landing is not marked as you drive north (it is coming south though). You will probably overshoot it, if you reach Teton Point turnout, you’ve passed it. The road is a small dirt road on the left side of the highway. This is a gravel road with a lot of washboarding, you do not need 4WD, simply drive slowly. There are two areas down here, it is the second one that will give you the best shots. There is a nice parking area here and you will probably have plenty of photographers as company.
4. Go back to the main road and proceed north again. Stop at Teton Point turnout if there is really good sky available. If the sky is only so-so, you can probably pass this one by.
5. Keep driving north, the next stop is the shot that you see on all of the postcards, Mount Moran reflected in the Oxbow Bend of the Snake River. You will come to a T in the road, the right side goes to Dubois, the left to Moran Junction. Turn left to Moran, go through the entrance station and keep going. You will have no trouble finding the Oxbow Bend pullout, it will be packed with photographers. Spend some time here, there are probably a dozen shots to be made. Walk a ways down the road and there is another nice marshy area, if you’re lucky there will be some geese or ducks floating on the Snake.
   • Note:The above are the “have to have” shots in Grand Teton. There are other areas to visit if you have time to spend. The Chapel of the Transfiguration just outside of Moose is a great morning shot, but not a crack of dawn shot, the sun has to clear a ridge before it will be well lit.

Tips

• There are several spots along Jackson Lake that are good, but only in the springtime when the lake is full, it gets ugly in the summer as it gets pulled down for irrigation. Willow Flats is a good spot to look for moose, as is the Moose-Wilson road. All of these spots are on the NPS map provided to you when you enter the park.
• If you are at all interested in wildlife, keep your longest telephoto zoom on the camera at all times when not shooting landscapes. A beautiful bugling bull elk can disappear into the brush in a matter of seconds.
• The only filter you should need is a polarizer, possibly a split ND for the earliest shots.
• However much card space/film you think you will need, double it.
• If you’re shooting digital, take a spare battery pack and a car charger. You’ll burn through the first battery before noon if the day is good to you.

Warnings

• Respect the wildlife, this isn’t Disneyland. An annoyed bison can charge at 30 mph. They can run faster angry than you can run scared. A lot faster. You can be killed by an enraged buffalo easily, and this author is unaware of any “tricks” to save oneself.
• Ditto for bears, they can kill with a swipe. Never get between a sow and cub. Always make noise when traveling on foot in back country. If you’re planning on going out into the sticks, carry bear spray. If a bear charges, drop to the ground, curl into a ball and use your arms to protect the back of your neck. Never remove your backpack, it may save your life when you drop. Never run from a bear, this will only provoke the bear’s prey response. Also remember that bears can climb trees better and faster than you can.
• Cell phone service is spotty in the park, don’t rely on a cell phone to get yourself out of a bad situation.
• All of the roads in the park, even the dirt ones, are passable in a regular car in good weather except for River Road (this runs along the west side of the Snake River). Don’t try River Road in a low clearance vehicle, it won’t be fun at all.

Things You’ll Need

• Camera, digital or film.
• If using and SLR, long telephoto zoom lens for wildlife and wide angle for landscapes.
• Tripod.
• Spare batteries, film, digital storage cards, car charger.
• Polarizer.
• Free map from NPS given out at the entrance stations.

Related wikiHows

• How to Photograph the Night Sky
• How to Take Aerial Photos Using a Kite
• How to Photograph Herons and Spoonbills
• How to Take Better Travel Photographs

Sources and Citations

• http://www.nps.gov/grte/

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Photograph Grand Teton National Park. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.