How Far Away is That Bear?

In Yellowstone National Park it is illegal to approach or remain within 100 yards of bears. If the bear approaches within 100 yards of you, you are required to get into your car or move so that you maintain the 100 yard distance.
A ranger on scene may allow a group of people to stand closer.
If an animal changes its behavior, even if you are outside of 100 yards, you are too close.
The distance from Old Faithful to the viewing benches is roughly 110-120 yards.

*Each image to the left represents a different camera/lens setup, and shows the image as seen in the viewfinder. The gray bear is 50 yards from the camera. The black bear is 100 yards. The math is explained at the bottom.

The images in the viewfinders are rendered to scale assuming a bear that is 3 feet tall.

Image © Trent Sizemore Photography 2016 – Do not use or reproduce without permission, unless using the Facebook “share” button.

April 14, 2016April 14, 2016

How I Followed My Dream to Move West

At some point during my college years in Georgia, I decided that I wanted to live out west after graduating. I heard about the Yellowstone area from several people. I listened to stories about the great scenery, wildlife, and endless outdoor pursuits. Nobody around me knew this idea of mine, and they wouldn’t know until a few months before my actual move.

For as long as I can remember, I have been an active outdoorsman with a strong passion for fishing and photography. Growing up just outside of Atlanta, most of my outdoor activities involved just being outside. A couple times a year, we might have gone to the mountains of north Georgia or Daytona Beach in Florida.

20160223_untitled_1409 — Sunset in the Gallatin Mountain range of Yellowstone

With college came much more freedom, and the ability to travel by myself. I frequently visited places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, different beaches in Florida, or just around my backyard. This new ability to travel must have inspired the idea of expanding my explorations into the western states.

Once I was certain that was what I wanted to do, I started my research. I applied to several different jobs, only to find they wanted someone who was already there. I was prepared to move without a job lined up, living with a friend until I could find work. I finally came across a position that would allow me to live and work inside Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. They often hire students and graduates from around the country and around the world. Within a couple weeks, I was hired and ready to start working that May.

20160409_untitled_2032 — The Teton Mountain range from Oxbow Bend. Grand Teton National Park. (Click the image to order a print)

I don’t recall much fear, anxiety, or anything that would stop someone from following their dream. I just did it. People ask if I miss Georgia, and until you’ve actually been out west, you might not understand there’s not much to miss. The city life might be for some people, but I do not miss the traffic, I do not miss the crowds, and I certainly do not miss the muggy southern weather!

I graduated on a Saturday, and I was on the road by Sunday. By Tuesday, I was passing through the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park. I spent two days there, exploring my now favorite park, before heading through the south entrance and into Grand Teton. I started working later that week, and I stayed at that job for a couple of months.

Working there exposed me to so much. I saw wildlife that some people only dream of (see bears below), met people from around the world, and learned what true wilderness was. I have learned to be fearful and respectful of nature, because if you slip up, it could cost you your life.

Grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park.

I discovered that the living conditions and the lifestyle of seasonal work wasn’t what I wanted, so I moved on. I worked in Big Sky, Montana for another couple of months before settling on my current job in West Yellowstone, Montana. West Yellowstone is a small town at the west entrance to the world’s first national park. I’ve been here for well over a year now, working year round and full time. Seasonal work is relatively easy to find, but few find a permanent job they can enjoy here.

Today, I spend much of my free time exploring Yellowstone, and the seemingly endless wilderness that surrounds it. There is so much of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming that I have yet to explore. On my days off, I’m pursuing another dream of becoming a full time landscape and wildlife photographer. My passion for fly fishing goes hand in hand with photography. I enjoy nature at its best. I prefer to travel alone, and be in quiet places. It’s not often that I’m found in a crowd of photographers and tourists watching a bear or moose. I’ve had many wildlife encounters where it’s just me and the animal. That’s when the magic happens, and you can capture a meaningful story in a photograph.

Since I’ve been out west, I’ve also been able to visit areas of Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, including the Grand Canyon. There are many other places I’d love to visit, as time allows. Why would someone want to live anywhere else?

A bison walking down a snow covered road in Yellowstone National Park. (Click the image to order a print)

If you’d like to follow my journey, I am very active on social media. Most of my photography and day to day happenings get posted on Instagram @trentsizemore or Facebook at Trent Sizemore Photography. If you’re truly interested in my work, you can also subscribe to my updates by entering your email below.

March 28, 2016March 28, 2016

Unexpected

Something that photographers have to be prepared for is the unexpected. Nowhere is this more true than the greater Yellowstone area. In this case, prepared means being ready to take a photograph at any second.

Wildlife is great at hiding. If they weren’t, it would be easy to get great shots. Sometimes (all the time with bison) they come out in the open, and that could be for an hour or just a few seconds. If you’re spending ten seconds getting your camera ready, you may have missed your only opportunity.

I took a trip to the Quake Lake area yesterday, about 30 miles outside of West Yellowstone. I expected the bighorn sheep to be there, and they were. I hoped to see a grizzly bear, moose, or elk, but they did not show up. What I did not expect were the two bison walking down the highway on the way back.

Since they aren’t inside the national park, and there was only one other car around, I was able to stop and photograph these bison at close range. Had I not been prepared, I would not have had the time to get this shot. I’ve learned to have my cameras on and ready in the passenger seat, so all I have to do is pick one up and start shooting. Below is the result of preparation!

Note: I was safely IN my car.

Bison near Hebgen Lake. Canon 7D, Canon 300mm ƒ/4L, 1.4x TC, 420mm @ ƒ/8, 1/800s, ISO 3200 (purchase print)

After this afternoon trip, I had to go back to town to eat and get more gas. I debated going back out, but there was a storm coming in and the light looked like it could be great. I’m glad I didn’t stay inside!

Electric Peak is the highest mountain in the Gallatin Range, and it was lit up with the last golden light of the day. Since this peak was 11 miles from where I was, I used my longest lens combination, making for a non-conventional landscape shot.

Canon 7D, Canon 300mm ƒ/4L, 1.4x TC, 420mm @ ƒ/8, 1/800s, ISO 400 (purchase print)

If you’d like to hear about future blog posts and receive special offers on prints, you can subscribe with the link below. You’ll also receive a free copy of my new eBook!

>> Trent

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016

2015 in Review

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2015 brought a new experience for nearly every month. I’d call that a successful year by any means! This was my first full year out west, so I’ve experienced all the seasons it has to offer. This winter has already dealt more than last, and it’s only a couple weeks in.

I’ve compiled what I thought was the best image from each month of the year. They aren’t necessarily my best images of the year as a whole, since those would probably all come from only a few of the months.

The first image is from January, taken at Grand Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. I took a snowcoach tour in to the Old Faithful area, which was unlike anything else. If you can imagine what a real winter wonderland might look like, this is it.

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This image from February is from Quake Lake, just north and west of the town of West Yellowstone. It was formed when a 7.5 M earthquake struck the area in 1959, causing a landslide to dam up the Madison River. Bighorn sheep frequent the area, which I also was able to photograph on this trip.

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This photo from Soda Butte Creek in March was by far one of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen. I was here waiting well before the sun rose above the horizon.

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April was my first road trip in to Yellowstone of the year. Here in the Lamar Valley, we saw several newborn bison, huddling up close to the herd.

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This image from May is from the Hayden Valley. May is spring here, and even though most of the snow had melted, many of the rivers were raging from the runoff.

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June was definitely one of those unique experiences. I got to watch the northern lights right outside my front door!

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July was a great fishing month. This was taken from Soda Butte Creek in the northeast corner of Yellowstone, where I caught several nice cutthroat.

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In August, I traveled outside the northeast entrance of Yellowstone, and down the Beartooth Highway that runs through both Montana and Wyoming. This road travels to over 10,000 feet in elevation, above the tree line.

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September brought in cooler air and bugling elk. Much of my time was spent watching the elk along the Madison River, but I thought this shot from a snowy Gibbon River was best.

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In October, some of my family visited for the first time. Fisherman from all over the country were also in the park, since it’s one of the best times of the year.

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November is when winter really sets in for Montana and Wyoming. This was taken between Big Sky and Bozeman, Montana, where the roads stay snow covered and icy for many days in the winter.

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In December, I was able to ski to two separate forest service cabins in the backcountry. These were primitive cabins, with just a wood stove for heat and an outhouse.

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Happy new year, and I hope everyone has a great 2016!

Follow my work on Instagram @trentsizemore

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October 14, 2015April 14, 2016

How We’re Loving Our National Parks to Death

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How We’re Loving Our National Parks to Death

Also seen on The Huffington Post

There’s a fine line between keeping America’s National Parks in their natural state, and watering down the wilderness to make it enjoyable for everyone. Maybe it’s not such a fine line. The goal of the National Park Service is to preserve our parks for the enjoyment of the people of future generations. However, enjoyment has a different meaning for different people.

When I visit a national park, I prefer to be alone. I want to experience nature by myself, in awe, and in complete silence. Bringing a friend or significant other along every once in a while never hurt. As much as I love it myself, I also want to see new people love it for themselves.

When some people visit, they want to be with everyone. They bring all their friends and make a social gathering out of it. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s just not my thing.

Each year, more and more people want to visit for the first time, or return to relive memories of family vacations. It seems more of society is loving the outdoors, which is not a bad thing at all. However, the problem with this is more people in the “wilderness” makes it less “wild.”

This is where the fine line comes in. Too many people enjoying the parks at the same time naturally leads to crowding, trash, traffic, and other annoyances that you would typically go to a park to avoid.

Yellowstone is an enormous place. On a quiet day, there could be thousands of people throughout the park, and you may never see a single one of them. During the busy months, which are now May through September, it’s nearly impossible to get the solitude of true wilderness.

While Yellowstone doesn’t quite see the level of visitation as The Grand Canyon or the Great Smoky Mountains, it is on track to see four million visitors in 2015. Everyone I’ve talked to, both locals and tourists, have seen the effects of the increased visitation.

During the “tourist season,” most locals stay out of the interior of the park, and for good reason. Every parking lot is packed full by mid-morning. Cars will park in the grass, on the curb, and even along the main road. If you do find a place to park, you’re still facing hundreds, if not thousands of people crowding boardwalks that are just a few feet wide. Most of these people have no interest in your safety, and couldn’t care less about your enjoyment of the sights. You will be pushed around, you will be in their way of pictures, and you will have them in your own pictures. Photos of Old Faithful are synonymous with crowds of people, but is that really what you came to Yellowstone to experience?

The main routes through the park are two lane roads, but when people see an animal, traffic laws and safety mean nothing. If there is so much as a single bison near the road, you can expect traffic to back up for several miles, and possibly last several hours. If a tour bus makes a stop at one of the scenic attractions, you can expect a dense group of 50 or more to be making their way through the boardwalks. Most of the day, there are two or three of these buses in every parking lot, along with dozens of cars.

Yellowstone is not the only National Park experiencing overcrowding. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and the Great Smoky Mountains all have crowds during peak season.

This has been an issue since the creation of the National Park System. When the public was first allowed to drive their own vehicles in to the parks, as opposed to being restricted to private tours, the crowding quickly began. Anyone with a car and vacation time could visit the national parks on their own. The infrastructure and accommodations were not ready for the huge influx of visitors, and the overall experience suffered. Why do people still come, knowing there will be crowds? The sights are more than worth it, even if you’re packed in like it’s a sporting event.

What should the National Park Service do about these issues? In Yellowstone specifically, they are making road improvements, but that will hardly help with traffic. They have made improvements to the visitor center, but that doesn’t help with crowding around the actual attractions. Some parks, such as Denali in Alaska, only allow buses to drive the park road after a certain point. This is not how I want to experience the outdoors. I want to plan my own trip, and do things my way.

Both local businesses and tourism groups are spending their advertising money to get as many people visiting as possible. The best solution I see is to cut back on promoting visitation. The people will still visit, but in more tolerable numbers.

I’ve found my own way to enjoy the area during the summer, by exploring the backcountry. Evidence of humans is apparent everywhere, even miles from the road. Still, most people don’t get more than a few hundred yards away from the road, so it’s your best chance for some peace and quiet. During the winter months, most of Yellowstone is closed to public vehicles, but the surrounding areas of Montana and Wyoming offer that peace and quiet I truly enjoy. If you want to experience nature in its truest sense, go in the off season, and get as far off the road as you’re comfortable with.

–

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October 7, 2015October 7, 2015

6 Tips to Move Across the Country

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6 Tips to Move Across the Country

Immediately upon graduating from college on May of 2014, I packed my car and drove towards Wyoming. I graduated on a Saturday, left North Carolina on Sunday, and arrived in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday afternoon. I’ve compiled this list of tips to help, and maybe inspire someone to move west themselves!

Pack Lightly

Everything I brought with me fit inside my little 4-door Subaru. Most of my “stuff” was clothing, food, fishing and camera gear, and camping equipment. Anything I didn’t really need stayed packed away at home. Since then, after living in the same place for a year, I’ve acquired a lot more “stuff.”

Have a Travel Plan

For several days in advance of leaving, I planned places to stop to rest and get gas, as well as sleep for the two nights. I decided against camping, so I stayed in a motel in both Columbia, Missouri and Casper, Wyoming. I didn’t run in to any delays on my trip, but they were narrowly avoided with a late season snow storm closing parts of I-80 in Wyoming.

Have a Job Ready

My original plan was to live with a friend for a few weeks in Montana to find a job. Most employers want you there in person before hiring you, so it made sense. However, before I left, I was able to secure a job with Grand Teton Lodge Company, working at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The lifestyle of dorm living wasn’t for me, so I moved on from there after a couple of months. I now live on my own in West Yellowstone, Montana. Being out here and ready to work helped me get my latest job.

Here are a few resources to find jobs in National Parks, or similar cool places to work!

Coolworks.com

National Park Service

Yellowstone National Park Lodges

Delaware North

Xanterra

Be Prepared

If you have a set date to start working, and you’re planning an extending driving trip, you NEED to plan plenty of extra time for travel. Many things can delay you, including construction, detours, weather, or car troubles.

Stop along the Way

When you plan extra travel time, you’re giving yourself time to see things along your route. If you’re delayed, you won’t be able to see as much, but it’s worth the time to slow down and make the trip a memorable experience. Before arriving in Grand Teton, I was able to see things like the Gateway Arch in Missouri, the emptiness of Nebraska, and Yellowstone in Wyoming.

Bring a Camera

There’s a lot to be seen outside your home state, and you’re going to want to keep pictures of your travels! The more you stop and rest, the more you get to see. There are a countless number of scenic views in every single state.

If you’re truly interested in moving out west, shoot me an email and feel free to pick my brain!

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June 2, 2015March 12, 2016

A Year Out West

A little more than a year ago, I packed my stuff and headed out from Georgia to Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. Since then, I’ve been to Big Sky, Montana, and now settled in West Yellowstone, Montana. To the surprise of most, I survived the seemingly overhyped winter of the west. Sure it snowed nearly every single day, and often 8-10″ over night, but it was nothing dreadful. Many mornings I would wake up to fresh snow and ski my way to work instead of driving. The winter cold of nearly 40 below some days took a little toll on my car, but nothing major.

Now it’s spring, and yesterday was 75 degrees. Even though it’s been raining daily (we need it), the fishing and weather has been great for the most part. In the first couple of weeks of the opening season of fishing in Yellowstone National Park, I’ve caught several fish on the world famous streams, including the Firehole and Madison Rivers, as well as Nez Perce Creek. The crowds are here, and are starting to pushing me in to exploring the more secluded locations for some backcountry fishing.

Madison River in Yellowstone National Park

Although the weather has been nice for the most part, we had a couple of snow storms earlier in May that brought cold temperatures and a few inches of snow for a day or so.

Lodging inside Yellowstone, and outside of the park in West Yellowstone is pretty much sold out for June, July, and much of August and September. People are planning their trips out here a year in advance in some cases. It’s been pretty busy where I work at The Faithful Street Inn.

Over a year, I’ve learned quite a few things about Montana and the west in general. I’ve compiled a list of several of these below.

McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A are virtually the only places that offer real sweet tea. McDonald’s is decent, but Chick-Fil-A is better, even though it’s 2 hours away.
When you live an hour and a half away from the nearest Wal-Mart, you know you’re in the middle of nowhere.
The western states get their fair share of severe weather, minus the tornadoes. We get pea size hail with almost every big storm, and small hail even with a passing shower. The wind yesterday knocked out power in much of Grand Teton National Park, closed several roads, and caused wrecks here in Yellowstone.
It’s extremely dry out here. Even on a cloudy, rainy day, the humidity may be only 50%. It’s never muggy. During the summer, a lot of rain never even reaches the ground.
For the most part, people leave you alone here, and want to be left alone. They are still very friendly!
People vacationing seem to leave their common sense at home (if they had any in the first place). You may have seen a couple of these instances on the news lately.
If you live here, you better know how to drive. People like to get where they need to be as fast as possible. Another reason is the weather changes constantly. A quick hail storm can turn the road completely white in a minute. Snow can make the road very dangerous very quickly. I still have my snow tires on in June.

If you’re interested in visiting, feel free to contact me! I will be presenting my photography and giving a seminar on fly fishing photography at the Ennis on the Madison Fly Fishing Festival on September 4th and 5th, put on by the Madison River Foundation.

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March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

A Story of Traveling Bison

This past weekend was spent in the northern range of Yellowstone looking for wolves, among other wildlife. After getting up well before sunrise to get to the Lamar Valley, I came up empty. I just happened to see a few spotters along the road on the way out, and turned around to see what was there. Just a minute after talking to another photographer, a couple of coyotes came up to feed on a bison that had fallen through ice a couple of days ago.

We were up on a hill, not even 50 yards from the feeding animals. Throughout the day, several more coyotes came to share. The scavengers came and went as onlookers were spooking them. A couple of bald eagles also shared the area, feeding on a second carcass that was older.

Keep scrolling to see the photos of bison and coyotes moving through the Blacktail Pond area.

This reddish coyote stood out perfectly against the bluish ice.

I watched up to three coyotes at a time share in the feast.

This coyote decided to take a meal to go.

This bison spent time apparently “mourning” the loss of a fellow friend.

The bison herd wanted to cross here, but were hesitant after sensing another bison dead in the water.

After some grazing, the lead bison led the herd to a short crossing over the harder ice.

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March 9, 2015March 16, 2015

Midway Geyser Basin Tour

Thermal features of the Midway Geyser Basin

Take a virtual walkthrough of the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, while learning a little bit about each of the main features. Photos are all my own, and information was gathered from various sources.

Excelsior Geyser (Crater)

Although this once was an active geyser, it is now considered a crater left over from destructive eruptions. Eruptions in the late 1800s went up to 300 feet in the air. It also erupted, in a smaller fashion, for two days in 1985. The most striking thing about this feature is its size and deep blue boiling water.

Downstream from this feature, you’ll see its runoff flowing in to the Firehole River. This is what you first see walking across the footbridge. The near boiling runoff heat creates bright orange bacteria just before it hits the river.

Excelsior Geyser is able to discharge 4500 gallons of water each minute, flowing in to the Firehole River.

The boardwalk wraps around half of the crater, allowing you to see the deep blue water from many angles. You can’t help but imagine what would happen if it began erupting again!

Grand Prismatic Spring

The largest hot spring in Yellowstone, and the third largest in the world, Grand Prismatic Spring is easily among the most striking features in the park. Although it is larger than the Excelsior Geyser Crater, it discharges only 500-600 gallons per minute.

The views of Grand Prismatic from above, below, and up close are vastly different. There’s always something interesting to look at.

This view of Grand Prismatic Spring and the entire Midway Geyser Basin is accessible by an unofficial trail on the way to Fairy Falls.

Opal Pool

Although named as a pool, Opal is an unpredictable geyser. Heights of these violent eruptions can reach 30-70 feet, throwing debris around the pool, as you can see in the photo below. I believe even this past summer, Opal had a day of eruptions, and then the pool drained completely before filling back up.

Turquoise Pool

Turquoise Pool is the last feature you’ll see on the loop around the Midway Geyser Basin. It has a temperature between 140 and 160 °F and was named by members of the Hayden Expedition of 1878. Minerals in the water give Turquoise Pool an opaque, milky color.

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January in Yellowstone

Most of the heart of Yellowstone is only accessible by snow coach or snowmobile during the winter months. I was lucky enough to get on a trip in to the park to Old Faithful on one of these tracked snow coaches. It was a full day trip, with snow and wildlife all around! Pictures below.

One of the first furry creatures we saw was this fox, hunting in an open field.

Behind the fox was another spectacular view.

A bison standing in the same field.

Old Faithful and several other features in the Upper Geyser Basin.

These “painted” trees have soaked up minerals in to their bases, causing them to turn white.

The Madison River

If you enjoyed these photos, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or join the email list to get the latest updates and photos!

If you’re interested in a trip for yourself, I’d recommend a trip with Buffalo Bus Tours and check out the Faithful Street Inn for vacation rental cabins!

December 11, 2014

Best of 2014

The year 2014 was a year of change for me. I started off in school, graduated with a Bachelor’s of Art, and moved to Wyoming and eventually Montana!

Here are my picks of the best shot from each month. These latest months were hard to pick from, there were just so many shots from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks! It’s slowed down a bit in November and December, with everything shut down, but I managed a few from my iPhone.

Feel free to share this post with your friends, and let me know which month is your favorite image!