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.

June 13, 2016June 13, 2016

How Should Photographers Portray Bears?

Photographers and filmmakers can be the only connection some people have with nature. The way we see and document wildlife, on social media or otherwise, has at least some effect on how potential viewers will portray them. Bears are often seen as cute and cuddly, but can this make them seem less dangerous than they really are? There is no denying bears are playful, just like any animal can be. There’s nothing wrong with seeing them as they are, but you’ve got to have the common sense to realize and respect their power.

Many people visiting Yellowstone seem to have zero fear of bears. Do they have any idea what would happen if a grizzly bear, or even a black bear, decided to charge them? That would be quite the shot to get on your iPad, but ultimately it would not end well. There has already been one instance this season of a man following a grizzly bear into the woods with his iPad. By some miracle, he wasn’t mauled, but he was ticketed by a ranger.

I watched several photographers scurry down a hill to get a closer shot of a mother grizzly bear with three cubs in May. If you’re nearing the retirement age, I don’t think you and your twenty pounds of camera gear are going to make it back up that hill when mama bear decides to charge. In fact, I watched someone slip and fall just trying to make it back up the hill, after the bears were gone.

It’s nearly impossible to make a bear cub look like anything but the cutest thing in the world. A one month old cub probably couldn’t maul anybody, but its mother certainly can.

I think common sense should ensure people have the ability to see something as cute, yet still know it can be dangerous as well. That’s a healthy appreciation and respect of the animal. Common sense is lacking in today’s world, so what can you do? These animals aren’t domesticated. They are wild, dangerous, and struggling to survive. If you get in their way, they can quickly render you no longer a threat.

Making a bear appear scary and threatening isn’t hard. They’re huge animals, and when they’re next to something you can relate to, you can see just how big they really are. The bear below is the same mother of the three cubs above, but it’s not so “cute” anymore huh?

What do you think? How would you prefer to see bears portrayed? Leave a comment below or on Facebook!

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC Landscape Tutorial – Norris Geyser Basin

Welcome and thanks for checking out my latest tutorial! I haven’t put one together since using Apple’s now discontinued Aperture program, so obviously I’ve since switched to Adobe Lightroom.

These are arranged in writing format as opposed to video, so you can see the images at a larger size, and not need to pause the video to study the adjustments. You’ll be able to see the progress through the editing steps, and easily refer to previous adjustments for a before and after.

This image was taken on a winter trip to Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park in January 2016.

I used a Canon 6D with a Canon 17-40 ƒ/4L lens. This is a RAW image file, so minor adjustments do not affect the quality.

Settings: ISO 100 – ƒ/10 – 1/200s – 17mm

The first image is the untouched RAW file. Looking at the histogram, you can see the highlights in the sky are not clipping, and the blacks in the lower areas are not either. The full dynamic range is there to work with. I typically shoot with auto white balance, and it does a pretty good job. Most adjustments to white balance are done for a visual impact.

I use the white balance selector tool to pick a neutral area of gray to set the white balance. When photographing thermal features, I often choose a gray area somewhere in the steam. Doing that here gives me a slightly warmer image, which helps bring out the oranges in the water. You can also pick a point anywhere throughout the clouds. Picking a point in the darker areas of the clouds will make the image dramatically warmer, while picking a point closer to the brightest areas can give a more natural result.

Because the sky has a much brighter range of tones than the foreground, I use a graduated filter to adjust only this area first. I set the line just touching the tops of the trees, and angle it to almost match the tree line. I only use a short gradation, instead of expanding it to fade from top to bottom. I lower the exposure a half stop, as a physical graduated neutral density filter might do. I increase the contrast slightly, then lower highlights so they aren’t clipping. I add just a touch of clarity to give the clouds a bit more definition.

Next, I add another graduated filter, this time covering the bottom half of the image. I align it below the trees, covering everything below where the snow starts. I increase whites and highlights to brighten the snow, and lower blacks so all tonal ranges are represented. I slightly clip the blacks (lower left) so I know I’ve got a true black point.

Using the brush tool and the shadows preset, I increase the shadows in the trees. I find this is a great slider to use to brighten up dark areas of trees.

I‘ve already balanced out the contrast of the image areas using the two graduated filters, but I add just a little bit more global contrast to the overall image with a tone curve. I only go +10 with lights and -10 with darks, making the middle tones pop just a little more, without clipping anything on either end.

This image already has a natural orange/red color, where the heat of the thermal features melts the snow and allows colorful bacteria to grow. I increase the saturation of red, orange, and yellow slightly to bring this out more. I also added +5 to the luminance of these same colors in the same adjust box.

Sharpening can be done before you export the image depending on where it’s going. I add just a little more to the amount and detail. I adjust masking so there’s not as much sharpening going on in the solid areas of snow. If there was noise here, that mask would reduce the noise in the large solid colored areas that don’t need sharpening.

The lens correction tool corrects the vignetting and distortion caused by the lens. Upright adjustment should fix the leveling of the image. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t.

The camera calibration tool helps match the image you see on your computer screen to the image profile you set on your camera. Lens correction and camera calibration are set to automatically apply when I import images.

Now that I’ve made other adjustments, I went back and checked the graduated filter in the sky again. I angled it a little more to not affect the steam cloud on the left, and lowered the exposure and blacks again to darken the clouds.

I use a brush with the dodge (lighten) preset to brighten up the steam cloud on the left, reversing the darkening from the graduated filter in this area.

Finally, I make another adjustment to the white balance, getting a slightly warmer settings. Just a little bit of warm color now shows up where the sun hits the clouds, but the darkest areas remain a natural blue/gray.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed these tips, you can sign up for my weekly photography tips via email with the form below! If you are interested in photography instruction tailored to your own needs, please contact me at info@trentsizemore.com

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.

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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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

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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!

August 27, 2014

Yellowstone – August 7

Yellowstone trip from August 7th. Enjoy! I didn’t feel much like writing today, so these pictures will have to speak for themselves.

Upper Geyser Basin

Old Faithful

Iron Creek

Black Sand Basin

Excelsior Geyser Crater

Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Prismatic Hot Spring

Midway Geyser Basin

Midway Geyser Basin

Great Fountain Geyser

Firehole Lake Drive

White Dome Geyser

Firehole Lake Drive

Pink Cone Geyser

Firehole Lake Drive

Hot Lake?

Firehole Lake Drive

Madison River

August 26, 2014August 26, 2014

Yellowstone – August 25

Yesterday was my first “full” Yellowstone trip with the new Canon 6D and 17-40L lens. This trip started in Big Sky, through the lower loop, and then back. Stops included Firehole Lake Drive, the Midway and Upper Geyser Basins, Old Faithful, Hayden Valley and the Mud Volcano, Artist’s Point on the Yellowstone River, and lastly the Norris Geyser Basin.

Firehole Spring

This hot spring on Firehole Lake Drive was boiling intensely.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Closeup detail on the bacterial mats of Grand Prismatic Spring

Dwarfed trees in the Biscuit Basin have soaked up the surrounding minerals, turning the trunks white around their base.

Mud Volcano Area

Hayden Valley

A lone bison resting on the hills of Hayden Valley

Artist’s Point

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Norris Geyser Basin

The next few photos are from the highly active and unstable Norris Geyser Basin, under a colorful sunset.

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August 26, 2014

Yellowstone – July 5

After leaving Grand Teton National Park, on the way to Big Sky, I stopped through Yellowstone for most of the day.

At first light, I reached the Mud Volcano area, near Hayden Valley. Explorers in the late 1800s heard sounds here, “resembling the reports of distant artillery”. The “volcano” isn’t quite as loud now, nor is it actually a volcano.