Back Blogged

I’ve been busy, real busy, and I’ve created a back log of images that need to be shared with the world. So over the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing a blog post each Friday to catch up!

When it comes to photography, I get excited easily. So when we made plans to visit Grand Teton National Park it was no surprise that I could barely contain that excitement. What feels like very long ago, when I was in my first year of college, my family and I made a trip to Grand Teton National Park. It was the first trip out west I had ever made, and it really helped shaped me into who I am today. I fell in love with the mountains and the landscape of the American West and the ruggedness of the terrain. Since then I have sought out places in this country that evoke that sense of awe and tried to memorialize them.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

On our first day in the area, we managed to snag the last available campsite anywhere near the location I wanted to photograph the following morning ( A good omen). The next morning came and we hustled our way down an old gravel road to a well documented barn that I was expecting to be brimming with photographers. However, upon arrival I had the area virtually to myself. One other photographer was off to my left a ways. I set up my composition and waited for sunrise.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

The thing that makes the Tetons so special to me is how flat the landscape around them is. They dominate the landscape for miles and miles, and create such a stark contrast to the valleys below. I captured my version of the usual barn scene, and moved on to another image I had envisioned. The image at the beginning of this blog represents how I feel about the Tetons. Bathed in golden light, the Grand Teton rises above the trees and fills the frame of this image creating a sense of majesty that captivates your attention while you travel through the area. To me, that image symbolizes the strength and beauty of nature. It is tender and inviting, yet ultimately rugged in the same moment.

The weather was forecasting thunderstorms by mid afternoon, so we hiked the rest of the morning before we had to hunker down and wait out the storm. I managed to capture one image from the trunk of our vehicle while the winds were howling and throwing rain every which way.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

With lightning striking nearby, we didn’t venture out far from the vehicle, but as the last light of the day was disappearing, I managed one more image down near Jackson Lake.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

Mt. Moran makes the perfect backdrop to this image, and while a perfect sunset would have been nice, the moodiness of this image works nicely for this scene. The brownish rock in the foreground that is glistening a golden color makes me think of the gold rush and it’s influence it had in shaping the West.

Wet and all, we made our way back to the tent excited to do it all again the next day. The following morning was a wash as we awoke to rain pounding the sides of the tent. We opted to stay in our bags and enjoy rising slowly that morning. As midday came around, the weather had slightly improved, so we headed out hiking.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

Well after the sun disappeared behind the mountains and the valley fell into darkness, the sky remained a beautiful shade of orange that faded into the purple dark of the evening. I created a silhouette of the Teton range and then went to bed excited to see what sunrise would bring to this location. The next morning I arose to a view of the entire range in view and knew it would be a special sunrise. Sitting in the calm morning air waiting for the sun to warm the valley I reflected on how lucky I was to be experiencing these locations with my wife.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

We spent the morning enjoying the moment and after we had packed up and headed away from our campsite to head back to civilization, I turned around and noticed one more composition. So naturally I unpacked my camera, set up the tripod and took one final image. Much like the first image in this post, I like how the forest framed the mountains in the distance, and gave them a sense of enormous scale.

© Andrew Lockwood 2019

4 Days and 9 images later it was time to say goodbye to the Tetons. I hope one day I will return to this incredible place and show my children the awe inspiring peaks of Grand Teton National Park.

Check back on Friday to see where we traveled to next!

Going Back For Seconds... and Thirds...: Creating the best image possible

Oftentimes, my best image of a location doesn't happen the first or even second time I visit a location. Sometimes it takes many, MANY times to achieve the image I had envisioned. 

I recently moved to Utah, and while I am familiar with the layout of the land, I confess I am at a loss as to the intricacies of the states endless potential. Scouting locations has quickly become my greatest time investment. I still aim to come home with an image of the location I am exploring, but at the end of the day, if I find a place to come back to when the elements for a great photograph exist then I am happy. One such location exists in Uinta-Wasatch Cache National Forest. Above one of the many lakes in the area a cliff rises to offer a dramatic view of the surrounding area. Knowing how the light would fall as the sun went down afforded me the ability to pre visualize what the scene may look like at sunset. I snapped a reference photo and pinged my GPS coordinates.

Reference Photo

© Andrew Lockwood 2018

By doing this it allows me to return to the exact location when optimal conditions exist.  You may ask why I didn't stay and wait for conditions to present themselves. The answer is simple. I was in unfamiliar territory deep in the backcountry, with a long exit hike in the dark if I waited for optimal lighting. Those three factors can be a recipe for disaster, and have the potential to become life threatening. It is alway best to understand an area before committing to a long hike in the dark. Even experienced hikers can find themselves lost in the wilderness. Besides, as I mentioned before, I was scouting. I already had a photograph planned for that evening some 15 miles away from this location that I had scouted the day before. That image can be seen below.

Reference Photo

© Andrew Lockwood 2018

Final Image

© Andrew Lockwood 2018

The other day I found myself sitting in a field of wildflowers, being eaten alive by mosquitos, waiting for the magic to happen. As the light faded away and darkness descended I had only taken one image, a rather flat image that felt to me as though it was missing something. I left with the idea of returning the following day to attempt to produce a better image. The image I created that first night, some may say is beautiful and a good image, but I knew it could be better. And so I returned the following morning. Understanding how the light fell a little better, I was able to deduce that the morning light would create a much more dynamic scene. I waited (again being eaten alive by mosquitos) for the perfect moment to create my image, and was happy with the outcome. 

© Andrew Lockwood 2018

The blank sky in the first image, while not ugly, leaves a weird negative space that lacks interest. As you can see, the way the light hits the the rock face in the second image, along with the cloudy sky make it seem more dramatic. The second image is an improvement over the first. I believe however that I can create an even better image than the second given the right conditions. I will continue to monitor the weather and see if another chance is in the cards. As you know wildflowers don't have an infinite lifespan and sometimes it can become a race against the clock.

© Andrew Lockwood 2018

Here is another example of going back for seconds. In this case I felt as though the first image was perfect except for a few small things. It was Fall, and I was attempting to express that fact through the change in color of the leaves, however I arrived to find them still mostly green. There was also a lot of wind on the water, obscuring the reflection. I took an image anyway because the light was immaculate, but knew I wanted to return to capture the change of season better, and hopefully get a good reflection. The second image does that, and thankfully I was awarded with some good light and no wind on the second evening! Both images are strong images, but for me the latter depicts the creative vision I set off to capture. 

It is important not to simply settle for your first image of a location, even though it may be good. Chances are the as you begin to gain an intimate knowledge of a place from repetitively photographing it, you will also develop a better understanding of how to create a better image as well. Even if you do happen to capture your best image of that location on your first go around, you can't really be upset with being back in an amazing place. Can you?

Check back next week for some amazing wildflower photos and a story about planning your time appropriately.