Sun breaking through fog in a geyser basin, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

Claudia and I have had a busy couple of weeks in Yellowstone and the Tetons. We’ve been up early photographing every morning, followed by a late breakfast, nap, early dinner, afternoon and evening photography, sleep – and repeat. But it’s been really fun. I’ve photographed big landscapes, small scenes, and everything in between, plus lots of wildlife. This is an incredibly rich area for photography.

I haven’t had much time for sorting and processing images, but here are three photos from another beautiful, misty morning in Yellowstone. On cold mornings, the steaming pools and geysers of Yellowstone produce copious quantities of mist, and sometimes you can find opportunities to catch the sun breaking through the fog – as I tried to do here.

Since each of these photos include the sun, the contrast was extreme, so for all of them I bracketed five shots, two stops apart, and blended those frames with Lightroom’s HDR Merge.

Tonight we start the Out of Grand Teton photography conference, where I’m one of the instructors, and I’m really looking forward to it, as it should be lots of fun. After that Claudia and I might stick around this area or venture somewhere else. We like to stay flexible and just go where things look interesting.

— Michael Frye

Backlit mist with the sun reflected in a thermal pool, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

Backlit mist and tree shadows, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming

Related Posts: A Misty Morning in Yellowstone; Yellowstone’s Dynamic Landscape

Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives near Yosemite National Park in California, but travels extensively to photograph natural landscapes in the American West and throughout the world.

Michael uses light, weather, and design to make photographs that capture the mood of the landscape, and convey the beauty, power, and mystery of nature. His work has received numerous awards, including the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 award for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s photographs have appeared in publications around the world, and he’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.

Michael loves to share his knowledge of photography through articles, books, workshops, online courses, and his blog. He’s taught over 200 workshops focused on landscape photography, night photography, digital image processing, and printing.