The year of the coyote, or so it seemed during the past 2 months of photographing in Yellowstone National Park. During this winters Yellowstone photography tours there were plenty of other wildlife photo opportunities but it was a bit different in the numbers of animals we saw. Down from previous years. What was abundant were the coyotes.

Always plenty of bison around but even they were in different locations. In the Hayden Valley where typically we’d see primarily the big bulls we encountered many more cows with the year old calves. The bulls are more suited to the harsh winds and deeper snow find in this part of Yellowstone.

The elk we saw and photographed were up in the Mammoth Hot Spring area so it took a little itinerary adjustment to make sure we had that photo opportunity. That’s one of the great things about the tours I put together with just two clients at a time is that our schedule is completely flexible depending on where wildlife has been spotted and weather conditions.

I’ll be heading back to the Park in spring to hopefully photograph bears as they come out of hibernation as well as the baby critters as they begin to explore. I do have my 2020 Winter in Yellowstone tours posted now so hope you’ll join me!

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The 2018 Winter in Yellowstone photo tours have just wrapped and it was a wonderful season with many wildlife photography opportunities. I held 6 tours in all which afforded me the chance to experience the Park and the changes over a two month period. It’s always interesting to see how one year you may see many fox, bobcats, elk, etc. and the next year none to be seen. While we didn’t see the bobcats this year there were several opportunities to photograph wolves, primarily the very large Wapiti Lake Pack.

Along with the wolves everyone had a chance to see and photograph one of my favorite canines in the Park the coyote, including the “fishing coyote” along the Madison River. This unusual behavior has recently been witnessed in Yellowstone and the BBC had a film crew there trying to capture footage of the activity. I love the light hitting the coyote in the lead photograph as it stayed perfectly still for at least 15 minutes just soaking up the last rays of sunlight for the day.

It started out being a rather mild winter and by the end of the second January tour I was concerned about how much snow we’d have late in February for my last two excursions. The snow cycle seemed to have been flipped this year as the snow piled up, and is probably still doing so at the rate it was coming down. The temperatures never got down to what is more typical and I think the coldest morning was a -15. 

This page shows only a small selection of photos I managed to capture with more to come as I have the chance to do more editing. Moya, my much neglected pup, is demanding I make up for all the time away so it may be a while. Priorities! If you’re interested in joining one of these semi-private tours for 2019 more information may be found at this link.

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Antarctic Whale Tails/Tales

 OK, I’ll admit it. Spending time on the water in a Zodiac watching for and hopefully photographing whales in Antarctica has never been at the top of my list of photo experiences…until this last photo tour.  Well, actually it probably is not near the top of the “photo experiences” list but as an experience on its own…WOW!!! After several days along the Antarctic Peninsula on a Marine Mammals Tour, along with a few researchers that were on-board, we had the most incredible whale encounter one could ever wish for. 

We set off in our Zodiacs from our ship, the Akademik Ioffe, for what was suppose to be about a two hour cruise near one of the nearby islands located in Cierva Cove looking out for a colony of Chinstrap penguins. We did manage to spot and photograph a group for a while as they jumped, or attempted to jump, out of the surf onto the rocky shore. A leopard seal popped up out of the water several times waiting for a meal. No such luck, this time.

Not far off we spotted a few breaching humpback whales so we decided to take a closer look. Little did we know that the whales had the same idea only their idea of a “closer look” was a bit different from ours! We stopped a safe distance away so as not to disturb them and just watched as the logged, tail and fin slapped and occasionally spy-hooped to take a look at us looking at them. It didn’t take long at all for one very curious whale to come towards us eventually swimming under and alongside our “tiny” little Zodiac.

That encounter would have been wonderful enough but as it turned out it was just the beginning of about a two hour show! Who knew getting sprayed many times with whale snot could be so much fun, for us and seemingly for the whales?! The size of these magnificent creatures is incredible but even more so was how gentle they appeared. At any moment a lift of a tail or head could have sent us all into the icy water but fortunately that was not to be. In the end we had around six whales that came over to us which made it difficult to decide where to look and where to point the camera. I shot very little in the way of still images but did mange to capture a good amount of video, as well as a few face fulls of whale blow! Here’s a short clip.

This was a ten day tour, the last voyage for this Antarctic season. I was actually hoping for more stormy conditions as the winter weather blows in but that was not the case. Here are a few other images I captured during this trip. I do not have any tours to Antarctica scheduled for the 2017-2018  season but if you have an interest or any questions regarding travel to this spectacular location let me know!                                         

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It has been a very successful and fun season for my Yellowstone winter photography tours that I’ve held so far this year. I thought I’d take a moment to share a few of the images captured along the way including the shot above of the river otters.

As many times as I’ve toured through Yellowstone National Park I’ve never had the opportunity to photograph river otters. Here in this shot they were keeping a close eye on us as they played around on the mostly frozen over Yellowstone River. The otters had several holes they would pop out of which were mostly hidden from our point of view. I counted at least 4 but I have a feeling there were a few more around.

They certainly seemed to have an excellent source of food as each time we spotted them at least one had a fish in its mouth. A relative of the weasel, the river otter has thick fur that protects it against Yellowstone’s icy winters. They can stay submerged for 2-3 minutes. Oh yeah…they are also adorable to watch and photograph! Two days earlier we spotted nine wolves in a pack but they were a little too far away to photograph.

Another interesting moment we had the opportunity to spend time watching and photographing was a little disagreement between a few coyotes in Yellowstone captured during my last photo tour. We watched 4 coyotes, one was up in the trees, all getting along at first then things turned a bit ugly.

Two ganged up on one as seen here. They tried to force the one off the river bank and into the water. Lots of posturing and snarling but in the end no real damage done, except perhaps to an ego!

During the commotion one of the coyotes on the bank turned around and kicked a bunch of snow into the others face. Rather funny moment bringing back the idea of the bully kicking sand in someones face.

As we made our way through the Fountain Paint Pots area of Yellowstone we came upon this scene. We watched a single young bison that appeared to be pretty stuck in this deep snow.

Apparently it had tried to take a short cut across this meadow to get to the rest of the herd. It was interesting to watch the rest of the group come to its rescue. This image shows the last one heading in the direction of the youngster that was stuck. All ended well.

For me no trip to Yellowstone, especially in the winter, would be complete without spending some time photographing a few of my favorite trees, especially the dead ones! In this shot I loved the trees being back-lit. They appear to be reaching up to the sun which was being partially obscured by fog and steam from the nearby geysers. Because of the very monotone look of this photograph I processed it as a black and white shot.

Of course there is always the Winter in Yellowstone signature shot we all seem to want to capture, that of a bison coated in frost. As it was -24f during a few of the mornings when we started out this was a fairly common scene, best shot with a long telephoto lens as these guys can cover a lot of ground in no time!

If you’re interested in joining me on one of these semi-private tours, perhaps 2018 please check-out this link for more details. Each Winter in Yellowstone Photography Tour is limited to 2 guest so book early.

To read what others have to say about this and other photography adventures I offer please have a look at my TripAdvisor Page.

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I thought I’d put together a collection of images from last year as we now start booking for the 2017 Winter in Yellowstone season. If you’re not familiar with what we offer please check out this link for more details. Very briefly. We do semi-private photo tours limited to two guest. Four full days are spent in the Park shooting and private lodging of 5 nights in West Yellowstone is included. So, enough of that lets take a look at some photos!

Here’s a link to information on the 2017 Winter in Yellowstone Photo Tour schedule.

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A number of times now over the years I’ve had the opportunity to travel in both the Scandinavian and Canadian Arctic to photograph polar bears. I’d have to say that the most memorable excursion was to the Wapusk National Park along the shore of the Hudson near the town of Churchill, Manitoba. In late October into mid-November the bears gather here in large numbers waiting for the ice to form on the Hudson Bay so they can head out to hunt ring seal for the winter. This gathering makes for the possibility of capturing some wonderful images.

Here are just a few favorites photos as well as some video I shot during that trip. I also encourage you to check out Polar Bears International for great information including links to live polar bear web cams showing the tundra near and hopefully the bears in their natural habitat.

From the wonderful organization, “Polar Bears International“…

It’s early November. It’s cold. It’s snowy. And polar bears are waiting for the sea ice to form. It’s Polar Bear Week!

Polar Bear Week coincides with the fall polar bear migration to Churchill, Manitoba, where polar bears gather to wait for freeze-up on Hudson Bay so they can return to hunting seals. During Polar Bear Week, we focus on the importance of sea ice to polar bear survival.

The 2016 event is October 30-November 5. Join us by taking the Energy Challenge to sustain a future for the bears. Here’s your day-by-day invite: …read more on the Polar Bears Internationals site.

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Photographing Penguins

by David C. Schultz…”Emperor of all Penguin Photographers” The Sun

It’s not that’s it’s difficult to find penguins to photograph but getting to them is usually a whole different story. How difficult or long of a journey really depends on which species; there are 17, that you’re interested in capturing. My experience photographing them over many years has been limited to those found in the far southern hemisphere in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctica islands such as South Georgia Island. Like I said, getting there is another story!

As with much of what goes into capturing good images you have to know a bit about your subject, in this case things like, which species, do you want to see chicks, and what kind of terrain they like on shore. My trips South have always been ship based. We move around to different locations, usually doing two shore landings or perhaps a Zodiac cruise each day. Zodiacs, larger rubber inflatables, are used to get from ship to shore most of the time but on certain trips helicopters are also used. That’s the usually the case when trying to reach Emperor Penguins.

I’ve recently returned from my fourteenth voyage to Antarctica which is a fascinating place to visit even without the penguins being present. I’ve found that what typically comes to mind when people think of penguins, besides “Happy Feet” , is the Emperor Penguin, the largest and the most difficult to reach. It’s also one of the two truly Antarctic species along with the Adelie.
Reaching the Emperor Penguins takes an icebreaker and usually a helicopter since they’re going to be found on the sea-ice and in waters that are much more difficult to access. Once the icebreaker has “parked” in the fast-ice a helicopter takes us out to the base camp, a staging area, and then it’s usually about a two mile hike across the ice to reach the penguin colonies. The other ships I travel on are ice-strengthened and Zodiacs are used to get around. Before leaving the ship I’m checking to make sure camera settings and selected gear allow for that unexpected moment. This might be a penguin appearing on a beautiful iceberg as the Zodiac comes around a corner or a group of penguins porpoising alongside us as we’re cruising to shore.

So, I check the ISO, set the camera to shutter priority then crank up the shutter speed, image stabilization on, and the best lens selected for the possible conditions I might encounter. Two of my favorite lenses for this scenario are the Nikkor 28-300mm and the Nikkor 80-400mm. I seldom have a need for an extreme telephoto lens since the penguins are typically close at hand.

I remember one morning, right at sunrise, we were approaching the beach and the intense yellow and orange sky was beautifully reflected in the water along the shoreline. I noticed several small groups of King Penguins near the water so upon hitting the beach I immediately set off to capture shots of them before the sun came over the surrounding mountains. The intense colors in the water perfectly mimicked that of the feathers along the neck of the penguins. The opportunity was over within fifteen minutes or so and if I’d not been prepared I’d probably missed the shots which at the end of the voyage were some of my favorites.

It can be overwhelming when you first reach some of the beaches because of the sheer numbers of penguins in some colonies. I see it all the time when I take clients to Antarctica and I was guilty, if you want to use that term, of this myself. Where to begin, what’s actually interesting, or more to the point, what makes an interesting photo. You land on the beach and there might be several hundred thousand penguins, along with the other wildlife, so many that people are not sure where to begin! Perhaps a good problem to have when it comes to wildlife photography.

When I first head out I’ll usually start with capturing the grand scale and overall surroundings, including perhaps the weather conditions showing the penguins in their environment. Once I’ve captured a series of “reference shots” I then slow down, sit down, and just watch for a while. I’m constantly observing how the penguins are interacting with each other, with their nest, the egg they might be on, or a recently hatched chick. My favorite wildlife images are those that show some of the personalities of the subject, especially if a humorous caption quickly comes to mind.

There’s constant motion, and a lot of noise, around the colonies with the birds coming and going from nest to the ocean, feeding, bathing, stealing stones from each other for nest or looking for a mate This constant moving about can be good as it may present many different photo opportunities but it can also be a little frustrating at times when trying to frame a shot so you have to learn to anticipate possibilities. Under the right conditions I look for a spot along the shore where the penguins are coming and going. It might be a sandy beach or one that is rocky or where there’s a high lip of snow they have to jump over as they rocket out of the water.

I’m always looking for a way to frame a subject within something in the scene too. I spent over an hour sliding across the ice one afternoon trying to coax some penguins to a spot I’d marked so I can get them framed within a hole in an iceberg.

I’d seen the berg earlier in the day but the sun was at the wrong angle so I went back later and fortunately the penguins, especially the chicks were very curious and followed me as I moved away from the rookery. So, watch for something that can frame a shot or help to isolate the main subject from the chaos.

Depending on the time of year and the species of penguins the colonies can get VERY ripe “stinky” to put it mildly. There can be lots of penguin pooh, on the ground and on the penguins. Later in the season, January to March this is especially more obvious making it more important to select a place from which to shoot. Your best bet is to catch the penguins exiting the water when their feathers are clean and wet and it’s also when they’re more animated. I spend a great deal of my time down at the water’s edge, especially if there’s a bit of surf coming in.

One morning while photographing Chinstrap penguins the light was really bad, it was late morning, very cloudy and the only angle I could shoot from pretty much required the penguins to be back-lit. I decided to go to an extreme to show the motion of the penguins going into and coming out of the surf. I used a slow shutter speed with the help of a 2 stop ND filter and fired away. The motion of the waves along with that of the birds made for some interesting photos to a feel for the battle they have just getting into the sea.

Using a low point of view with a wide angle lens may also add interest to the image rather than shooting downward at the birds. If you just sit and hang out quietly on the beach you’re very likely to have the penguins coming right up to you, and your camera. If you leave something sitting around it’s all fair game for closer inspection.

I’ve gone from the wide-angle view which will including the landscape and perhaps other wildlife, closer shots of individual penguins, couples or nesting birds, some action in the surf and next would be details. Again, catch the birds as they leave the water is a prime location because you might catch water droplets on their feather which will also now be nice and clean.

Exposing for penguins can be a little tricky because you’re usually working with just black and white feathers which might have highlights from water and perhaps some snow. It’s very important to keep an eye on your histogram making sure you’re not blowing out the whites thereby losing details in the feathers. It’s truly amazing to see just how much detail there is.

In the end, and like with much of photography, there’s a lot of sitting around watching and waiting for something interesting to happen. Each trip South becomes a bit more of a challenge, trying to find a new perspective or to improve on something you’ve shot before. My next trips to Antarctica is still in the works. If you have any questions or comments please let me know.

Planning a trip to Antarctica? Here’s a link to an early post regarding what you might want to pack, and what to leave behind!

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Winter Yellowstone 2016 Photo Tour

Due to popularity I’ve added a third semi-private photography tour for February 15 – 20, 2016. These tours are limited to 2 guest. We’ll be on a private snow-coach spending 4 full days shooting in the Park setting our own itinerary, adjusting the day as conditions and wildlife spotting warrants. You’ll have private lodging at our base in West Yellowstone and most meals are included. Below are comments I’ve received from past participants and more can be read on the TripAdvisor link.

Overview: This is a semi-private tour, limited to two participants.Your winter in Yellowstone photo adventure truly begins when we board our private specially designed snow coach and enter the spectacular realm of the National Park. An amazing place to experience and photograph at any time winter is a magical time to really capture the peace and tranquility of this jewel of the American West. Everything appears cloaked in a heavy blanket of snow, frost and mist, a landscape frozen in time yet teaming with wildlife concentrated most heavily around the numerous geothermal features we’ll explore.

Along with the wildlife, such as  bison, elk, coyotes and perhaps bighorn sheep to name a few, we’ll have plenty of time to explore several geyser basins as well as photograph the towering waterfalls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

More information can be seen at this link.

George wrote… David led a very small photo tour into Yellowstone this winter. It was an excellent experience!! David was a pleasure to spend time with, was very patient and provided hands on instruction not only on the camera and lenses but also on exposures and composition in difficult winter settings. I would go with him again in a minute.

Pasi wrote… Participated a photo tour this winter at Yellowstone NP with David. A small group proved to be like a private tour. David provided lots of valuable tips and hints which helped me a lot. I really valued his patience working with me and especially ability to see landscape in different and more interesting light,

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Grand Teton National Park Autumn Photo Tour

It’s hard to select a favorite time of year to explore and photograph Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming but autumn would have to be a top contended for that title. Along with the beautiful landscape, made even more dramatic by the fall colors, the wildlife in and around the Park are more active and make for a great addition to the abundant photo opportunities.

We’ve just added a smaller group size Grand Teton Photography Tour with a limit of 4 participants starting on September 14th ending Sept. 18th with 4 nights lodging at the rustic Heart Six Guest Ranch.  At the Ranch you’ll also have the chance to photograph the daily horse round-up each morning along with their release back to pasture later in the day. An optional 1/2 day trail ride is also offered. The dates for the Autumn in Grand Teton National Park Photo Tour are September 14th – 18th, 2015

Again, this is a very small group and only 3 spots remain. Click Here for more details or to reserve your spot. Call or email if you require further assistance. 435-640-9220

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Behind the Shot – Snow Hill Island, Antarctica

So, each day was about the same process and we were fortunate to have had six days of beautiful weather during the voyage to Snow Hill Island in Antarctica. I spent about eight hours or more daily on the ice watching, photographing and looking for different possible compositions. One morning I spotted a fairly small iceberg which resembled the head and back of a whale with its mouth wide open. I hiked over for a closer look and was excited to find there was a hole running through the “mouth” to the backside of the berg. Not only that but, due to the ice thawing and refreezing, the opening was an intense blue which made an interesting shot on its own. Immediately I thought how wonderful it would be to have a group of penguins framed within this crystal blue window.

There was the shot except the light was wrong and the penguins were off to the right about fifty yards away. I returned later in the afternoon when lighting conditions were better so as to bring out the intensity of the blue hole but still there were no penguins any closer to where they needed to be for the shot. I set up my tripod and mounted one of my cameras on the RRS BH55 ballhead so I was looking through the hole. I took a few test frames to check my exposure then proceeded to attempt a Pied Piper of Penguins routine. Here’s where a stash of krill would have come in handy.

I walked over to the closest group of penguins, mostly chicks along with a few adults, laid down on the ice and waited. One great thing about penguins is that they are curious, I mean really curious. It didn’t take long for a clutch of chicks to start walking my way. I’d observed this many times over the past few days, how they seem to send out one chick from the gang first, perhaps to see if it gets eaten, and then the rest join in. Along with the chicks the adults wandered over joining my little parade. For over an hour I waited until they got close then I would slide back along the ice slowly making my way towards the spot I needed for the shot. Each time I slide backward the penguins advanced. I had another camera with me to record the “action” and got several wonderful shots.

Finally I figured there were enough penguins within the area I’d selected so I slowly stood walked around the iceberg to where the camera had been left and began clicking away. The idea that first had come to mind was to have several penguins surrounded by the hole but soon I realized that less would be more. And so a waiting game began once again. Slowly the penguins began to get bored and returned to join the rest of the rookery. And then it happened. It’s so rewarding when an idea and composition finally comes together, especially when dealing with wildlife. The whole experience of spending time with this group of birds, on the ice all by myself is one I will never forget. What a privilege.

So often I hear the remark that “you must be a very patient person” but I believe a more accurate word is tenacious. I’ve been so fortunate to have now traveled to Antarctica nine times so far and each trip, during different seasons, locations and weather conditions has brought with it so many photo opportunities. I’ve only been able to photograph the Emperor Penguins this one time which in a way makes that experience all the more memorable.

You can find out more about my upcoming trips under the Tours tab on my website.

View some of the video I’ve shot as well on my YouTube Channel. Be sure to check out the time-lapse clips which condenses 18 days into a 3 minute clip!

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