Geysers and Grand Mountains GaloreDon Mammoser puts the new Tamron 16-300mm VZ PZD lens to the test in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Don Mammoser |
Sprawled across northwestern Wyoming are two of the country's most precious gems: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Visitors come from all over the world to see and take pictures of the parks' natural and manmade wonders, from the majestic peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton range to the geothermal magnificence of Yellowstone's hot springs and geysers. |
One photographer who knows the intricacies of both parks well: Don Mammoser, who recently led two photo workshops in the parks. "I worked for Kodak for two seasons in Yellowstone teaching photography, so I know it pretty well," he says. "And I've been to the Grand Tetons many times, both on my own and in a group." |
During his travels, Don used the new Tamron 16-300mm VZ PZD lens, an 18.8X zoom lens that offers a versatile focal-length range, allowing him to capture his scenics, then zoom in to profile a bison or wildflower. "The range on this lens is phenomenal," he says. "I didn't change lenses the entire time I was on this trip. I was able to focus on the details in the landscape using the longer end of the lens, then go to the 16mm end and fill the foreground with something colorful or interesting. Plus, the lens is light and easy to carry all day, the focus-turning ring is extremely precise, the lens hood clicks on with a solid feel, and there's a hand lock button-when you're walking around, just lock it in at the wide-angle end so it doesn't extend if you don't want it to. The 16-300 is the ultimate travel lens." |
For times when Don handheld his camera, the 16-300's Vibration Compensation (VC) feature was invaluable. "When I took the picture of the bison you see here, we were maneuvering around a lot," he says. "I was holding my camera and using autofocus. The 16-300 caught the contrast between the bison's face and the background really well. When I pressed the shutter halfway down, I could see the VC kick in and actually watch how my frame became calm and stopped moving from my hand motion." |
The first stop on Don's recent journey was in Jackson, Wyoming-the gateway to Grand Teton National Park. "We went into the park every morning and evening to take pictures," he says. "The Grand Tetons are very impressive mountains for photographers-they don't have any foothills in front of them coming from the eastern side, so on a clear day you can see them from a long distance. The park is also easy to get around and not too crowded, with many friendly photographers who'll make room for everyone else’s tripods." |
Interspersed among the wildlife and plants in the Grand Tetons are the barns and farmhouses of Mormon Row, built by Mormon homesteaders after they arrived in the 1890s. Don and his group stopped by around sunrise at the iconic John Moulton Barn, a two-story structure that took 30 years to build. "I got one picture of the barn on a day when a storm was clearing out," he says. "Normally, the peaks of the Tetons would be in the background, but the clouds were so dramatic because of the storm." |
The Teton region hosts a variety of plant life, including sagebrush, mule's ears, and balsamroot, a member of the sunflower family. "I used a patch of balsamroot to anchor one of my images while showing my students the focus-stacking technique," Don says. "To do this, you take the picture on a tripod, focusing first on the flowers in the foreground, then taking the same picture with the focus on the mountains in the background. When you merge the two images in Photoshop, you get that range of focus throughout the picture." |
Don also knows the prime locations that feature the best reflections of the Tetons. "There's a place along the Snake River where you can get one of those great reflections," he says. "We were at another location earlier that morning, at a beaver pond at Schwabacher Landing. We photographed at the pond for a couple of hours, then moved down to the river. The light was fading fast and the clouds were building up. I managed to get off two frames of the grasses and mountains in the reflection before the clouds came in." |
For his second trip with the 16-300, Don headed to his old stomping grounds: Yellowstone National Park. "There's tons of wildlife in the area, including bison, elk, deer, and smaller animals such as squirrels and yellow-bellied marmots," he says. "But what I really love to show students are the thermal features of the park." |
Visitors to Grand Prismatic-the largest hot spring in the park and an awe-inspiring visual spectacle caused by pigmented bacteria in the water-can park in a nearby lot, then stroll along the boardwalk that leads into the hot spring for a closer look. "To see most of the colors, though, you need to hike up a small hillside, which is the view I show in this picture," Don says. "I love this perspective because it's such a huge spring, and photographing the people on the boardwalk from the hill really offers a sense of scale." |
For photographers, one of the most exciting parts of visiting Yellowstone is taking a picture of a geyser while it's erupting. "Some geysers in the park are predictable, based on when they last went off," Don explains. "Old Faithful, of course, is one of those more predictable ones-it usually erupts every 90 minutes or so." |
During their trip, Don's group managed to get in an evening shoot at Castle Geyser, whose eruption pattern includes a water burst, followed by a noisy steam phase that lasts about 40 minutes. "The sun was behind us, and the geyser was already erupting when we got there," he says. "We got out there and set up our tripods-and it was a nice shot, but I wished we had a little more sun. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, the clouds parted and the sun came out and that rainbow formed in the spray in the air. We were in the right position at the right time and got lucky with the sun and the way the wind was blowing the mist in a particular direction. One spectator turned to me while this was going on and said, 'Nature sometimes has new ways of blowing our minds.' That image was the icing on the cake for me." |
To see more of Don Mammoser's work, go to www.donmammoserphoto.com. |