During Jeff Parker’s Yellowstone in Winter Photo Tour 2024 , focus on creating memorable images of the park’s iconic wildlife. America’s first national park provides plenty of photographic fodder and January is a great time to capture it with your camera.
Yellowstone is a magical place any time of year, but winter is really something special, and this photo tour takes advantage of that. Join me as we journey into the heart of Yellowstone’s winter wonderland in January 2024!
LIMITED to just five (5) photographers. ALL-INCLUSIVE (~ SINGLE-occupancy; includes all ground transport so you don’t need a vehicle) ~ SOLD OUT! ~ Please email me to be on the waitlist.
*** We are an Authorized Permittee of the National Park Service. ***
Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the lower 48 states that still has all of the wildlife species that were present when Europeans arrived. Winter is a great time to see all of them except for bears who are sleeping.
We’ll journey about the park keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife activity. Bison and elk are a given. Pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and winter-coated coyotes and foxes are other likely subjects for our lenses. If we get lucky we may even spot a wolf, or — EVEN BETTER! — catch a pack hunting or dining on a kill (no promises, of course, but I’ll touch base with those-in-the-know to get the latest location info).
Not a great shot, but an amazing experience — we watched a wolf pack hunt in Lamar Valley. Here you can see one testing the bison.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN ON THIS TOUR:
- How to master manual exposure (& when it’s better than priority exposures)
- Tips for photographing wildlife in snow & ice
- How to capture sharp wildlife action images
- How to create interesting wildlife portraits
- Tips for creating “animalscapes”
- Landscape photography composition & metering tips (the amount of landscape photography we do will depend on wildlife activity; photographing wildlife will be priority #1)
A note about instruction on my photo tours:
Since skills levels vary so much on photo tours, I tailor my teaching to individual needs. Please do not be shy about telling me what you need.
ITINERARY:
PLEASE NOTE: This is an estimated schedule and we’ll do our best to stick to this itinerary, but certain conditions may necessitate changes. The best photographic experiences and the opportunities to view wildlife remain our goal at all times.
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Arrive in Bozeman, where I’ll pick you up. Please be sure to arrive by 3:00 pm. as I won’t be able to make more than one trip from the airport to Gardiner, where your tour begins. (If you miss the ride, there are shuttle services available for about $120).
Once I have everyone tucked inside our ground transport, it’s time to head to Gardiner.
After having a bit of time to get settled into your hotel room, plan to enjoy our Welcome Dinner (tentatively set for 6:00 pm). During this first meal together, I’ll go over what to expect in the coming days.
Sleep well, nestled into your warm bed in your single-occupancy room.
OVERNIGHT: Gardiner
Thursday, January 4 — Saturday, January 6, 2024
Wake and then “wolf” down your breakfast. Be sure to dress in layers as we’ll be in the snowcoach these three days.
Traveling by snowcoach allows us access to the park’s interior — places where typical vehicles don’t go.
We’ll eat lunch in the field so we don’t have to waste our precious time going back to town. Weather & wildlife will determine where we go in the interior each day.
OVERNIGHT: Gardiner
Sunday, January 7 — Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Specific activities during these 3 days will depend — as usual — on weather and wildlife, but the plan is to capture iconic images, including those of misty-breathed bison, foxes hopping for under-the-snow rodents, and groups of pronghorn in the snow. If we’re really lucky we’ll get to watch wolves in action!
We’ll cruise the park road from Gardiner to Cooke City looking for photo ops. This area is usually a good place to spot animals. We may spend extended time at one location if wolf activity looks promising.
OVERNIGHT: Gardiner
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Alas, all good things end and today marks the end of the tour. Please book your return flight for a departure AFTER 10:30 am.
As I shuttle you from Gardiner to the Bozeman airport be sure to exchange contact info with the awesome folks you met on this tour.
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Lodging — SINGLE-Occupancy
- Meals from the Welcome Dinner our first evening to breakfast the last morning
- One-on-one instruction & image review (I’m also glad to help you via Zoom once you get home)
- Snowcoach for three (3) full days
- All other ground transport within the park.
- Round trip transportation to & from the Bozeman airport.
- Water & snacks
- Park entrance fees
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:
- Alcoholic beverages/bar tab
- Laundry or other personal expenses
- Tips for snow coach & hotel staff. (We take care of tips for wait staff.)
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Yellowstone is a high elevation, mountain environment. Elevations on this tour range from 6,000 to 8,000 feet. To participate in this tour you should have reasonable endurance for short walks with your camera gear in wintry conditions.
IMPORTANT! ~ Please do keep in mind that this time of year in this region is extremely cold and you will need to dress accordingly. Temps could be below zero and you may be out in such temps photographing the animal action.
Especially take care to protect your ears, hands & feet.
ARRIVAL:
Please plan to arrive on January 3, 2024 by 3:00 pm.
Fly into Bozeman, Montana where I’ll pick you up. Please be sure to arrive by 3:00 pm. Because of the long distances, I won’t be able to return for those who arrive late. (In that case, you can catch a shuttle for about $120).
The airport is officially called “BOZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.” The airport code is BZN.
LODGING & MEALS:
SINGLE-occupancy lodging is included in this tour.
All meals are included in the tour from the Welcome Dinner on January 3 through breakfast on January 11.
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT:
Wondering what sort of photography equipment you might need on a trip like this?
Here’s the EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST (PDF) I send out to participants as we prepare for the tour.
NOTE: You do not have to own everything on the checklist to get good shots in this photogenic national park! It’s a list of recommended equipment. If you have any questions about the minimum lenses, etc. that will get you though, don’t hesitate to ask!
GENERAL INFO / SIGN UP:
- DURATION: Seven (7) full days & eight (8) nights.
- DATES: Wednesday evening, January 3 — Thursday morning, January 11, 2024
- SPACE FOR: Five (5) photographers ~ SOLD OUT! ~ Email me for waitlist
- PAYMENT DUE DATES: A total of half the cost of the tour due 6-months before departure. Remaining balance due 60 days prior to start date of tour.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Please read our Cancellation Policy before purchasing. (Follow the provided link or go to link under “MORE” on sidebar to the right.) Thanks!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISK:
At the start of any tour we lead in a U.S. national park, we’ll ask you to sign this Acknowledgement of Risk. We encourage you to review it before signing up.
