This shot was taken during a very cold morning in Mammoth Hot Springs, located in Yellowstone National Park. There’s a nice path along the upper terrace. The steam produces some very strong contrast, considering the sky is perfect blue and the ground has a thick pillow of fresh snow. This location during a winter sunrise is very inspiring.
My recent photography theme pays tribute to my home Montana, the “Big Sky Country”. Montana’s landscape will often produce a formidable visual balance. Thoughtful pre-visualization of this powerful scenery has led me to apply minimalistic techniques, making the “big sky” dark, thus setting focus on the landscape and creating a dramatic mood. Composing a scene will take many passes, often reoccurring on weather changes. Most of these scenes will have clouds which nicely separate the “big sky” from the minimal landscape. The current collection of photographs from the “Big Sky Country” can be viewed in the gallery.