Glacier Park Photographer

"Public Lands Protection Act" for Glacier Park - Total Farce!

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Bynum) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:17:00 +0000

"Stripping all regulations from federal public lands within 100 miles of the Canada, in order to protect us from terrorism, is like grabbing the shotgun and a box of number 7's when you hear a fly buzzing around your head." - Tony Bynum October 28, 2011

The phone in my office rang a couple days ago, "hey Tony, how would you like to get some aerial photos of the Rocky Mountain Front and talk about H.B. 1505, and 1581," "the federal lands protection act," and the "road-less release act" respectively. I paused for about a millisecond and replied, "let me think-about-it-yes." Of course I want to fly the Rocky Mountain Front - who wouldn't

Some are calling these bills land grabs by the federal government and a complete over reach. H.B. 1581 is meant to roll back the protections on millions of un-roaded federal lands and turn back the clock to a time when people were making their own roads with wood wagon wheels across unsettled land. Just so you understand, that era close officially in 1976 with, the "federal land policy and management act," or FLMPA.

Aerial Photograph of the Rocky Mountain Front and the Walling Reef as seen from 10,000 feet. This area would be open to the boarder patrol to access for any reason, including building roads and building forward operating stations. ©tonybynum
All images are protected by copyright, unauthorized use is prohibited. Please contact Tony Bynum for licensing.

Anyhow, it made sense for me fly since I've been doing a lot of it lately documenting the development of the industrial oil complex on the Blackfeet Reservation on Glacier National Parks east side. But back to the subject. Both bills are horrible and if passed could mean serious impacts to our wildlife, land, and our own public health. H.B. 1505 (how ironic that the framers chose to call it the, "federal lands protection act." I'm guessing that means, "federal lands" and "protection act" put together into one title - it certainly is misleading if you just read the title).

Oil drilling on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier National Park, Rising Wolf Mountain in the back ground. All images are protected by copyright, unauthorized use is prohibited. Please contact Tony Bynum for licensing. ©tonybynum

1505 would allow U.S. Border Patrol to operate in any fashion it wants within Glacier National Park, including building roads and forward operating stations without any consultation with anyone, heck, they would not even have to pick up the phone and call the national park service. When glacier was named the crown of the continent I'm sure no one intended that to mean managed by the big "C" Crown!

After the flights I had some time to answer a few more questions and give my opinion about what these bills mean to me. Here's the CBS news broadcast that aired wednesday night on CBS in Montana.

It is hard for me to imagine, in this time of our country's history, there are people who are praying upon our weakness in order to push their land grab agenda. Along with 1505 there's 1581, again another bill that would open lands that have been manage for their wilderness characteristics for 20 years. If passed it would open millions of acres to roading and ultimately destruction.

People, if there is one thing only that you take away from this, hear me when I remind you that there is NOT more wild space. We should expect more people, but there are NO more wild places, unless of course your definition of wild places includes bourbon street in New Orleans. Once you wreck a place there's no going back. It is far better to protect and manage wisely than it is to destroy it and rebuild it later.

Stripping all regulations from federal public lands within 100 miles of the Canada, in order to protect us from terrorism, is like grabbing the shotgun and a box of number 7's when you hear a fly buzzing around your head. The sponsors are telling us that the federal government does not have enough authorization to control federal lands, and that it is just trying to level the playing field with the authority homeland security now has over state and even private land. Jed Link, a spokesman for Congressman Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said the border protection legislation, which Rehberg supports, is limited in scope.

"It gives the Border Patrol the same access to the border on federal lands they currently have on state and private lands," Link said. Huh, what access does the Boarder Patrol already have over my private land - is this really coming from a republican constitutionalists - allow boarder patrol access to my private land - what! I’m confused folks . . . Is Rehberg a conservative, sounds more Meo-inian than conservative to me. . . Mr Rehberg, what happened to less government? Where have your conservative values gone? Or is this the one area where you believe it's okay to be big government?
Did you know that homeland security has the right to search your house if you live near the boarder - huh? Orwellian - who said that?

What we need is a fly swatter, not a shotgun. The people proposing this bill need to calm down and realize that creating a panic now is not the way to manage our Nation. Let’s look at the issues we have and build a sound plan to address them. Throwing up our hands and rolling back over 40 years of environmental protection in order to protect ourselves from our Canadian brothers to the north is just plain silly-talk . . .

Please let your representative know that we are smart people who can find simple solutions and are meant to solve specific problems. We don't need our local federal lands taken over by the border patrol and homeland security. . .

The news story featuring views about the Heritage Act, from Tony Bynum, Bill Cunninghan, and others.

glacier national park, tony bynum, east glacier park, montana photographs, best glacier park photographs, glacier park art, commercial outdoor photography, the rocky mountain front, crown of the continent

Fall Colors Glacier National Park

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Bynum) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Chief Mountain on Glacier National Park's East Side and the Blackfeet Reservation during fall.

It's a rare treat to have the fall colors this good along Glacier National Parks East side. In most years the leaf's ether freeze and fall off or they begin to change and the fierce winds strip them before they get to full color. I captured this image of Chief Mountain (above), along Glacier Nation al Park's north east corner on Saturday October 8th 2011. Chief Mountain is an iconic spire the world over. It's eastern edge is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation while the west side is in Glacier National Park. Chief Mountain is still cherished today and vision quests and ceremonies are a regular occurrence.

The image below is of a forest of aspens in Glacier National Park near East Glacier Park, Montana, ranging from bright orange to light yellow and green.

Colorful aspens changing from green to orange and yellow in glacier national park.

Fall colors with snow, Glacier National Park, Logan Pass area

As these photos show, not this year though. Glacier National Park fall colors this year are as good as I have seen then in the last 5-6 years.

I captured this tree landscape image near Logan Pass in Glacier National Park just after a fresh fall snow storm, notice the range of colors and the contrast it creates with the snow.

The forecast for the next week or so is for rain, wind and snow starting this weekend, so this may have been the weekend to be here - you just never can tell with fall colors in Glacier National Park. On the bright side, if you miss the color on the east side I'm sure you can catch some great color around Lake McDonald, on Glacier National Parks west side. And on of my favorite scenes are the fall larch, and they have not turned yet, so look for better color in late October and early November along the middle fork of the Flathead River along Highway Two on Glacier National Park's south end.

If you're interested in looking at more western tree species please take a look at this gallery of rocky mountain trees on Tony Bynum's website. Tony Bynum makes all of his images available for licensing or prints, please contact him at tony@tonybynum.com to discuss your needs.

Adventure, Hunting, and Photography, things to do in the Missouri River Monument

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Bynum) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:57:00 +0000

This is a departure from my regular glacier park posts, but it is important to me to share this response to Congressman Rehberg's hearings to consider gutting the Antiquities Act - the question is where are the jobs Mr. Rehberg?

www.tonybynum.com www.twitter.com/tonybynum www.facebook.com/tonybynum

September 12, 2011

Need Accountability for attacks on Sporting Heritage

Quiz time - What’s the most popular place in the world to hunt trophy Bighorn Sheep?

Give yourself a pat on the back if you were thinking of Montana’s Missouri River Breaks National Monument. If you didn’t get the answer, don’t worry, your about to learn something else. The coulees and canyon lands of the Breaks Monument will still be a huge sporting destination one hundred years from now because it’s world-class habitat and our hunting traditions were protected by proclamation a decade ago.

Hunting the Breaks country is big deal, which I can attest too as both a hunter and commercial photographer who’s always on the lookout for the best hunting and wild game photographs in Montana. Last year alone sportsmen spent over 20,000 days in search of trophy elk, deer, and big horn sheep in this popular ‘bread and butter’ hunting destination. But not everyone is as proud of our Breaks as the pick-up loads of sportsmen who are beginning to make their annual migration to central Montana from all corners of our state, and Nation.

Representative Denny Rehberg recently took the podium in Congress to demonize Monuments like the Breaks in an attempt to gut the Antiquities Act and make it harder for Montanans to pass along our hunting heritage. After scaring people for more than a year with the threat of a phantom Monument, he’s now trying to reap what he’s sown.

Its decisions like these that have caused many folks in the sporting community to wonder who has the ear of our Congressmen. Whoever it is, I don’t think its public lands hunters because the evidence is pretty clear his voting record hasn’t favored our pastime.

Recall, it wasn’t too long ago that Congressmen Rehberg voted alongside then California Representative Pombo on a 2005 bill that would have sold our public lands and prime elk habitat to developers of casinos, ski resorts, and condos for rock bottom prices. It was the largest public lands scam in recent history.

Now this year Congressmen Rehberg has supported another California lawmakers legislation to immediately axe roadless protections throughout Montana and the nation- from the limestone reefs of the Rocky Mountain Front to the deep larch and cedar forests of the Yaak. Its one-size fits all legislation and its causing a huge uproar among hunters. For good reason.

Montana has one of the longest hunting season in the country because of the habitat security that roadless public lands provide for elk, mule deer, and other big game. If you lose your roadless security you’ve just lost the headwaters of your hunting opportunity. It’s happened before in other states.

In defending his record, we’ve often heard Representative Rehberg say he is protecting Montanans from bureaucrats in Washington. It’s a good talking point but it ignores that both the Missouri River Breaks designation and the original roadless process were both transparent and open public processes which Montanans supported.

I watched the Breaks monument process very carefully as past member and chair of the Central Montana Resources Advisory Council. I was at every meeting for five years and heard every issue first hand. The truth is that there are people who just don’t like the government, period, so it’s easy to get them fired up when you tell them the big bad government is taking away liberties, regardless of the facts.

Montanan’s are always going to need clean streams to fish in and wide open spaces to hunt. Our roadless forest lands and BLM prairie lands are central to healthy wildlife habitat. Our patriotic duty is to protect our states hunting heritage not to make short sided, mostly selfish decisions that in the long run will take that away from Montanans.

Let’s remember what matters most. What legacy shall we leave our children and theirs? Public land, open hunting for the common man is a tradition out west. I wish to leave that legacy to my children and when this heritage is threatened by bad leadership decisions we need to hold our leaders feet to the fire. It is far better to manage wisely and preserve our intact systems than it is to dismantle and try to rebuild them later.

Tony Bynum is an award winning professional photographer, small business owner and adventure sportsmen who lives in East Glacier Park.

Take a look at the missouri river breaks monument, it's a fantastic place for a family adventure too.

tony@tonybynum.com

Summer Photography, Glacier Park, Blackfeet Reservation

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Bynum) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Busy summer so far. It seems like the days are too long, but how could that be, as photographers we need light right? Well, the obvious answer is yes, but in the summer the golden hours of photography are only hours apart - apart between night and day that is! That means that there's about 4-5 hours of sleep when it's dark, if you are on location. Which means most photographers switch to bartender hours - but all of us sleep less - up all night, sleep during the middle of the day. To that end I'd like to share with you a few shots I captured recently.

There are few things that are as captivating to me as tepee's on the prairie and ad some nice clouds and beautiful light and you forget about how tired you really are! The one thing I must share with you is a secret which every photographer knows and until you graduate from knowing it to practicing it, you're just like everyone else.

TePee's in Montana ©tonybynum

The secret is - drum-role please - not a secret at all. Wa-wa-waaaa . . . sorry. In fact, it's just about shooting subjects that are available, and not stopping till you have to. Often times a unique subject, in spectacular light come along so seldom that when it does, you really need to buckle down and shoot photograph it. Seems simple ay. But how many times have you come home and looked at your files from a shoot and gone, "man, I should have shot more of that?" That feeling makes a pit in my stomach every time. It's so disturbing to me that I've turned it into one of my goals. "Never come home and say, I should have shot more of that." Or, "If only I had worked that subject a little harder." If I've seen it once I've seen it 100 times. A subject presents itself and we move on thinking that we can return, or that it will be there tomorrow. Well

I got news for you, IT WON'T!

The moral of the story, as it so often is, is get out and shoot!!!!

Summer days are already getting shorter by about 5 minutes per day. I'm busy planning trips and getting gear ready for the launch of my fall hunting photography. It wont be long now till the green grass gives way to silvery frost . . . Boy, life is about as fantastic as it gets!

TePee's in Montana ©tonybynum

If you're in the Glacier Park area, stop in to Glacier Impressions Gallery in East Glacier Park and say hi to Gina, Stacy or myself! Oh yeah, and one more thing, if you cant get over to East Glacier Park, but you can make it to the Flathead Valley, I just signed on with a Gallery in Polson, MT, it's called the, "Montana West Gallery," stop in and say hi to Shawna Croft, she'd love to meet you! And don't forget you can always check out images on my website, www.tonybynum.com.

Tony

Glacier National Park, Going to the Sun Road, Food & Flower Photography, Summer is here - finally!

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:53:00 +0000

It's been a busy July. I've been traveling a bit and therefore have not kept up my usual blog updates. I've been up and down the Rocky Mountain Front a dozen times and from East Glacier to the pacific coast snapping photos and talking to people about this unique area in an effort to raise awareness and money for habitat protection and conservation efforts.

Summer Full Bloom along the Rocky Mountain Front, Montana. ©tonybynum.com

My friend Will of Luna's restaurant in East Glacier Park, asked me if I'd like to "shoot" some dishes for him and I said "of course." I was able to photograph some pie, a salmon fish burger called, "grizzly bait" and a great looking chicken salad! Luna's has the best huckleberry pie in the region and before I could finish the shoot this one went down the hatch!

Yummy Huckleberry Pie from Luna's in East Glacier Park - I could not resist! ©tonybynum.com

I've also started work on a long term project to document the development of the industrial oil complex on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. It's part conservation photography, part documentary, part journalism, and part nature, and very much enjoy it. All of these projects are about people and the place we call, "the rocky mountain front."

More recently you may have heard that the, "Going to the Sun Road" also known simply as, "the sun road" "Logan pass," finally opened. The road is one of our nations treasures and the life-blood of our tourism based economy in Northwest Montana. 2011 was the latest the opening for the going to the sun road since its creation, due to heavy snow pack. Every year I try to be one of the first commoners on Logan Pass (employees get to be up there usually for several days before the public has a chance to visit, getting it ready for business). This year I was third. I followed two other vehicles up the 15 miles windy road from Saint Mary's, Montana. In classic Glacier Park - Logan Pass form - I pulled into the parking lot after driving the last 300 yards clutching the wheel, the fog was so thick I lost the vehicle in front of me. Once in the parking area I could see only a few painted stripes on the ground and no sign of the other vehicles. After about an hour the fog lifted and gave way to a snowy July winter like landscape. I hiked around a bit and departed about the time the lot began to fill up.

Logan Pass - Going to the Sun Road opening day 2011 - fog lifting ©tonybynum

A couple days later, on Sunday, I returned with my girlfriend Stacy for a morning ski and to check the conditions for a shoot I have planned this week. The snow was hard and bumpy, but hey, where else can you go at this latitude and ski in the middle of July?

Skiing Logan Pass in July, Going to the Sun Mountain in the background. ©tonybynum.com

Flower Update -
The flowers are late in most places - up to a couple weeks. Some areas are showing banner color while other's look less than average. Mostly I think some areas are just behind due to the long late winter we had. I'm expecting more color in the middle elevations over the next week, but right now I'd say the prairie at 4,000 feet has peaked! If you want to see flowers on Logan pass, bring your own, it's still under 10 feet of snow, it's going to be a while for sure.

Flowers in full bloom along the Rocky Mountain Front, Montana. ©tonybynum.com

Sun setting along the Rocky Mountain Front, Montana. ©tonybynum.com

Cheers!

Tony Bynum

Scouting Photography Locations,Trapping Grizzly Bears, Glacier Park Art

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Grizzly Bears and Grizzly Bear Management
The Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and other's in the bear management team are ramping up efforts to trap grizzly bears along the Rocky Mountain Front and in Yellowstone National Park! Locations will be well marked. Be aware when you're out in the woods and pay attention to signs of bear activity (tracks, scant, freshly turned over rocks - usually large one's - winter kills, crows and ravens in trees - could tip you off to a carrion, etc). This season it seems that bears are roaming farther out, away from the mountains and subsequently may stay longer in search of greener pastures - pun intended! For more on the story find it at, "agency to trap grizzly's."

Scouting for that Perfect Shot - sometimes that means I'm not looking to capture that that perfect shot!
Scouting is one of the most important parts of being a nature photographer. Sure it's thrilling to trip on a gem of a spot and just shoot it on the fly, but in order to create those one of a kind shots, consistently over time, you need to find those locations that are capable of producing the kinds of images you want to create. After you fine them, you need to put together a plan and be ready to implement the plan when the conditions are right.

For example, in glacier national park this season it's been cold and wet with lots of snow lingering. In some places the snow pack is well over 200% of average water content and some say it's as has high as 390%! This tells me that the potential is there for great color as it warms and the flowers start to bloom! But it also tells me that all the pot holes that have been dry or very low will fill up.

Yesterday, the air was calm, hardly a breeze - which is unusual around here. So I sprang to action, grabbed my gear and raced out the door. I spend a good half day just hitting all the places that in the past I noted would hold water and be a possible source for a cool glacier park reflection photograph. My mission yesterday was to scout those locations that I know have the potential for producing a great shot given the right set of conditions. On this trip, I did not set out intending to create a master piece photograph, I wanted to cover ground and see as many locations as I could while it was calm!

I know that in the next month things will ripen, the grass will turn green and the flowers will pop! When it's "ripe," I dont want to be searching around looking for that perfect shot location. Instead, I want to know exactly where I need to be for the shot. To that end, I still shot the scenes while scouting just so I could analyze them back home on my computer, knowing full well that the color was not going to be what I wanted. Imagine this shot if the ground were green and the sky and mountains lit like this shot of Sinopah mountain.

The Rocky Mountain Front, Glacier National Park, Montana
©www.tonybynum.com

Scouting enables me to plot a course for photographic success rather than leaving it to chance. For sure the weather will have to cooperate, but success is when opportunity meets preparation, and I need to be sure that I've done what I can before the opportunity arises. I do love the organic nature of just wondering around and finding those great places and capturing those spontaneousness photographs that turn into gems, but that's not a good way to do things if your trying to make a career of photography.

Stay tuned for my next blog post when I explain these . . . Care to take a guess? Give it a shot!

Abstracts in nature abound! ©www.tonybynum.com

Abstracts in Nature about! ©www.tonybynum.com

Glacier Park Art online Gallery
I recently set up a new online gallery with a few glacier park photographs. The online gallery will allow you to purchase directly a few sizes of prints, and other types of swag like key chains, coffee mugs, mouse pads and more! Any would make a great gift for the Glacier Park enthusiast in your life! The images are of Glacier National Park and were created over the past several years. Click on the picture you like, let it load then add it to your cart (button at the top of the page), then you will be able to select from the list of available products. If you find a photographic image that you like, that's not in the online gallery but on my site, or want to know more about any of the the images, please ask! Some of the photos in this gallery will also be available this summer at Glacier Impressions Gallery, Highway 49, just down the road from the Glacier Park Lodge here in East Glacier Park, MT.

Until next time, happy shooting!

Tony

Bear Aware, Spring in Glacier Park, Glacier Park Photo Gifts Launched!

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:26:00 +0000

Bear Aware
How about a few bear refreshers! I've seen several grizzly and black bears around recently and would like to reminded everyone to be bear aware!

Here's a great video on being bear aware: http://bit.ly/iCaNvg

Here is a great video on how to use bear spray: http://bit.ly/bu1Kcx

Spring in Glacier Park
It is spring in Glacier National Park, finally! I've been told that some of the park camp grounds on the east side wont open till June 10th, and as of today, May 18 (Mt Saint Helen's erupted on this day in 1980), the roads on the east side of the park are only slightly open . . . what that means is they are not open very far, if you want more information on the park roads, Google "glacier park roads."

The Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) or the crocus flower is in full bloom. In fact this bloom is as good as I've ever seen it. For those not familiar with that flower, here's an example of one I shot just two days ago. In the coming weeks expect the following: balsam, glacier lily, yellow bells, camas, and many more!

Pasque Flower and Montana Sky - East Side of Glacier National Park, Montana © www.tonybynum.com

The snow is melting rapidly around east glacier park. Luna's, a local restaurant is open, Serrano's opened a couple of weeks ago, the Grill and Ramsey's (not there are not kitchen nightmares there) of course remain open for business, and i'm seeing lots of activity in town! Glacier Impressions Gallery plans to be open soon too although I'm going to miss the opening few days.

I hope if you're planning a trip out to Glacier National Park, you'll find time to stop in and say hi to us at the Glacier Impressions Gallery on hwy 49 in east glacier park (on the road though town if you're going up to Two Medicine Lake, or driving over the scenic Looking Glass Road on your way to Saint Mary's), - Looking Glass is not yet open, too mush snow still; I'll update this blog when it opens!

Glacier Park Photo Gifts
I've also just launched a new online gallery with a few Glacier Park images that can be purchased online in the form of prints on paper, mugs, key chains, puzzles and cards, if you're interested, please take a look! Once there, just click the "add to cart" button and it will give you a list of items you can buy.

Glacier Park Gift Items

Cheers! Tony Bynum

Glacier National Park - East Side Opening's Delayed - chase the light!

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:33:00 +0000

The recent news from the National Park Service, Glacier National Park is that most of the camp grounds on the east side wont open until June 10th, which is much later then average, due to snow pack and delays in getting roads open and other facilities operational. In some places the Park is reporting almost 400% of average snow pack! Wow . . .

The delays have impacted me and slowed my progress this spring that's for sure. The delays likely will have dramatic impacts on the businesses here in East Glacier Park as well, including my gallery. But with lemons one can decide to make lemonade, right! What does that mean, it means this is a great opportunity for me to photographs things that have, for one reason or another escaped me. Here's a list of a few things you can do to turn some bad news into a learning opportunity!

Start by thinking more about what the light is doing NOW, at this time of year, than on where you wish you were. The fact is that the most important aspect of great landscape imagery is LIGHT! Think more about light angles and less about that exact location you were planing, since last fall, to be at in May. Trust me, when you start shooting light and not subject it will open up a whole new world!

Try shooting small subjects close to your home, like budding flowers or buzzing bees in your yard.
Shoot landscapes when the trees are not fully leafed out (try them back-lit by the sun too), the colors and smaller leaves often allow you to produce interesting images that you've always missed in the past due to being in that "perfect place."
Try shooting water themes. Spring often is the best time to shoot water themes. Try to shoot them under cloudy sky's, you'll be surprise - try a polarizer, use a tripod!
Try shooting migrating waterfowl including shore birds are always available in the spring and not often in mountainous regions like Glacier Park, so look to your local pond or wetland for great waterfowl and bird opportunities.
Watch for clouds and shoot rainbows. Rainbows can be found almost anywhere and spring is often the best time to fine them. The trick to rainbows is to know when they will appear and how to find them. When you have rain and direct sun, you will have a rainbow. Put your back to the sun, look straight out in front of you and you will find the rainbow. Try to get the end of the rain bow landing in something interesting, or balance something right in the center, but under it if it's a full rainbow.

If you can't alter your travel plans, or you're coming to Glacier no matter what, all of these suggestions can be applied around Glacier National Park as well. There is so much to offer photographically around Glacier that no matter what, you should be able to find interesting subjects under any conditions. In fact, less than "ideal" conditions, and forcing yourself to shoot other subjects is what makes you grow as a photographer.

Tony

Rocky Mountain Front Discovery Tour

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:46:00 +0000

The Rocky Mountain Front in Montana, the area from roughly Rogers Pass north to Glacier National Park is the subject of the Discovery Tour. Recently the Coalition to Protect the Rocky Mountain Front teamed up with several others to sponsor the "Rocky Mountain Front Discovery Tour." The Tour was meant to showcase the unique outdoor recreation, cultural and physical qualities the Front offers. Many years of conservation activities have culminated in a place where grizzly bears still come on to the prairie, elk, deer and wolves are free to roam and blankets of wildflowers bloom freely every spring and summer.

The folks that put on the Tour and who created the Discovery Guide asked me if I would help them by presenting some of my photographs during the Tour. I was more than happy to help. In response to that request, I produced this video/slideshow of the Rocky Mountain Front. It contains some short video, a lot of photographs of local people, outstanding landscapes, and wildlife. I hope you take a minute to watch this video and if you find it interesting share your thoughts with me and share the video with your friends!

I hope you all are having a great spring! It's finally warming up here in Glacier National Park and I'm anxious to get out and get some spring photographs.

Thank you, Tony

What Makes Me Creative - I'm an Explorer - Grizzly Bears

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:15:00 +0000

Montana, A Huge Breath of Fresh Air!

What makes one creative? Is it place, is it age, is it genetics, experience . . ? As I crossed back into Montana from Idaho along I-90, returning from a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, I felt like I was back home. Immediately after passing the "welcome to Montana" billboard, I rolled down the window, even while the snow was clipping by at 50 mph, and snatched a gulp of cold, clean, crisp Montana air. Next, I happily pushed the clock ahead one hour, to catch up to the mountain time zone - just being in the mountain time zone makes me feel more at home.

Do you have a place that makes you feel like you're at home? Does your soul know when it's connected to the earth and the air? Where on this planet do you feel most connected, balanced and at home? For me it's Montana and the Rocky Mountains, particularly the eastern slopes where it's cold, windy, and the sky's are as large as my imagination with boundaries set only by the rugged cliffs, endless sky and my ability to navigate the terrain.

Being in a place that makes me feel like I'm at home is what allows me to be creative. This does not mean I dont travel or that I'm not creative when I'm shooting on the road, quite the contrary. It means that place is important to me and it's important to have a place that allows you to feel at home. For me that's Glacier Country in Montana. It's beautiful, remote, timeless, rugged, hard, clean, and free. There are no Starbuck's, no Costco's, no traffic and few people. It does get lonely at times, cell service often sucks, there are fewer job opportunities and housing is marginal, and I have to work harder than most of my colleagues, but the quality of life that it all brings and the creativity that it allows me to generate makes it all seem like the right place at the right time! Are you living in your creative place?

Spring In East Glacier and Grizzly Bears

It's spring in East Glacier, a good deal of local snow pack left last week, but there's still mountains in my yard, and today it's cold and the forecast is for more winter like weather. It's almost May so it can't be long now until we see more dirt, grass and soil than ice and snow! Already we are only 50 days from the longest day of the year, the trees are budding in places, all a sure signs of spring. It also means the bears are out and lurking around. Be sure to give yourself a bear spray refresher (know how it works) and above all, be sure you have a fresh can on you and ready for use when you're out!

More on Grizzly Bears. I'm often asked where to find bears, how to photograph them, how close do I get and so on. I always remark, "grizzly bears are where you find them, they are anywhere and everywhere at any time. You have to be on guard and alert at all times. Don't approach them, and for heavens sake, don't try to track them down." I very much enjoy a good photograph of a grizzly bear but I do not seek the critters out, instead I use opportunity and seize it when it presents itself and without danger.

To me there's something magical and invigorating about living and working in a landscape where a bear is on top of the pyramid, but I also give them respect, their space, and do whatever I can to avoid encounters with them while in the back-country.

On that note, this is the time of year that I pay special attention to what's going on around me when I'm outside. Since I like to roam widely and make my own path - trails and obvious routs are not my style - trails are for hikers, and I'm an explorer - in the spring I try to be more visible and less quite than ever. The bears like brush, creek bottoms and places where's there's lush green forbs growing. And soon, the boars will be chasing the sow's around which makes their exact locations unpredictable!

I dont recommend people set out in search of bears to photograph, at least not in Glacier National Park. The grizzly bears around here are well known for their aggressive and "territorial" behavior. If you want really to photography grizzly bears there are lots of great places in Alaska where you can get all the pictures you want and remain relatively safe doing it.

As a closing note, I'd like to thank the dedicated members of the Professional Outdoor Media Association for all the their generous support in electing me to the Board of Directors. I was honored to receive the nomination and now I'm very happy to accept the position! Thank you POMA!

Tony

COME TO MISSOULA, MT on May 3rd for a great presentation!

If you need something to do next Tuesday, come the University of Montana on May 3rd, where at 6:30 PM I'll be showing on the big screen, some of my images of the Rocky Mountain Front, and Ben Lamb of the Montana Wildlife Federation will be speaking about the Rocky Mountain Front - check it out here: http://bit.ly/muA4aL

Glacier National Park Spring, Snow Geese, and Winner of Print Give Aways

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:59:00 +0000

What can I say, it's wet, very wet in East Glacier Park. It's raining, the snow is melting and temperatures are on the rise, the birds are returning and the Park Services is clearing roads, which all must mean spring is here.

Bye Bye Winter! Summit Peak Sun Down, Glacier National Park ©tonybynum

Snow Geese
Speaking of birds returning, I made my annual pilgrimage from Glacier Park to photograph waterfowl at Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area near Fairfield, Montana. It was a most unusual year. The weather was typical in the sense that it was spring in Montana - snow, rain, wind, some sun and so on, but was was different were the birds. The snow geese numbers began to rise but peaked and dropped-out in the same day. 150,000 snow geese came in and left all on the same day. Watch the snow geese video, I think you'll be impressed with the activity, make sure to turn up the volume!

Glacier National Park Snow Plowing (photos) (twitter - @glaciernps)
The National Park Service has announced that it has began plowing the east side roads, Two Medicine, and Many Glacier. You can continue to watch the road plowing efforts at this link.

Recent Interview and Print Give Away
Finalshot Photography and Glacier Park Photographer completed an interview with Solo Adventure. Congratulations to Stephanie from http://www.antlersandgills.com/ who chosen this photo for her print. Thank Stephanie and all of those who participated!

I also have about 4 others that won the recent Tony Bynum Photography give away and your prints have been ordered! Thank you for your patience, I'll mail them out to you just as soon as I can get them signed and mailed out. Again, thank you all for participating.

Big Print, I'd like to share with you a short video of one of my all time favorite prints. A new client of mine just ordered this and I thought others might like to see it, I was very impressed when I opened the box, "Caballada Under the Big Sky," on canvas (scroll down a bit and you'll see the video, it's short).

Finally, I'm developing two big stories that are not quite ready for prime time, but you all will be the first to find out about the exciting news! Please let me know if you have any thoughts or want me to address something specific!

Cheers, and here's to the first bloom, which wont be long now!

Tony

Dave Walburn, Glacier National Park, Listen to Your Inner Voice

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:26:00 +0000

I want to share a story and a music video slide show from a friend of mine who lives here in Montana. He's an inspirational man gifted as as singer-song-writer, a craftsman, and in three words, a good human.

This a blog about glacier national park and photography. While this post is not specifically about glacier national park photography, the essay written by Dave Walburn has some great Glacier Country, Crown of the Continent images. But more importantly, his essay is about life. My photography is my life and Dave's songs and this essay resonates with me, so I thought it was fitting.

Some people are good with words and singing, like Dave Walburn. Some people are good with a camera, some people are good with writing, painting or power tools, but no matter what your tools of the trade are, you should follow your passion and listen to your inner voice; do what's right in your own world and don't let anyhow convince you otherwise. If it's right for you, go for it!

I want to thank Dave for letting post this to my blog. I also want to suggest that if you like his work you give him a shout out, friend him on facebook, follow him on youtube, or just revel in the fun and thoughtfulness of his words and songs . . . Thank you Dave!

Drywall, and Inner Voice

My dad always said, “If I knew the details of what was in store when I embarked on the journey, I would have probably never started the journey to begin with. But then again, I wouldn’t have arrived at my destination.” Sometimes ignorance is bliss!
I think most folks who have built a house or started a business would concur with this sentiment. If you want to change your life, make something of value and contribute, you have to start somewhere or nothing ever gets done. Life is short! Have you read Seth Godin’s new book- Poke The Box ? Here’s what he said;
“Poke the Box is about the spark that brings things to life. We need to be nudged away from conformity and toward ingenuity, toward answering unknown questions for ourselves. Even if we fail, as I have done many times in my life, we learn what not to do by experience and doing the new.
This isn’t the same thing as taking a risk. In fact, the riskiest thing we can do right now is nothing.”
My good friend and general contractor, Tom Nixon, who has been helping me at different stages of this project, warned me as a friend, of the pitfalls and difficulties of building a house by myself.
He suggested I rethink the dream.
We were at hunting camp when he uttered the warning and I remember staying up half the night drenched in a wave of panic, wondering if building a house was the right thing to do. I came to the conclusion that indeed it was. You have to trust your inner voice regardless of other peoples opinions and doubts. The voice kept saying, “build it and they will come, build it and they will come.”
I have always felt that the inner voice is God way of talking to you and if you listen, He will lead. It is when we don’t listen that we lose our way. Mostly prompted by fear, we tend to talk ourselves out of what we know is right.
So what does all this have to do with drywall?
Mostly it comes from my need to share my experience and celebrate. That’s the beauty of social media. It’s a chance to share stories and experiences. If you could have seen two middle aged men hauling 50 pound bags of plaster mix, six at a time, in sleds up a 100 yard snow drift this weekend, you would understand my need to rejoice in the fact that I am nearing the end of a very long journey. Now that the drywall is complete in the basement, the building is near an end and we can all start to enjoy this magnificent place and all it has to offer. Of course, there will always be something to do, but it feels manageable now. “Rejoice, I see the light, rejoice.”
So with all this in mind, please enjoy this little slide show I have put together! A celebration of a wonderful winter hanging out at the Stonehouse and working on the basement and ripping lips on some might big rainbow trout. Again, thanks to all my friends and family who have helped me on this project. The door is always open!

Side Note: The song to this slideshow is one I wrote in 1988 on my way to Alaska to homestead with my best friends. Trading Time For Money – it is on my Cabin Song CD – which you can find on my website DavidWalburn.com .
Its all about listening to the inner voice and going for it, win or lose. See you soon!

Kahtoola micro spikes - winter nature photography

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:52:00 +0000

I'm sharing a short video of a product that I absolutely love! Ever find yourself slipping or losing your footing when the ground is frozen? Kahtoola MICROspikes are the answer. This is not a paid advertisement it's a short clip about great gear. People often ask me what kind of gear I use and these, to me, are as important as any gear I take into the field. Have a look!

Glacier Park Photographer
Tony Bynum
Great Glacier Park Photos
Great Wildlife Photos
A Conversation with Tony Bynum of FinalShot Photography about the Business of photography
Commercial Photography

Finalshot Photography, Glacier Park Photographer & QR Coding

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:06:00 +0000

I've been seeing a lot discussion about QR codes, those square digital boxes that are showing up all over the place. They are meant to be read by your smart phone. Once you scan one, it takes you to a site, or a coupon or a set of photos or a phone number, or anyplace that you program the code to go. It's meant to give whatever you post online, or publish on paper a broader range of content. If someone scans the QR code with their smartphone, they watch as more data is loaded. Lets give it a try.

Can you tell me where this code takes you?

QR Code, tell me where it goes and sign up for my blog feed and win a print!

I'm going to start using these little things all over the place . . . wow how things have evolved . . .

Tony

east glacier winter snow aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Glacier County and Blackfeet Tribe Issue State of Emergency - winter weather

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Winter here in east glacier has be quite a challenge, even to for us locals. This video should give you a good idea of what things are like here this year!

Please share it around if you like!

Cheers!

Tony

A night of Stunning Photography

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 14:01:00 +0000

It's official, March 11 in Whitefish, MT - make your train reservations now! LOL

"Winter Weather" in East Glacier Park

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:21:00 +0000

Winter weather on the east side of Glacier National Park typically means cold temperatures and snow. But it also means Chinook winds. On Saturday the region experienced some of the fiercest winds of the year. Stations in the region clocks wind speeds at over 100 miles and hour.

I know it was windy but I had no idea that my trip to Browning from East Glacier Park would turn into such an event. We left East Glacier at about 1pm. It was windy but very clear and warm. About three miles east of town on highway 2 everything changed and by the time I realized just how bad conditions had become, it was too late to turn around. Although that would change too as we eventually encountered a jack-knifed semi blocking both lanes.

Portions of this video of the blowing snow, and high winds along the eastern foothills of the rocky mountain front and Glacier National Park appeared on Great Falls news station KTRV, at 10 o'clock Saturday night. For those that love weather drama and everything about the rocky mountain front, and Glacier National Park, here's a video you are sure to enjoy.

After I returned to East Glacier, I checked on Glacier Impressions Gallery, where in the summer we show glacier park art, and it was still in good shape. The snow is 10 feet deep in front of the building, but the building is still there! Yeah!

I'm still going to make a winter landscape photography post, but i might have to wait for an opening in the weather!

Cheers!

Tony Bynum

Glacier National Park Winter Backcountry Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Hello, from East Glacier Park, Montana! I had a winter landscape photography post ready to go but decided that this adventure was more fun, and just as timely. These photos are from a recent three day backcountry trip I and a friend made up the Two Medicine Valley in Glacier National Park, Montana - our take off point was just up the road from my house. The weather was a bit crazy by most people's standards - but not more so that expected for this time of year - wind, snow, more wind, and more snow, some sun, and lots of cold! Temps ranged from minus 10 f to 15 above. Winds were bearable at about 1-15mph with light snow most days on top of one to two feet of fresh powder.

Gear - Clothing
I want to talk a bit about my gear, since this is a subject that people often ask about. Everything I wear is synthetic polyester or wool, NO EXCEPTIONS - the ONLY thing that I carry that's not synthetic, is a single cotton handkerchief for my nose. Layers are critical for warmth and safety. Getting cold under these conditions can spell disaster. In order to keep warm it's important to layer your clothing starting with a good base layer that covers your entire body followed by a heavy outer layer and a thin shell. You have to be willing to change it up as conditions change. Listen to your body. If you're feeling chilled, fix it right away, don't wait!

Because I get hot and sweat easily, I start a trek with what I'm going to wear for most of the day - which means I'm going to be cold, initially. I rely on my body's motion to warm me up. Some people like to start out with lots of warm layers and strip down as needed. I prefer to start chilled and keep moving to stay warm. I wear a thin base layer, a good pair of winter activity pants with a snow shell with build in gators over that, although on day one I worn only the base layer and pants, no shell. For the top, I wore a medium to thick fleece pull over top and no shell. I did put a shell on when it got very windy, but 90% of the time I had only two layers on top, the base layer and the fleece top, even at -10 f. As long as I was moving I was fine.

I also pack enough additional clothes - notice I did not say extra because I don't carry "extra" I carry what is required - so in the likely event that I needed to sit for a long period I would be warm. I don't like to classify backcountry gear as "extra" because then I might have a tendency to say, "well, if it's extra, maybe I can lighten my pack and leave it at home," bad idea!

In my pack I had a 750 fill power down coat, a fleece jacket, a wind stopper jacket and my breathable all weather shell along with a very think expedition weight pair of fleece pants with side zippers and two more thick under layers. I end up using only the shell, but still nothing I took in was extra, it's all a critical to my backcountry clothing. I also had four pairs of gloves all differing in weight and purpose. I used a medium light pair for travel, and had the other's, heavy pairs, with me for digging in the snow, gripping and just for warmth should I need them. Cold hands are worthless . . . I also had a three fleece hats, differing weights, goggles, sun glasses, a face mask, and plenty of water, not to mention all the safety gear like first aid, headlamp, food, etc.

Now a note about cameras and camera gear. I used one camera body and one lens. I attached it to my chest with a great product made by my friends over at cotton carrier (CC). The CC allows me to attach the camera via a "stud" screwed into the 1/4 hole on the bottom of the camera, to the receiver on a chest plate. The system distributes the weight evenly across my back and chest allowing me free and complete movement. The camera is secure and available at all times. When I need it, I just grab it off my chest and shoot.

Gear - Camera
I shoot Nikon cameras and use the bodies that are weather sealed and accept the large capacity en-el4 type battery - forget the smaller enel3 it's good, but wont hold up in the cold - I've done extensive testing and they are not reliable enough to take on a winter backcountry trip like this. One enel4 battery in sub zero conditions lasted me three days (over 800 shots) and it still had over 3/4 power when I returned home. I did not have a single camera related issue the entire time. I even buried the camera in snow two times (not on purpose of course) and just shook the snow off - never blow on a camera that's that's cold, you'll frost it in a Milli-second!

I attached 24-120 Nikon af-s vr lens. It's a perfect all around lens for this type of action/adventure shooting. Sure I'd love to have had access to my 14-24 or 17-35, and the 70-200 2.8 vr, but changing lenses is often a challenge when it's snowing and weight is a major factor when spending three days on skis. I used a 32 gig transcend UDMA 400x card - it too worked without a single hitch!

So without further delay, lets look at a sample of some of ski adventure images. They are in order of the adventure, colors will be variable and reflect the weather and lighting conditions. Following the slideshow of images is a short video to give you a more active experience . . .

Glacier Park Winter Back Country Ski Touring - Images by Tony Bynum

Video of our trip.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them. If you have any thoughts or questions email me or just post a comment here and I'll get back to you! And remember, if you're in Glacier National Park this summer, stop by and see us at the Glacier Impressions Gallery for some Glacier Park Art.

My next post will be more winter photography information from Glacier National Park!

Stay warm,

Tony

Fun New Video! Finalshot Photography

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 22:37:00 +0000

I just produced this exiting new video for you to enjoy. . . I hope it's something you like! It's snowing like mad here today with about 20 inches of new snow on the ground so i decided to stay in and make a fun video of images I've captured over the last couple of years . . .

So get a sip of coffee and sit back and enjoy this short video of photographs from the rocky mountains, the crown of the continent, glacier national park, and places in between around us!

Cheers!

Tony Bynum

New Destination Glacier Video, with Tony Bynum and Glacier Impressions?

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:25:00 +0000

I just got the news that this video, featuring a short segment on Glacier Impressions Gallery will air soon in front of 42 million subscribers. The video segment will be featured on Lifetime Real Women on Saturday, February 5, at 9:30 eastern time. Lifetime Real Women is a sister station to Lifetime Network, with programming that targets women.

If you choose to watch the video, the short pieces featuring the me, my Glacier National Park photography, and the Gallery is near the end . . .

Cheers!

Tony

Glacier National Park in the Winter

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Hello folks, it's been an exciting few weeks for weather around here as the following video will reveal. This is several short clips I shot over the course of the last two days. Yesterday, January 19th was spectacular, and then today - Oh what a difference a day makes! Watch this short, East Glacier Park, Browning area video.

New Portfolios
Aside from making this short video, I've been working on marketing and and put up some new portfolios on my new website. I have new wildlife, new glacier national park, and new hunting portfolios available. I've also been working on my linkedin profile and added to that a portfolio of north american big game wildlife images.

Business
I'll have to admit, I really like the marketing side of the photography business. Not more than shooting of course, but the people you meet and the interesting things you learn along they way motivate me more and more each day to work harder and create better more appealing images. I only wish there were more hours in a day.

We also are getting prepared for the spring opener of Glacier Impressions Gallery. I sell fine art prints during the summer months here in East Glacier Park. Here's a link to the gallery web site if you're interested. And if you're on facebook, here's the Glacier Impressions facebook page.

In order to make a living at this, particularly in today's age of tweet this, twit that, like me, bing there, and facebook me and youtube and linked in it's vital to cover all the bases you can and for me that includes one of my favorite aspects of photography - commercial photography. Speaking of that, I almost forgot, I just finished shooting a piece for Western Horseman. I photographed a real western lady from Montana who will be featured in an upcoming issue of Western Horseman. She is one heck of a lady. Braved the sub zero temps and storm force winds to get the shoot in - bless her heart!

Friend Me, Like Me, or Tweet Me
So, back to business. Even though I like the business side of things, one still has to make images so one of the greatest challenges for a nature photographer is staying fresh and creative. To me, the office time helps me to be even more focussed when I'm out shooting. If you're not a member of facebook or twitter.com/tonybynum yet maybe it's time. . .

You can find me on facebook, Twitter, and linkedin if you'd like. . . If you're a member of any of these sites, friend me, like me or tweet me or just say hi! (am i really saying all that - tweet me . . . what the heck)? LOL

I hope you have a great week! Talk to you soon. . .

Tony

Happy New Year - shoot the weather!

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Happy New Year!
It's the first day of 2011 and I'm excited about the new photographic opportunities this year will bring! I'm going keep expanding on the things that people want to know more about i.e., gear, places to shoot, and timing. So in this post I'll touch a bit on all three. . .

The new year as kicked off with fantastic weather. Here in Glacier Park, its 4 degrees and blowing 30 with 40 mph gusts, the drifts are in feet with bare ground in some places! Perfect for getting outside -- for about a minute! LOL Really, the sky's are clear, the wind is blowing and its cold, but that's what it's suposto be doing here and that's part of the reason we live in this place - extreme weather - if you don't love it you don't last.

Place's to Shoot
I'm excited to get out and shoot. The days are getting longer and it wont be long till the canada geese, snow geese and pintail ducks show up. Before that however there's lots of winter scenes to capture. On a given day you can go out and photograph what's right in front of your face, no matter where you live. With just a little persistence and some focus you'll find that there's a lot of opportunity right under your nose. If you're here in Glacier Park, or you're planing a trip out, be sure to take some time along the middle fork of the Flathead River. From West Glacier and the Flathead Valley, just go east along highway two toward Essex, along the south boundary of the Park. There are several great locations along the middle fork from which to capture some wonderful winter landscape photos of Glacier Park.

Assignment
If you're at home and need some inspiration why not watch the weather and over the course of the next month or two, shoot one or two different weather related theme images every week. Have your camera ready (this usually is one big difference between people who capture stunning images and those that take snap shots, they use use their cameras) and when you see something weather related, it could be the sky, an icicle hanging off the rain gutter of the house, rain coming down sideways, wind blowing trees down or water so hard it's clearing out a pond, and one of my favorites, trees! Use your senses and if you see weather, shoot it! You'll be surprised at how interesting your images will be if you just focus on a theme, like weather, and shoot it.

Tips
Here's a tip, clear your mind and just let your emotions and feelings direct your hands to aim the camera. In today's hustle and bustle life - fast and relentless - you need to take a break. Photographing themes like weather can be a great way to give your brain and body a break. For me, when I'm in the "zone" there's nothing else in my mind; it goes dark and dense except for my vision and my focus. It's almost like my mind is floating by itself but it's directing my hands and eyes. . . It's automatic when you can clear your mind and let your emotions focus your photography.

I have to mention again the weather. They say that an army fights on its stomach. Well, a winter outdoor photographers shoots on the temperature of her/his body. If the fingers and hands get cold it's all over. So, i like to use hand warmers. I buy a new case every year. For about a buck each (two per pack) you can have warm hands all day long. I slip them into my mittens (they have a clove that covers my hand and fingers and the mitten folds over the fingers and is also where the hand warmer pouch is located) but if you don't have that kind of equipment, just put them inside your gloves or in you pockets and use them to warm your fingers when necessary.

It's still blowing here in Glacier Park, but it's time for me to go outside and get a whiff of it!

Cheers, and happy new year to you all!

Click here and see some new wildlife images from tonybynum.com

Snow East Glacier Park Montana

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:28:00 +0000

It's mid November and the snow's flying . . . We have about 3 feet on the ground and as of early morning on November 19th, it's still coming down. The temperture this morning is minus 2 F. Enjoy this series of short clips for East Glacier Park!

Bighorn Sheep Photography

noreply@blogger.com (www.tonybynum.com) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:35:00 +0000

The forecast is for snow and high winds. While checking the forecast the other day i noticed that the new storm approaching likely would shut down access to big horn sheep for the season so I decided to take a run up into the mountains to see what i could find. The trip was worth the effort and the storm approached from the northwest. In an effort to to address the recent poll (at the top of this blog) I've made a short clip and addressed gear, and as you will see, fall conditions.

Take a moment and watch this short video of the my adventure. It's a series of short clips linked together to give you a first hand view of truth about what photographing wild bighorn sheep can be like. You'll notice that about 2/3 of the way though the video I start slurring my speech a bit, that's not because I'm sipping whiskey to stay warm, it's because my face is starting to freeze up making it difficult to get the words out correctly. Click play and sit back and enjoy this short clip.

Today, I'm sitting here in East Glacier less then 24 hours later, it's snowing and 18 degrees, the storm is here and I'll have to wait another year to finish that quest. The great thing about nature photography, at least for me, is that everyday brings a new and potentially life changing experience. Seldom do I find the same thing happening on consecutive days. Even if I'm in the same location with the same subject, there's always something new to see. For me that is what makes this business exciting. With each day and each new sunrise comes a completely new opportunity to find another natural treasure.

I'm looking forward to what the big cold storm will leave in it's wake, and you should look forward to finding out by signing up for my blog feed! It's the only real way you'll be sure to keep track of the conditions in Glacier National Park and elsewhere . . . If you're interested in going on a photography adventure or learning from me while you're in Montana, send me an email or call, we can arrange customized photography sessions. tony@tonybynum.com or call me, 406-226-9151.

Now on to new adventures!

Enjoy,

Tony