Musings from the last best place - Thoughts on living and working in Montana

Montana Sunday Drive - Dry Creek and Rocky Mountain Roads

This afternoon, the family decided to take a leisurely Sunday drive north of Belgrade on Dry Creek road. Although we drove right in the middle of the afternoon, we were blessed with a sun position that allowed me to use my polarizer to its full advantage. The Big Sky was incredibly blue today, something that I hope comes through in these photos. I really like the first shot because my daughter picked it up from the back seat. "Hey, that tree looks like a question mark!" I loved that the lush hillside in the foreground and clouds in the background combined to make 'the question mark' even more interesting. The second is of a grain elevator on Dry Creek road; the third is a shot of horses off Rocky Mountain road with the Bridgers rising in the background. All three shots taken with my Olympus E30; the first and third shot with my Zuiko 50-200mm SWD; the second, with my Zuiko 14-45mm..

Click here to download:

Montana_Sunday_Drive_-_Dry_Cre.zip (3721 KB)

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Posted July 25, 2010

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The Gallatin from River Road

In 2010, we had a particularly wet spring in the Gallatin Valley of Montana. I took this shot one evening earlier this spring with my Olympus E30 and Zuiko 50-200mm lens, 1/6 second at f/11, ISO 100.

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Posted July 21, 2010

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Bridgers Panoramic from Gootch Hill

Here's the latest in my continuing quest for the perfect panoramic shot of the Bridgers near Bozeman, Montana. I took a series of 12 separate (portrait-oriented) shots and stitched them using CS4.

The resulting file is a beast - the 72dpi version I exported from LightRoom is still over 6MB.

While I like the vantage point, this spot lacks the visual interest in the foreground that makes it a true winner. But that's OK - I've got another spot up my sleeve that I think is going to be pretty awesome...

Shot with my Olympus E30 and Zuiko 50-200mm lens for 1/60sec at f/11, ISO 100.

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Posted July 20, 2010

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Mountain Wedding - Reception Tent

My sister-in-law recently celebrated her wedding day in Silver Gate, Montana. Although the rain held off for the ceremony, the skies opened up in the evening. Fortunately, the family had rented a tent and guests continued dancing the night away to a local band. I took this shot looking northeast well after sunset. Shot with my Olympus E30 and Zuiko 14-45mm lens; 1.6 seconds at f3.5, ISO 200.

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Posted July 19, 2010

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Heart Mountain from Chief Joseph Highway

Although I've driven past this vantage point countless times, I decided to stop for this image while traversing the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway over the July 4th weekend. I've always been intrigued by Heart Mountain - it's a significant landmark near Cody, Wyoming that commands the landscape for miles. I hope to hike to the top one day, but in the meantime I'll settle for shots like this. Taken with my Olympus E30 and Zuiko 50-200mm SWD zoom lens.

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Posted July 13, 2010

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Montana Sweet Clover

On a recent drive from Boulder to Cardwell, I noticed this quintessential Montana landscape. This bright yellow field of sweet clover was yet to be mowed: most ranchers in the valley had already laid their crop down, so I was glad to get this shot. I definitely plan to return later this fall. The changing colors of foliage along the river bottom combined with the bright blue sky of a Montana autumn should be incredible. Two frames combined in CS4; both taken handheld with my Olympus E30 and Zuiko 50-200mm lens as I was swarmed by crazed mosquitoes. Post-processing in LightRoom 2 and CS4.

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Posted July 12, 2010

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Fisherman - Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone

Although we didn't have any luck fishing in this spot, I was more satisfied with some of the images I captured. An overcast sky encouraged me to play with an alternative treatment for this photo, and the antique look seems appropriate given the history of this spot near Cooke Pass in south-central Montana.

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Posted July 7, 2010

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Two Grizzlies on Kill in Yellowstone

Here's a second shot from the series I shot in Yellowstone this past Monday. Here, a larger bear joins the younger in their snack by the Lamar river. Shot with my Olympus E30 and 50-200mm Zuiko lens.

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Posted July 7, 2010

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Griz Feeds on Kill in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley

I rarely stop for tourist packs in Yellowstone. When I'm cruising to or from Cooke City, my main goal is getting to my destination. But the size of the pack in Lamar Valley yesterday told me I should probably make an exception and stop for a look.

Sure enough, the crowd was watching a young grizzly feeding on a kill on the far bank of the river. We parked well down the road and I hiked back, only to have the friendly ranger tell me that the sign said no parking, standing, or walking. She let me stay, however, and I jockeyed for position to take several shots. In spite of the drizzly weather, everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood - even the gentleman whose foot got in the way of my tripod leg (oops!). I haven't had a chance to post-process most of the shots, but here's a first to give a general impression of the scene.

Taken with my Olympus E30 and racked out 50-200mm Zuiko zoom.

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Posted July 6, 2010

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Maui Flowers

My daughter wanted me to take several photos of the flowers on the grounds at Makena Surf during our recent Maui vacation. The crew there keeps the 18 acres in great shape year-round. I had to laugh: we spend our time trying to get something - anything! - to grow in the few months of growing season we have here in Bozeman. On Maui, they're in a constant battle to keep things cut back to avoid having them overgrow. They were finishing their yearly trim of the Plumeria trees while we were there. My wife and daughter were aghast that they were cutting away all that beautiful plumage. They assured us everything would be back in a few months.

My daughter plans to give photos of the flowers to her friends as gifts from the islands. I think it's a great idea - she walked the grounds with me and approved each shot as I took it. All shots taken with my tripod-mounted Olympus E30 (love that hinged LCD!) and 50-200mm Zuiko lens, except the white orchid (taken with my 14-54mm Zuiko). Post-processed in Lightroom.