The Teton Range from Jackson Lake at sunrise, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

Claudia and I had such a great time in the Tetons, before and during the Out of Grand Teton photo conference. The conference went smoothly, as we’ve come to expect from the Out of Chicago folks. We had a great group of participants and fellow instructors, and it was fun hanging out with everyone – teaching, learning, and photographing this beautiful area. Special thanks to my wonderful teaching partner for the conference, Charlotte Gibb, and to Chris Smith, Jennifer Renwick, and all of the Out of Chicago team for making this such a great event!

I actually climbed in the Tetons in the late ’70s, and had been back a few times for photography. But that was awhile ago; in fact it had been more than 20 years since I’d photographed this area. Why did it take me so long to return? I’m not sure, but it was great to be back, and I am sure it won’t take me so long to return again.

The weather changed dramatically during our time in the Tetons. It went from warm and sunny to cloudy and cold in less than 24 hours. We even had some June snow flurries, and a coating of new snow on the mountains.

But weather makes interesting photographs, so I wasn’t complaining. I’ve included some of my favorite grand-landscape views from the trip here (along with one intimate scene), and they all feature some of the dramatic clouds and light that weather created.

But while the mountain scenery in the Tetons is amazing, we had just as much fun watching and photographing the abundant wildlife in the park. We saw six grizzlies, a black bear, elk, bison, deer, seven moose, coyotes, a red fox, an otter, muskrats, beavers, white pelicans, trumpeter swans, ospreys, a bald eagle, herons, and on and on. I’ll show some of my wildlife photos in a later post.

I can’t wait to go back! That might happen this fall; we’ll see. But if not, then sometime soon.

— Michael Frye

Cathedral Group at sunset, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

The Teton Range at sunrise, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

Clouds and sunbeams, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

Aspens and serviceberry flowers, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

Mt. Moran and the Teton Range reflected in the Snake River at sunrise, Grand Teton NP, Wyoming

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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives near Yosemite National Park in California, but travels extensively to photograph natural landscapes in the American West and throughout the world.

Michael uses light, weather, and design to make photographs that capture the mood of the landscape, and convey the beauty, power, and mystery of nature. His work has received numerous awards, and appeared in publications around the world. He’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.

Michael loves to share his knowledge of photography through articles, books, workshops, online courses, and his blog. He’s taught over 200 workshops focused on landscape photography, night photography, digital image processing, and printing.