Customer Reviews

Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone & the Tetons

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book to take along on a vacation trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons in mid-June 2007. I found it to be a great source to take photos of often photographed natural icons at different views and angles as well as some shots that the average traveler would not know about without this book. For instance I would not have known about the great shots that can be taken of the Mormon Row Barns with the Tetons in the background without this book. Perhaps more seasoned photographers may know about these different places but I for one would not have had a clue. I would have ended my vacation with the same shots of Yellowstone and the Tetons that everyone else has. The book took me off the beaten path where I got some great shots and expierenced the pleasures of getting away from the main road.

Other valuable information was the instructions on what time of day is best to shoot a certain shot, tips about exposure, and valuable tips about using filters that made my pictures stand out.

The book was concise, accurate, and very easy to follow and understand for an novice like me.

Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone is very useful for finding good photo spots and for choosing the best time to shoot. He also gives a valuable warning about protecting lens from geyserite spray. However his "how to" tips can lead to a lot of murky and oversaturated photos, particularly when photographing the blue, azure, and aqua colored hot pools in the thermal areas. Not every shot should be taken with a polarizer!

I found this book extremely valuable, and I wish similar books were available for every photogenic destination (a few others are). Given limited vacation time in each park (Tetons & Yellowstone), we were able to plan ahead and be at the right place at the right time(s) of day to get excellent shots and then onward to other activities.

The author was exactly accurate about what time the rainbows appear from successive North Rim overlooks, for example, and we hiked between them with great results. Ignore the recommendations about filters if you like, but select from the location descriptions to maximize your trip photos of the famous (and semi-secret) views. Yes I brought home a lot of cliche images, but my friends and family don't know that and they're thrilled with the "classic" enlargements.

I was a bit disappointed with this book. My expectations were too high after purchasing Photographer's Guide to Yosemite by Michael Frye and expecting the Yellowstone book would be as helpful or would at least come close to it. I specifically marked certain areas of the book to make sure to visit these areas at the times he suggested. Unfortunately after arriving there at the times specified he said were good times, I was greatly disappointed. Maybe his use of polarizers and possibly Photoshop to overly saturate his shots has lead him to believe that some of these sites at certain times are good times to go. I'm not against these at all because I use them as well but only to a certain degree. I would consider myself an advanced amateur photographer. This has been a serious hobby of mine for a few years now.

He was precise on where to go for wildlife shots and times of day to shoot them as I think any photographer who has been doing this even for a short period of time would know that softer light such as close to sunset or sunrise are the best times to capture these types of animals. But overall, I rarely used the book when out there on where to find my next location to shoot. We spent the first day and a half driving the roads throughout the park to get acquainted with the park. From then on, we based our shoots on what we had already learned of the park by driving through it the first days there.

I found this book to be an exceptional guide to both photograph and tour Yellowstome and the Tetons! The author included valuable informations such as the best times of day to take pictures in the parks, and also suggested methods to use to get the best shots! In addition to the outstanding photos in the book, the author also told how to get the best results. It turned out to be an invaluable resource in planning our visit, and I would highly recommend it those planning to take pictures and those who just want to see beautiful scenery!

I have used his book to schedule what I will visit and photograph at different times of the day and marked the good locations he described. It will stay in the front seat of my car to check as I go from place to place. I even made a schedule of what to see at sunrise, morning, afternoon, and sunset. I would like to have a book like this for every natural area I plan to visit and photograph. But I basically ignored his suggestions for filters and what seems like an overuse of a polarizer. Otherwise it has been a great help to plan my trip.

A caveat: I am a total amateur who takes pictures only during the one or two annual vacations using very simple equipment!

I just came back after 5 days at YS and GT parks. I was very impressed by how accurate Joseph's suggestions were -- in terms of the preferred times, angles and such to take pictures from. For example, Joseph had suggested taking pictures of the Old Faithful NOT from the benches in front of the Inn, but from the lodge side or from another angle which would include some colorful runoffs in the picture. I managed to pick up a rainbow with the waterfall from Uncle Tom's trail in my video (my still camera did nt pick it up). Other suggetsions also turned out to be as accurate and useful. More importantly, it is absolutely free of fluff and hence you can read it in a 2 hours flight to YS!

When I first looked at Joseph's pictures, I felt like there was probably a tad excessive use of filters to exaggerate the contrasts (the blues appeared to me to be a bit more blue than what would have been real). I never got to verify this as the sky was grey in YS and GT when I was there! Anyways, it is just a matter of taste. If you like Joseph's results (they are stunning), you can use the detailed input he provides on the use of the polarizer and the filters. Even otherwise, his suggestions on just the spots and times to take pictures from make the book very valuable.

The book is organized based on features -- waterfalls, geysers, animals and so on. That is probably useful for many. However, for family vacationers, coverage by location (Norris, West Thumb,...) would probably have been easier to use. I had to correlate the suggested times for photography from Joseph with the info I got on how to cover each location from another excellent book (YS Treasures by J Chappel).

Overall, I strongly recommend the book.

The book was what I expected. Because of the limited time available to me while visiting the area, I thought I follow someone else's experience. The photos and relevant information were excellent. I know some reviewers complained about the heavy use of filters and enhancers on the lens but that did not alter their actual and intended beauty. The area provides for so much contrast within each and every frame that the use of split-density, enhancing and polarizing filters are almost necessary in order to coax every bit of depth and detail, particularly in digital camerars. The information is very detailed and I am planning to check out its accuracy this June.

The book gives you all the standard places to shoot and a few not so common ones as well. Geared towards film photographers, it's badly in need of updating to reflect the growing use of digital. Some good advice on shooting times and techniques, relies maybe too much on the use of warming filters. A good resource but not a must-have.

I really only used the book when I visited Grand Teton National Park. It was great for sunrise and sunset photo locations. His suggestions for sunrise photo locations were great. I highly suggest studying the map that comes with the book as you will understand where and when to be (and why you should be there). This was worth the price as many of the photos that I took came out great (for me). This book is one that I would purchase again if I was playing arm chair quarterback.