Grand Teton National Park is one of the most spectacular places in the US and in the US National Park system. It is located out by the town of Jackson, Wyoming. The area is home to a number of ski resorts, lots of grizzly bears, wolves, bison, pronghorn and lots of other creatures. In addition to the wildlife, the natural landscapes are absolutely incredible. Some of these landscape views require knowledge of the wilderness area and long hikes while others like Schwabacher Landing and Oxbow Bend are well known, easily accessible and visited by most everyone who visits the park.
This particular wall art print was taken in late fall at Schwabacher Landing. Schwabacher Landing is a 30 minute or so drive from the town of Jackson and then down a dirt road that can be rough and full of potholes. Most any vehicle can make it down the quarter mile dirt road so long as the driver drives slowly and carefully. It is an incredible view any time of day. In my opinion, sunrise is the best time to photograph Schwabacher Landing. At sunrise, the sun shines on the mountains. So long as cloud cover is minimal, the rising sun starts painting the tip of THE Grand Teton. As the sun continues to rise, the paint spreads to the other Teton Mountain Peaks and begins to drip down the mountains toward the Snake River.
So long as the cloud cover doesn’t block the rising sun, clouds over the mountains combined with the light from the rising sun can create a truly stunning sight. That was the case on this particular late autumn morning.
On this trip to Grand Teton National Park, I was staying in Teton Village. Schwabacher Landing was about a half hour drive from the village. Each evening I’d look at the weather forecast and look for partly cloudy skies and relatively calm winds. The forecast the night before this shot was taken didn’t look all that great. The wind forecast was calm but the cloud cover looked a bit thick. Despite the forecast for more that ideal cloud cover I set the alarm for 6am or so and headed over to Schwabacher Landing for sunrise.
Initially, it looked like the sunrise photo shoot at Schwabacher Landing was going to be a dud. The cloud cover was pretty thick and it was pretty dark on the way over from Teton Village. Soon after I drove down the dirt road, parked at the first turnout and setup the camera and tripod, an absolutely amazing light show started.
As you can see in the photo, the cloud cover over the Teton mountains was pretty thick and dark. Fortunately the cloud cover to the east where the sun came up wasn’t blocking the sun. As the sun rose and shot through and into the clouds, the Teton Mountain range was painted with brilliant swaths of morning light. Usually at sunrise, the Teton mountains just show off a pink or red glow that slowly makes its way down from the peaks to the base of the mountains. As it creeps down from the peaks to the base of the mountains, the intensity of the glow fades.
On this chilly, frosty morning, the colors exploded in a rainbow of color that covered the mountains from the peaks down to the tops of the trees in the valley along the Snake River. I’ve been at this spot for sunrise 40+ times over the years and have never seen such an incredible light display at Schwabacher Landing at Grand Teton National Park. Despite the stormy looking clouds, the winds remained calm and the reflections of the entire scene in the Snake River were almost a perfect mirror!
If this image looks vaguely familiar, it was published in a calendar put out by the National Park Foundation a number of years ago. If you donate to the National Park Foundation, chances are you got one of those calendars. The photo or elements of it have also been used various fundraising mailers and mailing labels for the National Park Foundation.
This photo is a single shot and not a stitched panorama. Schwabacher Landing can be a good spot for stitched panoramas that may be used to create larger prints. When the lighting is low and changing constantly, and clouds are moving quickly or have little to no texture, the best way to ensure you come away with a good shot is to avoid taking multiple images to stitch together for a panoramic shot.
This particular photo from Schwabacher Landing at Grand Teton makes a phenomenal matte canvas or framed paper print print. It looks great on metal if you like a shiny reflective wall art option. It also makes a cool jigsaw puzzle or tote bag for a smaller gift or personal item.
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