Horse Ranch

We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise at a ranch near Dubois where they train horses for pack riding. The cowboys ran the horses through the sagebrush and below the badland cliffs and we tried our best to keep up.

Mountain Man

During the Wind River Photographers’ Retreat, I participated in a portrait session with a local man, who is a tanner by trade, but also does period reenactment. He brought numerous vintage props, including a wooden canoe, vintage firearms, and all manner of clothing items. The bottom image was my favorite outfit. I loved the layers of his clothing, from the buffalo-hide coat he made himself, to that magenta scarf and even the leather strings from his hat. The top image was fun since we shot right beside the river, and his dog Molly - who would look where he would point, perfect model dog that she was - was really fun to shoot as well.

Brooks Lake Fireweed

The first shoot we did during the Wind River Photographers’ Retreat was at Brooks Lake. I had just been here the week before, canoeing with grandpa on a blustery day. I had seen how beautiful the fireweed looked, but it was just too windy to try to photograph, so I left disappointed. I was delighted to see that it was still in full bloom when I returned with the group. I saw a large swath of fireweed from the van as we drove in, and once we unloaded, I hightailed it over there and spent most of the morning trying to highlight it against the scenic backdrop the mountains provided.

The Pinnacles

Our very first shoot at the Wind River Photographers’ Retreat was an area I had visited before in our wanderings around the Dubois area. These are the Pinnacle Buttes, which reach above Brooks Lake Creek. The area is popular with campers, fishermen, and bears. There had been a bear sighting in the campground earlier in the morning, and we drove around a bit to try and spot it, but it had moved on.

Wind River Photographers' Retreat

Ok, y’all, I can’t wait any longer, I am so excited to show you pictures from the photographer’s retreat that I went to recently. The program was presented by the National Bighorn Sheep Center, and we spent the week at the Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp near Dubois, Wyoming.

One of the rustic cabins that served as lodgings for participants.

A view from the Torrey valley, where the camp was located.

Isn’t this place super cool? We got to spend the week here, surrounded by the beautiful landscape. Every day our intrepid instructors, Bill Sincavage and Sandy Zelasko led us on morning and evening shoots around the area. Some of the highlights were visiting a working horse ranch, private access to petroglyphs, watching an osprey fledge, sighting moose (more than once!) and chasing so much beautiful scenery. I’ll post pictures from the retreat soon.

Lawn Mowers

One of the summer’s unexpected delights was the appearance of these two horses next door. The neighbors borrowed Monty and Jack for a few weeks so they would effectively mow the lawn through grazing. My daughter was enthralled with them, of course, and they seemed to feel the same. They would meet at the fence nearly every day. She would talk to them and feed them carrots. We aren’t horse people, so it was a treat to look out the window and see them in this beautiful afternoon light.

More Big Sky

It has rained a lot up here on the mountain, and I confess I have been surprised to see so much precipitation. Every time all I can think is “thank goodness,” because keeping the ground wet will help prevent fires. I know many parts of the west are not so lucky, and I really feel for them.