I’m always excited to see what clients come away with at the end of my tours. Because I don’t lead intensive workshops, work on post-processing techniques or go over slide shows every night, it’s a mixed bag when it comes to the types of images my clients will produce. And I mean that in a good way. Everyone processes their images differently, but when we’re out in the field, folks are seeing things in different ways as well… or simply seeing different things. While some of us may be concentrating on a bear, a single member of the group may spot a macro or landscape photo opportunity that we didn’t notice. I always appreciate those “Wait, when did this happen?!” moments at the end of the trip. It’s a treat to see scenes and subjects through someone else’s eyes.
So from time to time I’d like to share some of the work of my clients from the tours I’ve led. First up is Richard Barrett.
Richard joined me for a short private tour in May that he was squeezing in between a couple of longer North American tours. His lone goal was to photograph wolves. These days, it’s a tall task, but Richard was determined since he’d struck out on wolves during his three previous trips to Yellowstone. He even admitted to me that if we didn’t have any luck this time, he’d probably never return to the park. So it was my job to make my client happy and rescue Yellowstone’s reputation!
Long story short: We somehow accomplished our mission in the three days we had available. We actually had multiple wolf encounters, including my best encounter in three years when the Lamar Canyon Pack approached the road and eventually crossed.
I think we were both surprised at our success. The wolves in Yellowstone have become much more difficult to photograph in recent years, due to a decline in numbers, less predictable behavior and evolving pack territories, among other things.
In addition to the wolves, we also had a couple of nice bear encounters. A black bear sow with two yearling cubs was grazing right next to the road one morning. We were able to pull in directly opposite the bears and photograph safely from the car.
Ultimately, my client was happy and I saved the park’s reputation. Win-win. Here’s what Richard had to say about the experience:
“Many many thanks for such an excellent job guiding me these last few days. It was a superb experience. I know you said we were lucky with the wolves, but I think your skill at anticipating where they were heading, and moving to the right spot each time was the difference that turned a mildly useful encounter into a really excellent encounter. Great job! It was a pleasure and privelige to be with such an expert for my time in Yellowstone.”
Big thanks to Richard for an excellent three days. I think he came away with a number of fine shots in that short time. Please take time to check out the trip gallery on his website, as well as the photos from his many other adventures!
If you are interested in joining me on a Yellowstone photo tour, please visit the tour website.
Images in this post are the copyrighted property of Richard Barrett and are used with permission.
