In my never-ending quest to update the photo archive with my older images, I’ve completed another collection. A couple weeks ago it was my 2010 Costa Rica photos, inspired by the fact that I’m missing out on Costa Rica this year. Well, I’m also going to miss my traditional late spring Yellowstone experience, so it felt appropriate to go back through my (very) old YNP collections and rework those photos for the archive.
Having previously tackled 2003-2004, I moved on to 2005-2006. During this time, I was transitioning into digital photography full time (my last trip with a film camera was in early 2006), and my photography was slowly improving. Of course, when I revisited these collections last week, I saw a lot of bad and mediocre photography. A lot of RAW files I’d been holding onto went into the Trash. But there were also several wildlife encounters that remain somewhat unique to this day… perhaps because I rarely visit the park at these times any more.
This new gallery is comprised of images taken in summer, as well as November and April (two of my “least-visited” Yellowstone months over the years… though ironically I am going back this April). So there are some moments here that I haven’t had opportunities to reproduce. In addition to that, I admit that I held on to several photos that offer some sentimental value… my first “small” bear cub encounters, for example. I have a lot of fond memories from those early years visiting the park, and admit I had a hard time ignoring some photos that are tied to experiences that have stuck with me.
As always, you can view the full gallery in the archive. A short preview follows.
Since I rarely visit the park in late summer, seeing bull elk in velvet like this isn’t common for me.
A beaver forages along the banks of the Yellowstone River.
This is still my best photo encounter with American White Pelicans. In early July a small flock was gathered near Fishing Bridge going after spawning trout. They would float downriver and then lazily fly back up to reposition themselves. I was able to stand on the nearby bank to take pictures.
During my first non-summer visit to the park (November) I was able to spend a bit of time with a nice herd of bighorn rams near the park’s north entrance.
The summer 2006 visit marked my first encounter with the famous black bear “Rosie,” who frequented the Tower area of the park. During this trip she had two black cubs of the year.
At the time, I was so excited to finally see small bear cubs that I deemed this to be my “shot of the year.” Another photo from this trip was probably better though…
Barrow’s Goldeneye chicks dream at Trout Lake. This has been my most popular photo taken in 2006.
Marmots pair well with colorful lichen.
A Yellow-headed Blackbird calls among reeds near Slough Creek.
Male pronghorn spar in Yellowstone.
A summer hike up Mt. Washburn brought us close to a herd of bighorn sheep and their lambs.
It took three tries to see the otters at Trout Lake during the 2006 visit.
A double rainbow marks a passing morning storm on Mt. Washburn.
View the full 2005 – 2006 Yellowstone gallery (84 images).
Want to join me on a photographic adventure in Yellowstone? I’ll be back leading tours in the winter and spring of 2027. Learn more on the Workshops & Tours page.
