Well I decided to keep this blog up cuz its the only one I have and i think nature is pre neat. I did some hiking and fishing this summer and actually remembered to take some pictures on my last adventure. My buddy Tyler Black and I hiked into the Crazy Mountains in search for some golden trout. Here are some pictures from that. It was probably the most intense backpacking trip I have done...but well worth it!

There were some cool caterpillars on the trail.

This is the first meadow on the trail to Cave Lake

Pretty view of stock pond

We camped here in eagle park which is the second meadow on the way to Cave Lake.

We couldnt find the trail but we found a cool mushroom!

Still looking for the trail we had to take a break to wet some flies.

Just a lil rainbow I caught.

My buddy Tyler Black and a 19" Golden Trout!!!

Look at the size of that trout! It was probably the biggest one he caught on a fly rod and only 4" away from state record!

Another cool caterpillar.

It rained on us for most of the trip. Here we sat out a shower under our rain fly.

View of the valley and meadows.

If you look close you can see a mountain goat.

There were lots of pretty flowers up there.

A flat spot in the seemingly endless expanse of steep scree.

Tyler hikin up the chilly Milly to the lake.

Some cool purple flowers.

There it is...Cave Lake

A baby golden out of Cave Lake.

Headed back out along Milly Creek.

A nice waterfall we came across on our way back.

It rained alot but the rainbows were incredible. This is one of the many we saw on our way.

Breakfast of champions

Another small bow on the way back.

There were so many caterpillars on the way back.

Final Photo Critique

Photo #1

I thought this was a pretty good photo. I think the way the trees outline the main focus of the sunrise turned out well. I also like the contrast in the trees and the sky. The contrast makes the photo almost look black and white with the sky in color. The trees are all silhouettes against the background. This gives the photo some good layers with the trees being right up front the steam in the middle, the mountain behind the steam, and beyond that the sky and clouds. The sky has an even warmth to it.

 

 

 

 

Photo #2

This photo really caught my eye when I first saw it. The way the bird is looking right at the camera and the photographer captures the eye makes this photo interesting. Also, I think the lighting was exceptional for this photo. The color of the water compliments the color of the bird and vice-verse. I wish the foot had been under the bird instead of sticking out, but that is hard to control in this setting. Also the reflection would have been cool if it was all there. 

Photo #3

This photo is a good example of the rule of thirds. There is a definite foreground, mid ground, and background. I like how there is only one goose with wings in motion while all the other were just walking or standing. This photo brings the focus right to the focal point of motion. Also, the fact that only one goose is moving is appealing since odd numbers are more appealing. The background adds alot to the photo with its color contrasting with the blacks, whites, and grays of the geese and the beach. 

Photo #4

This photo looks alright but the colors are a bit overdone. They pop out, but I think they pop out a little too much. I feel like when this photo was edited the temperature or saturation could have been toned down a bit. However, the lighting was pretty good. I like the way the light shines through the tees and lights up the bridge. Another positive point about this photo is the way the river starts in the bottom right corner and leads the eyes up through the photo to main focus point. I feel like maybe the tree on the left of the bridge was cut off a bit. However if the photographer had captured the top of the tree it may have taken away from the river leading the eyes. I do like the way the trees frame the photo.

Photo #5

This photo really caught my eye. I like the contrast of the oranges and yellows with the greens. It really makes the flower pop out. The clarity also helps this as the flower is in focus while the green background is blurry. Perhaps the brightness could have been a bit less.  However this may take away the vibrant qualities of the photo. I think the oranges in the background are somewhat distracting however the placement is alright since they only take up that top left corner. 

Photo #6

 The color in this photo is really nice. However, I think that it could be edited to bring out the contrast and detail in the leaves. This might have been achieved if the ISO or f stop would have been turned down one stop. I felt like when i looked at it all I could see was the red but the detail was drowned out by the brightness of it. I also wish the whole tree was in the frame so I could see it all. I feel like it would have contrasted nicely with the sky. The greens in the background were a nice addition. 

Photo #7

I thought this photo had a little too much happening in it. There are so many lines and they mostly straight. The slanted branches in the trees in the middle make this picture more interesting. This picture has some depth with good layers. It is just hard to see beyond the tree layer and find a point of focus. The light on the mountains really grabs the viewers attention. The trees somewhat frame it but there are too many branches for my taste. 

Photo #8

This is a very interesting photo. I enjoyed the way the spider is so clear even though it is basically the same color of the flower. I think the low F-stop helped contrast the whites without making them too bright. Also, the focus is not quite centered so the viewer is led from the spider to flower and back. The way the spiders eyes are in the photo is really cool too. The detail in this photo is excellent as you can see the hairs on the spider's legs as well as the hairs on the flower. 

Photo #9

This photo is framed really well with the thermal pool and the geyser positioned very comfortably. This takes the eyes from the pool up to the geyser and out with the steam. The layers are nice the way each point of focus is in a different layer and there are multiple layers in the photo. The purples look like they were turned up in editing, however if that is what it looked like right there that is fantastic. I really enjoyed the way the photographer captured the geyser erupting. The blues in the thermal pool compliment the darker blues of the sky and contrast nicely with the tan of the surrounding earth.

 

Photo #10

The depth in this photo is excellent. The way the foreground goes all the way into the background and they clouds at the top of the picture add an upper layer of depth that is very appealing. The two forks of the river lead the eye all the way back to the mountains in the background. It feels like this photo just keeps going. The lighting is also very nice making the colors in the foreground contrast  with the dark colors of the mountains then the lights of the clouds. The rule of thirds is demonstrated well with this photo as there are three horizontal lines of color.

Here are some photos I got during the Yellowstone trip in November. Enjoy!