12 Favorite Photos from 2024

Having gotten much more into birds in the last couple of years, I wanted to push myself to get some more compelling bird photos. Fortunately, I was able to make a noticeable improvement from the photos I acquired the previous year, as well as even earlier in this year. Naturally, I also kept my eye toward every other aspect of natural beauty in the area, providing me with plenty of scenic delights and gorgeous wildlife encounters.

January

A black-capped chickadee looking out from a tree branch along the Gros Ventre River. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

January’s image is a Black-Capped Chickadee patiently perched on a branch in a cottonwood forest. This was taken on a snowshoe hike around the Kelly neighborhood. There aren’t too many birds around Kelly in January, so the chickadees make for great targets. I really enjoyed the muted colors on this one as well as the downward slanting composition.

February

Sunrise casting shadows through evergreen trees as it breaks through a thick fog and frost. National Elk Refuge, Wyoming

This burst of light through the fog and trees produced a stunning winter scene. Even though it was well past sunrise, the sun was still low enough to produce some beautiful light getting broken up in the fog as it passed through the trees. This scene came after striking out on the National Elk Refuge for some good wildlife opportunities.

March

A pair of common redpolls foraging on exposed invasive spotted knapweed poking through the snow. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

By March I had become enamored with the Common Redpolls that were frequently my yard. Thanks to a heavy snowfall the previous day, the snow was thick and plentiful, burying much of the landscape, as well as any vegetation still poking out. I happened to catch one male flying away, which created a nice minimal composition in the snow.

April

A white-faced ibis standing on a small point jutting out into Kelly Warm Spring. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

After noticing an unusually (for this area) shaped bird exploring the shores of Kelly Warm Spring before sunrise, I got out to investigate further. Upon realizing it was a rare White-Faced Ibis, I respectfully stalked it around the shores, the sun beginning to rise in the meantime. As it wandered out onto a small peninsula, sunlight filled the scene as it began to creep over the mountains to the east, beautifully lighting the ibis and its surroundings. I couldn’t have asked for a more picture-perfect scene.

May

Grizzly Bear 399 walking into golden sunset light in the evening against a shaded forest. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

This image marks my final encounter with the grizzly bear that changed my life, Grizzly Bear #399. I was driving home from a photography workshop I was leading in Yellowstone National Park, and as serendipitously as I had first encountered her, my last encounter was equally so. I was ready to be home, already expecting to dodge places I had been wanting to explore after the long drive from Gardiner. As I approached Colter Bay, her and her cub had just popped out on top of a hill, only one car there expecting her presence. I immediately pulled over and began shooting. I got some of my best shots of her as sunset light broke through the trees to illuminate her, including this one. Sadly, her reign ended in late September when she was tragically struck by a car. Her legacy, however, will not end any time soon. She’s still sending shockwaves through the conservation community.

June

A marsh wren singing from a branch in bushes. National Elk Refuge, Wyoming

Having heard this Marsh Wren calling incessantly, I was determined to find it. I could tell it was just on the other side of a branch, but I could not get any kind of visual on it. After significant searching, I was ready to call it off when I saw a small brown spot in an incredibly narrow window through the bushes. I pointed my camera through it, and caught this wren chattering up a storm. The contrast against the green foreground and background, while also partially obscuring it, made it one of my new favorites.

July

A harlequin duck flying over the LeHardy Rapids of the Yellowstone River. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

As June drew to a close, it dawned on me that I hadn’t yet paid a visit to the Harlequin Ducks that frequent Yellowstone National Park. Knowing the males would soon leave, I headed up in the hopes of catching them before they departed. Fortunately, I wasn’t too late. I spent plenty of time watching them and trying different shots, such as a slower shutter speed to blur the waves. However, this one of a male flying above the rapids wins out for showing off more of its color and the incredible detail in their wings and feathers.

August

A fiery sunrise lighting up clouds and Flat Creek as ducks swim through the calm waters. National Elk Refuge, Wyoming

While waiting to pick someone up for an early morning outing, I wandered over to the Flat Creek Overlook to catch sunrise, and unexpectedly saw the sky ignite. Reflected in the calm waters of Flat Creek, it made for an iconic landscape that I wasn’t even expecting. With a sporadic population of waterfowl decorating the water’s surface, it gave an extra sense of life to an already powerful scene.

September

A Common Merganser hunting through the waters of the Snake River for fish. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Pushing my bird photography farther, I was leading a photography workshop and we were both enjoying watching a Common Merganser chase fish in the Snake River. I got down low to follow it and managed to catch a series of shots of it diving in and out of the water. It was hard to choose a favorite, but I really like this one as the water hasn’t yet poured off of its face yet.

October

A large bull moose wandering the sagebrush flats of Antelope Flats. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

I always enjoy seeing the bull moose wandering out in Antelope Flats of Grand Teton National Park each fall. As I was guiding a trip through the area, Hoback, currently our largest bull, was walking parallel to the road. I pulled ahead in the hopes of getting some better shots, at which point he too changed direction. I was able to capture this shot before he turned and walked directly toward me, giving me unparalleled shots filling the frame.

November

A faint rainbow appearing over the Teton Mountains as winter weather moves in above during sunrise. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Heading out to catch an early morning snow hike, I passing through Antelope Flats when I noticed a faint rainbow of all things in the clouds above the Teton Mountains. While we certainly get rainbows after a rain storm, and we get sun dogs near the sun in frozen fog and frost, this was the first rainbow I had ever seen in the winter. It couldn’t be a sun dog since the sun was on the opposite horizon, and it couldn’t technically be a rainbow since it was too cold to rain. I’m still uncertain what caused it to appear, but either way, I wasn’t about to pass it up without capturing it.

December

A sun dog shining behind an evergreen tree covered in hoar frost on a hillside. National Elk Refuge, Wyoming

Continuing the rainbow trend, this was most definitely a sun dog. Driving out of the National Elk Refuge, I was eager to capture it and noticed a solitary tree on a frosted hillside dead ahead. I pulled forward to get it in frame and zoomed in on the sun dog to amplify the effects of the spectrum. The shot came out exactly as I was hoping and was my favorite from December.

Bonus Video

More recently, I’ve begun experimenting with the Canon R5’s video capabilities; more specifically, it’s ability to shoot 120fps in 4k. Below is one of the first things I shot, which is a Trumpeter Swan flapping its wings and shaking off.

One Comment

  1. Pingback:2024 in Review: Sharing Top Work From My Peers | Max Waugh

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