Magic in the Tetons, Part V

Golden sunrise in rain at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

Our last day together in the Grand Tetons did not disappoint. I will not apologize for the number of images I included in this post! We woke early so we could enjoy sunrise at Schwabacher Landing and even though the skies were stormy, we were not deterred! As we set up on the banks of the Snake River a storm did roll thru but we protected our gear and kept shooting.

I’m going to share several images from sunrise so you can appreciate how the light and color changed as the sun rose.

Before sunrise at Schwabacher Landing.

Before sunrise storm clouds at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

A five second exposure to smooth the water.

Before sunrise storm clouds at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

As the sun began to rise and the rain gently fell, the clouds and mountains glowed orange, pink and yellow. The first image is a two second exposure.

Golden sunrise in rain at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park
Golden sunrise in rain at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

The color was so glorious that I couldn’t stop taking pictures!! I especially like the defined raindrops in the river of this image.

Golden sunrise in rain at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

Once the rain stopped, the mountains were again reflected in the calm water. From the first image in this post to the below image was only 30 minutes! So much color and wonder in such a short time!

golden sunrise at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

A long exposure to capture the moving storm clouds.

long exposure of a stormy sunrise at Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park

As we drove to our next location the storm clouds rolled around the mountains and across the valley. We stopped at a roadside pull off to enjoy them. The mountains on one side,

Rain clouds at roadside pulloff in Grand Teton National Park

and the valley on the other.

Rain clouds at roadside pulloff in Grand Teton National Park

Next stop was String Lake. I’m not sure what this kayaker was thinking as he put in the water at String Lake. The lightning was fierce and the thunder rolled! We didn’t stay long but enjoyed the view for a few minutes.

Kayaker on String Lake Grand Teton National Park
Storm Clouds at String Lake Grand Teton National Park

Fueled with a late morning breakfast and more coffee at Signal Mountain Lodge, we continued our adventures. Next stop was the Mountain View Turnout where I compiled my first panorama! This trip was full of so many firsts 🙂 Lacey gave me tips on how to create the panorama in the camera so I’d know which was the first and which was the last image. I then stitched them together in Lightroom. This beauty is already hanging in my home.

Panorama of Grand Tetons

Jenny Lake was next and oh she is so pretty! The mountains around the water and the beautiful evergreens. It would have been great to get close to the water but I’d estimate it at 75 feet down a steep incline. I wasn’t up for that hike!

Jenny Lake framed by evergreens Grand Teton National Park

We finished our day with a stop back at Schwabacher Landing to photograph a patch of lupine before sunset.

Sunset was at Blacktail Ponds Overlook where I had high hopes of seeing a moose. I’d been on the lookout for one all week but they evaded me. Sadly I never saw a moose this trip but that’s ok, there’s always next time!

Starburst at Blacktail Ponds Overlook Grand Teton National Park
Sunset at Blacktail Ponds Overlook Grand Teton National Park

It’s almost impossible for me to express how much I loved this trip! It felt like Kristen was sharing her home with us. We explored so many different places in the park and always at the best time of day for the light. We enjoyed meals together, laughter, epic sunrises, thunderstorms, rainbows, the glorious night sky and so much more. I’m so grateful to Kristen and the other women I met at the Magic in the Tetons Ladies Photography Retreat.

Magic in the Tetons Ladies Photography Retreat group photo
group photo by Kristen Ryan

And because this was such an epic trip for me…..there will be one more blog post! Next week I’ll share a few images from my last sunrise before boarding the plane and then some fun behind the scenes iPhone images & videos!

If you missed the first four parts of this journey, you can view them here; Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.

Photograph what brings you Joy!

  1. […] And a video of that rainy sunrise that became spectacular! You can see that glorious sunrise in this blog post. […]

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