Seeing Wyoming: My Way

I’m not much of a landscape or nature photographer. I’ve tried it. I get a shot or two, but it’s not where I shine.

It’s not the image quality — it’s that I don’t get excited by the results. Nature can be stunning all on its own, and other than capturing that beauty, I often find myself wondering: What do I have to add?

Still, there we were, planning a one-week trip to Wyoming: Jackson Hole, then Grand Teton, and finally Yellowstone—epic locations for landscape photography.

My older son is heading to his summer engineering program this week, and then he'll be off to CU Boulder to start college. We wanted one more trip as a family—somewhere new and inspiring. A chance to create and capture new memories… and maybe even a few epic portraits. And yes, we absolutely did all that.

Example new family memory:

Me: “See, Dad was first in the water!”

Them:“Sure Dad — But you slipped and fell into the creek, I don’t know if that counts!”

Me: [sigh]

Anyway, while planning the trip, I knew I wanted to practice photography. I just didn’t know what I’d enjoy capturing.

The landscapes almost made themselves. Towering mountains. Bison right off the road. Beautiful! But I kept wondering: What about this image is Josh?

I’ve organized my 10,000+ photos into two main categories: Artwork and Friends, Family, & Memories. So, where do the roadside bison shots go? I’m amazed by the images, but they don’t feel different from what anyone else with a decent camera—or even a phone—might have captured in that same spot.

But I do know this: one day, they’ll bring me back to this time and place. So, they go in Memories, not Artwork.

Then, as I kept shooting, something shifted. I started to find a different side of Wyoming. Or maybe—I finally began to see Wyoming in a way that spoke to me.

Here are some of the images I found when I did.

I don’t usually use much AI or do a lot of retouching, but on this image, and the one below, I removed cars and wires. These fit nicely into the Accidentally Wes Anderson genre, so I felt ok messing with them.

I even found a new image for my Backside series

This image deserves to be so much more! To see neon hotel signs done right, check out Jefferson Grahm’s gallery, and to learn more about shooting neon, check out his PhotowalksTV videos, especially this one about New Mexico.

About 2/3 through the trip, my 16-year-old son opened up the park guide and said, “Dad, THIS is for you!” and sent me to a 1/4 mile history walk and talk. There, I discovered this amazing 140-year-old general store set against the Tetons.

It was really hard for me to narrow down all the shots of this building to just one! I got close but still could not decide on black & white or color (below). Which do you prefer?

One of the things I was looking forward to was exploring the history and architecture of Yellowstone’s incredible Old Faithful Inn. I went on a great walking tour of the hotel, and as we came out, the park rangers were pushing us all off the paved walkway. That’s when I looked up and there was a bison munching on a tree just a few feet from the hotel itself.

I’d love your thoughts on similar experiences or anything else this brings to mind.