Yellowstone National Park is rightly regarded as one of the greatest photographic locations on the planet. Yellowstone was to become the first National Park in the United States when it was formed in 1872. The park is the size of Wales and contains over 10,000 thermal features, over 80% of those found on earth. Roger Reynolds explains the attraction.

Visitors and photographers a like flock to the park to enjoy the fantastic geo thermal features but also the rich variety of flora and fauna that is found here. However of the hundreds of thousands who visit Yellowstone each year only a few have the opportunity to see it at its most spectacular during the winter months.
During the winter months from December through to April the park is cloaked in a deep layer of snow and with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 55º Celsius it is not a place for the casual traveller. However with the right preparation this is undoubtedly the time for photographers to visit. The mix of boiling hydrothermal features and sub zero temperatures brings a mix of extremes the like of nothing found anywhere else. With the rivers being constantly fed by the boiling water they never freeze over no matter how cold conditions get. The flowing rivers are the life-blood of the park and offer the wildlife a constants supply of the most important ingredient for survival, water.
 
During the summer and autumn months the vast majority of visitors visit the park in their own vehicles using the parking facilities provided. However in the winter the roads are heavily packed with snow and whilst these are groomed by the park services the only method of entry is by over snow vehicles. These consist of snowmobiles or snow coaches and you have to use one of these methods of transport to visit the park during winter. Snowmobiles can be hired in such locations as West Yellowstone at a cost of $150-$250 per day. However every person using a snowmobile in the park much be accompanied by a guide adding immensely to the cost. The other down side of the snowmobile is the fact that it is open to the elements and not only do you get cold but so does you photographic gear. You and your gear are also subjected to a good deal of vibration on the rutted surface and all equipment has to be packed securely in waterproof containers to prevent snow ingress. There are other downsides of the snowmobile and these include the arduous process of driving and the continual packing and unpacking of equipments every time you stop for a photograph. It is important to be properly dressed when on a snowmobile and all suppliers of these machines include clothing in the deal. However this is bulky and all riders must wear a crash helmet. So every time you stop for a photograph you have to partially strip off, unpack the gear and then do the reverse at the end of the shoot. Add this to the constant vibration and buffeting as you drive over the often heavily rutted snow pack and it soon becomes extremely exhausting. Also in the equation is the cold, which is at best energy sapping. However on a really cold day with a high degree of wind chill is can be most uncomfortable and mind numbing. It is not all bad though as it is quite a unique experience to drive a snowmobile, once you have adjusted the initial fear that it has a mind of its own and goes where it wants and stop trying to correct every movement of the steering. It may be obvious to you now that snowmobiles are not my idea of the best way to photograph Yellowstone in the winter, so I use the only other alternative, the snow coach.
 
The first thing to realise about snow coaches is that they are warm and dry and provide a safe haven from the harsh conditions.  However all in life is not that simple and snow coaches do have draw back. The most obvious is the cost as they are immensely expensive with fees up to $1,000 per day plus taxes. You will have to be a millionaire to have one to yourself. So you are left with two alternatives, firstly you can book day trips on a snow coach out of West Yellowstone at a cost of around $150 per day per person. These coaches run to such location as Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone. They do make stops en route at geyser basins and designated areas and do offer plenty of photographic opportunity. However it is pretty restricted because you stop where the coach operator stops and for as long as he decides. Of course you miss many of the great winter photographic locations in the park. One way to use this form of transport is to use it to transport you to Old Faithful and stay a couple of nights in the Snow Lodge. This give you access to the Upper Geyser Basin and the location has plenty of photographic opportunities. However you are restricted to that area and where you can walk. Whilst the paths around the basin are accessible with care if you venture beyond you will need skis or snow shoes to make any progress. This is clearly one of the best options for the independent photographer, but there is a better one. That is to use a specialist tour provider and join a small group of photographers. This allows you to charter a snow coach and have total control over where and when you visit in the park. The other advantage of this is of course the expert advice that is available from the tour operator. A snow coach can take up to eight photographers and guides in reasonable comfort thus dividing the heavy cost of the snow coach. Under the guidance of a specialist tour leader it is possible to pack in every accessible winter location in park, some known to many, but others that have been discovered by professional photographic guides. By taking such an option the photographer gets the best of all worlds, unrestricted access to all the best available locations, advice from experts and the company of like minded photographers. There is one thing above all that one gets on such a specialist trip and that is the recognition of a unique opportunity for photography. With an organised photographic trip you will get plenty of advice and planning, but you will also get to stop and photograph the great opportunities that are unexpected or impossible to plan for and these are what in many ways make the photography so exciting.
It is clear that I am advocating specialist photographic trips as the best way to see and photograph in Yellowstone in the winter. Having operated my own specialist photographic tour business for over ten years now and undertaken seven winter trips to Yellowstone you would perhaps expect me to take this view. However if as a photographer you want to benefit from years of experience and planning in such a specialist field then organised tours to such a specialist locations are hard to beat.
In the next part of this article I will deal in details with how to get the best from your photography in such a harsh climate.  {mosimage}
Part two