Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point, an HDR
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (“Canyon”) is the second most widely photographed sight in Yellowstone, after, of course, Old Faithful Geyser. It is here that one can find the dramatic walls of the canyon carved out by the Yellowstone River, as well as the spectacular Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. Many say that if Yellowstone National Park only contained the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, then it would still be enough to grant the massive park National Park status. Luckily for the visitor and photographer, there are plenty of things to see.
The Canyon and its features can be viewed from numerous viewpoints from both its north and south rims. The Yellowstone Association publishes a Trail Guide entitled “Canyon Area Trail Guide” that describes in detail how the canyon was formed, its features, as well as its wildlife. More importantly for the visitor and photographer, it provides a detailed trail map, as well as information for both hiking and driving the Canyon, from both rims. It is available for a small donation at various ranger stations around the park, as well as around Canyon’s viewpoints and trails.
In this blog post, I describe my experiences with photographing the Canyon from one of the most popular viewpoints: Artist Point.
Artist Point
South Rim, GPS Coordinates: N 44° 43.263′, W 110° 28.762′
If the photographer must photograph the Canyon from only one location due to time or other constraints, this viewpoint located at the end of the South Rim Drive is it. It is here that one can get one of the most photographed views in Yellowstone. From the upper viewpoint, it is possible to view the Canyon in both directions. Every single book and publication describes the view from Artist Point, but there is no substitute for seeing and experiencing the view for yourself: absorb the color and texture of the canyon, the roar of Lower Falls nearly a mile away, and the thrill of the rushing river below you. The Yellowstone River thunders down 308 feet into the Canyon, making it one of the most impressive waterfalls in North America. This is all yours to photograph here.
TIP: On a sunny day, somewhere between 9:30-10:15 a.m. or so, a rainbow appears at the bottom of the Lower Falls. Artist Point is the perfect place to view this. This happens during the summer. I cannot speak about other times of the year. A polarizer is essential to photograph this sight properly. Be sure to turn your polarizer until the colors of the rainbow appear strong and vivid.
My first visit to Artist Point was on July 14, 2009, around 10 a.m. The morning was cloudy. I was looking for the rainbow to appear just below Lower Falls, but I couldn’t find it. The clouds were not providing enough sunlight to make the rainbow appear. Despite getting some good overall shots of the Canyon, I vowed to try again to photograph the rainbow the next day.
Waiting for the Rainbow at Artist Point
I had more success the next day, July 15, 2009. Leaving my West Yellowstone, MT hotel after a very quick breakfast at 8 a.m., I arrived at Artist Point in the Canyon Area around 9:30 a.m. It was a much better day to photograph the Canyon from Artist Point: the skies were blue, and the sun was shining brightly. I set up my tripod and waited. Just around 9:52 a.m., the first colors of the rainbow started to appear below Lower Falls. By 10:00 a.m., the rainbow was clearly visible, and the other photographers who also decided to come out on this beautiful day to look for the rainbow, were busy clicking their shutters.
The above three unprocessed RAW exposures show the appearance of the rainbow: the first photo was taken at 9:52 a.m., the second at 9:53 a.m., and the third at 9:58 a.m. The third image above was made into my final processed product, which appears below:
A rainbow appears below Lower Yellowstone Falls during the summer around 10.a.m. at Artist Point.
By around 10:05 a.m., the rainbow had disappeared, and I was off to photograph other areas of Yellowstone National Park. Was it worth coming back the second day to get a more interesting photo of the Lower Falls? Definitely.
As said before, numerous viewpoints exist from where one can view and photograph the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In subsequent blog posts, I plan to discuss some of these.
One last shot…
Lower Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point
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