Yellowstone in Winter - Trip Report Group 1

January 27, 2025

On our first day in the park, we immediately saw a Northern Pigmy owl, it was up on top of a tree, and it was not very close. It was the cutest owl I ever saw. These owls are the size of your fist, and I have heard that they eat prey that is 3x their size. The temperature was -27 degrees Fahrenheit that day and it felt cold but not terribly cold as the winds were not howling.

During the week with my first group, we endured biting cold temperatures as low as -38 degrees. It also snowed one day, and we were all very happy about that but one day the wind blew mercilessly, and we froze our ***** off!

These Bison were captured in -38 degree weather.

Our sightings included over nine moose, some still with paddles. A herd of Bighorn sheep, and a herd of Pronghorn. Elk and large herds of Bison, a few Red fox and some Coyote. And of course a few trees.

I loved his hairdo as he searched for food

We also came across a wolf sighting and it was the Moliie pack, several of the locals were there including Rick McIntyre. For those that don’t know who Rick is, Jane Goodall referred to him as the ultimate guru of wolf behavior. He has authored several books on the Yellowstone wolves.

Rick was friendly and very generous with his knowledge. He pointed out one of the black Mollie wolves that had just rejoined the rest of the pack, near Lamar Valley. I was thrilled to get a shot of the wolf even though it was far away.

We stopped a few times for some landscape and even made time to photograph a few Magpies along the way. A special thank you to our attendees for being such nice people and hearty photographers.

Overall, our Yellowstone adventure was very rewarding and fun. I hope my images reflect the spirit of the park and the brutal conditions that the animals must endure to survive the winter. Plans are in the way for a return photo adventure next year.

PS- a special thanks to our seasoned driver Michael Zajac, who managed the icy roads with confidence. Stay tuned for part two!

My Year in Review ~ 2024

December 19, 2024

My Year in Review ~ 2024

I can’t believe another page has turned in my calendar. The older I get the quicker time seems to fly by. So, I better get moving!! There are loads of places I still want to visit and revisit but for now lets take a step back and look at my last year’s adventures.

My year started off in Utah with a small group of clients that I consider good friends at this point. We were on an exploratory mission to see and photograph some of the BLM areas and parks that Utah is so famous for. I enjoyed my time there as I always do. My good friend Michael Zajac drove so that I could concentrate on my photography and not the logistics. Plus, he loves off-roading and renting a 4x4 Jeep appeals to him, he also loves Utah and the many BLM areas.

Next, I headed to Yellowstone in January, and it was cold! Michael drove again, as the roads can be quite tricky with snow and ice, plus he absolutely loves Yellowstone and jumped at the chance to return. Here we spent a week exploring Lamar Valley in the winter with lots of snow. I love photographing in the snow or with a snow backdrop. My favorite from that trip below.

After Yellowstone, I went to Japan for my yearly photo tour. It was sensational as always. Paul McKenzie and I love that trip, and it remains a staple for us. On this particular visit we saw a White-naped crane which was pretty unusual to see. Our guide said he hasn’t seen one in Hokkaido in 20 years. Below are some of my faves from that trip.

In April, I bought a house in the Carolinas. I still haven’t moved in but have been busy fixing I up and getting ready to live there part time. Originally, I was going to move down there full time but after thinking about how much I would miss in my grandkids lives, I decided to just live there part time.

In May, I released my latest e-Book “Photoshop Enhancements for Flowers.” It has been selling very well and almost outsold last year’s e-book release “Connecting with Nature.”

In June, Donna Bourdon and I went to Grimsey Island, off the coast of Iceland for an exploratory visit. We met up with good friend Michael Milicia who was kind enough to show us around. We both ended up loving the freedom and the photography That Grimsey has to offer. We sold out our 2025 trip, but I think we may have one or two spots left for 2026. With the midnight sun, we were able to create all kinds of backlit puffin shots. A few of my favorites from that trip are below.

In July, Paul McKenzie and I took a group to Bird Island in the Seychelles. I was never before but Paul had been many times. For me, the draw was the White (fairy) terns. They are absolutely adorable and fun to photograph. I love the blue bill and all-white feathers. I loved them so much that I barely photographed anything else! Paul will be taking a group next July if anyone is interested. It is literally like being dropped off on a remote island similar to Gilligan’s Island, except there is a small store and they do cook you dinner each night! If you go, get the coconut ice cream for dessert. Images from that trip below.

In September, Paul and I went back to the Mara with a wonderful group. Donna had just left with her group. Both groups did tremendous with leopards on this trip as Luluka had her male cub out almost each day. We also saw a chase between young cheetah cubs and a Serval cat. The serval held its ground, and the cheetah cubs eventually backed down. Predators don’t usually eat other predators, but they will kill them if possible. Another great sighting included a massive crossing with over $10,000 wildebeest. There were too many sightings to list, but it was one of our best trips ever.

In October, Mike and I went to the Dolomites. We had originally booked the trip with 5 clients but due to last-minute cancellations due to family or injuries we ended up with only one client. We decided that because we both like the trip so much we would go. It was so fun, and we captured some great photos. After saying goodbye to Su, we hiked a few strenuous hikes and enjoyed some new sights. The Dolomites are the kind of place that you can return to year after year. Maybe because I am half Italian, I enjoy the culture and the food!

In November I announced that the United States Postal Service will be releasing my second set of stamps as a Dahlia Forever collection for 2025. Plans are underway with Swan Island Dahlia Farm to do a project together in late August. I’ll be announcing that as we get a bit closer and ore details are known.

I did my first ever Recharging Your Creativity workshop in Charleston and it was terrific. I enjoyed the group, the weather, the photo subjects and the look and feel of Charleston. There is something special about the southern hospitality. I have a couple of spots available on my March Charleston trip. And another Recharging Your Creativity workshop will be announced soon.

To finish off the year Donna Bourdon and I just returned home form Bosque del Apache NM. I can’t tell you how many people have written to me asking if Bosque was worth a visit. YES, there are always possibilities for shots at Bosque. Is it the same as it used to be-NO, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still good. We had a blast!

My cousin Rhon Applegate shared some family news, the Historical Society of Princeton NJ shared a post about my grandmother’s flower shop in Princeton. It was nice to read about her and know that her determination and success was noticed and recognized, especially since in 1938 women had to fight for a seat at the table. So proud!

These last few weeks I have been putting together a presentation for the Garden Club of America. I will be giving that presentation as soon as I return home form Yellowstone. Wish me luck!

I’d like to take a moment and thank all of my loyal blog followers, workshop attendees, clients, friends and e-book purchasers and sponsors. Without your support, none of this could be possible-thank you so much. Have a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, family and good health.

This will serve as my last posting until after Christmas…love to you all!

Morocco Photo Tour ~ November 11-24, 2026 Announced!

December 17, 2024

I am pleased to announce this newly designed 2 week tour to Morocco. Before the pandemic I had 2 sold out tours, then with everything going south, I had to cancel them but guess what-Morocco is back on the board !! This is an all-inclusive tour.

Join award winning photographer Denise Ippolito along with two professional award winning guides/photographers as we explore Morocco. This will be my first trip to Morocco but my guides have been going there for years and have each led several tours there. Photography includes many hot spots like the Sahara Desert, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Kasbah, etc…

DATES: November 11-24, 2026

PRICE: $6999.00 per person based on double occupancy, single supplement available for an additional $1400.00

Included

• Accommodation in 4- or 5-stars hotels

• Domestic flight within the tour

• Ground transportation in spacious bus

• Airport pick-up and return arrangement

• Two English-speaking, award-winning professional photo guides

• Luxurious meals, include breakfast, lunch and dinner

• All entrance tickets, model fees

Not included

• International flight, visa, travel insurance

• Snacks, alcohol and beverages

• Tips for guides and drivers-approx. $200.00 per participant

*All images supplied to me by my guides.

A valid passport is the only accepted form of ID for entry into Morocco. Visas are not required by the following: British, European Union (EU), Australian, Canadian, USA and Japanese nationals for stays of up to three months. For all other passport nationals, please check with the Moroccan Embassy.
A detailed file will be sent to all participants with gear and packing tips once we get the entire group together.
This itinerary is subject to change.

TO SEE MORE ABOUT THIS TOUR OR TO SIGN UP - CLICK HERE

I’ve been working on a new location for the misty fiery shot look. I came up with this but will perfect it next year. Below are two more locations that I want to have another chance at next year. I really love backlighting and I was inspired this year to make the most of the color we had. CLICK ONTH EIMAGES BELOW TO SEE THE LARGER, SHARPER VERSION.

Bosque del Apache, NM Trip Report

December 10, 2024

It doesn’t seem possible that I was blessed with another great workshop in Bosque but it truly was a great time. I had Donna Bourdon as a co- leader and she did a terrific job helping everyone with tack sharp flight photography and in-camera blurs.

We had a very nice group of talented photographers. Some old and some new to us but everyone got along and had a good time capturing some memorable images.

Bosque and birds, what could be better— thousands of geese flying in to give us a warm morning welcome to Bosque… well that happened just like old times!!

A very typical snow geese blast-off. As you can see there were quite a lot of geese.

We also had many chances with blackbird murmurations, Below are two other version of some of the blast-offs that we saw. The shot on the left represents my best shot from the foggy morning we had, at one point it was really dense fog. The image on the right below is a composite of one of our blast-off s together with some geese from the same morning. CLICK ONTH EIMAGES BELOW TO SEE THE LARGER, SHARPER VERSION.

Bosque had a ton of Snow Geese and most were found on the North loop or to the left of the flight deck in the morning. The Sandhill cranes preferred to feast on corn at a nearby field and kept their distance when found at Bosque. We split our time between two locations this year and that really paid off.

Most sunrise and sunsets were blah this year but we did have at least one or two good shoots with glorious color. I relied on backlighting to help create that warm “Bosque feel”.

We did have snow geese and cranes landing very close to us but we also fought some bad wind conditions— hey, that happens and you just look for those bank shots or action.

“The Kiss” featured above was my favorite of my deer images. I also really liked both images below. The group was there for the hoarfrost shot. CLICK ONTH EIMAGES BELOW TO SEE THE LARGER, SHARPER VERSION.

On our scouting shoots Donna and I ran into a buck with two of its ladies walking around a small pond. At one point the buck kissed one of the females before walking into the water and out of sight. The light was gorgeous and we were thrilled. We checked that spot often for our clients but we never did see them in that spot. We did however see them in the early morning walking through a field of hoar frosted brush… that was cool!

One of my favorite snow goose blurs from our last morning.

Snow Geese at first light, inspired by Andrea Piatt from our group. Hers is completely different and beautiful!

Lots of usual suspects like ducks, harriers, blackbirds, hawks, eagles, kestrels and kites. The Spotted Towhee (left) below was photographed in nice light against some willow.

CLICK ONTH EIMAGES BELOW TO SEE THE LARGER, SHARPER VERSION.

Sandhill Crane peeking out of the grasses, I converted it to B&W and left its red patch and eye in color.

We didn’t see any bobcats but we saw Javelina with young. Even a White egret! In a wildlife refuge, you just never know what you will spot.

Overall it was a very productive workshop and I enjoyed my time at Bosque! So is it worth a visit? Absolutely YES!

Plans are underway to conduct another workshop at Bosque and surrounding areas for next December 8-12, 2025 (5 full days with Denise Ippolito and/or Donna Bourdon). If you are interested in learning more or want to reserve your spot—-here is the link for the workshop.

Some of My Client's Favorite Images

December 2, 2024

I just finished up with my creative Charleston photography workshop. Some of my clients were willing to share one of their image’s from the trip. Not everyone wanted to share, or had time to share as they were off to other adventures. BUT… I think we can all agree that it was a great time filled with lots of techniques and fun! We all inspired each other and got along so nicely. I’m already looking forward to next years “Recharging Your Creativity” workshop in Charleston. The fall ended up being perfect weather! Stay tuned for details and date.

The above image is blurred creation of a wreath that hung on a door in downtown Charleston. To create the image, I shook my camera ever so slightly with a slow shutter speed, in Photoshop I did some door clean up and cropped it. I was attracted to the sage green in the wreath, it will match the rug in my kitchen so I will be making a small print to put in my kitchen.

From Patti:
Camera & settings: An Olympus OM 1 Mark II and an Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens, set at 57mm, f/11 & ISO 200.
Technique: A long (1 second), still shot of these flowers, blowing in the wind.
Other: These flowers were in a window box along with simple greenery. The scene allowed for clean, simple background.

Kris explains how she created this image:

Took the image with my telephoto and white sky background and a slow shutter speed to silken the water. Then in LightRoom, did minimal cropping, and processed looking first to brighten toward high-key, added a little vibrance and saturation, and finished with negative de-haze for the dreamy look. Took into Photoshop (which I’m having to relearn) and added a light impact texture at 40% and revealed the Charleston icon cumulatively at 33%.

Jack created an infrared image of this gate in Magnolia Gardens. To see more of his images from the trip visit his Facebook page -HERE

From Alyson:

I used a creative blur while photographing- ISO 125, f/11 and shooter at 1/10 sec. Post processing in Photoshop to enhance the clarity and texture where needed and the brush tool to fill in part of the sky. My website is www.alybetzphoto.com.

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