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Home → Tours and Travel → How to Photograph Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

How to Photograph Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

By Dvir Barkay 49 Comments
Last Updated On February 19, 2019

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Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Fishing Bay Bridge
  • Mammoth Hot Springs and Northwestern Yellowstone
  • Old Faithful to Madison
  • Washburn Range
  • The East
  • Lamar Valley
  • Reader Comments
Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options
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49 Comments
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nope
nope
May 16, 2018 6:06 am

Wow! This is a fantastic article. Thank you so much for sharing.

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Mike Trent
Mike Trent
May 16, 2018 5:58 am

Really enjoyed the article as i hope to be in that are within the next year or two. My question is regarding settings. Are you using single point focus or multi? evaluative metering or single point? Lock the exposure or allow it to change with the scene? or are you using manual settings?

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Ian W
Ian W
April 9, 2018 9:00 am

A fantastic review – Many thanks for the valuable information and stunning pictures. We will be visiting YNP for 6 days (Mammoth and Old Faithful) at the back-end of August through early September, also spending a few days in Grand Teton NP.
As we are visiting from the UK, this has been one of our ‘must do’ vacations for a long while. If anyone also has any useful tips for Grand Teton in early September, we would be most grateful.

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Talha
Talha
April 3, 2018 10:21 am

This. Is. Photography.
Crazy good.
I can see all the decisions that led to each image and I feel like you nailed every one of them.
The Old Faithful section was my favorite.
Thank you for sharing here.

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Joshua Boldt
Joshua Boldt
April 3, 2018 10:17 am

Did anyone else just scroll through and look at the pictures and forget to read the article like me? :)

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Talha
Talha
Reply to  Joshua Boldt
April 3, 2018 5:25 pm

What article?

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Sean T
Sean T
April 3, 2018 9:40 am

It’s a neat article thank you. However, it’d be nice to see an update log so I can figure out what’s changed and what’s stayed the same since this was originally published.

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Dvir Barkay
Dvir Barkay
Author
Reply to  Sean T
April 3, 2018 9:42 am

Three new wildlife hotspots, namely Old Faithful, Mt. Washburn and The Eastern Entrance have been added today.

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Ziggy Zulkowski
Ziggy Zulkowski
April 3, 2018 8:40 am

Excellent article and information. I need to save the link when we visit on my retirement. Thanks for sharing.

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Dvir Barkay
Dvir Barkay
Author
Reply to  Ziggy Zulkowski
April 3, 2018 9:44 am

Glad you found the article helpful!

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Devendra Chikara
Devendra Chikara
April 3, 2018 12:12 am

Hi, A very informative article well supported by astonishing pics. I visited the park May last year and had the opportunity to sight grizzly, bisons, bighorn goat and coyotes but hardly any birds. I only wish I had access to a write up similar to yours before that visit. Wish I am able to have another visit.

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Mark W
Mark W
Reply to  Devendra Chikara
April 3, 2018 8:09 am

Birds are found all over the Park and vary by season, but in general one does have to work a bit to see and photograph some of the rich bird life that is observable within YNP. Most species are tied to specific ecosystems and therefore specific parts of the Park, and also certain months as well, relative to their lifecycle/migration, etc. The larger mammals are easy to see and photograph – the smaller mammals require more effort and the same is true for the birds – has been my experience.

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Dvir Barkay
Dvir Barkay
Author
Reply to  Devendra Chikara
April 3, 2018 9:52 am

Hey Devandra. Mark is very accurate when he states that the birdlife in the park takes more patience and knowledge to photograph than some of the larger mammals. Often times specific birds are tied to particular ecosystems and seasons. Owls are a good example of very shy birds whose excellent camouflage, exceeding quietness and large territories means that a lot of luck is needed to find them.

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Turtle Cat
Turtle Cat
January 29, 2018 1:25 pm

Yellowstone has been on my list for a long time. It’s just hard to find the time in my situation. But I’m hoping to go in the next year or two. You’ve confirmed for me, though, that an early May timeframe may be the best timeframe for me. A bit more moderate temperature, pre-tourism, still a good mix of the bigger animals. And I’m sure plenty of wildflowers, etc. as well.

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Mark W
Mark W
Reply to  Turtle Cat
April 3, 2018 8:01 am

IMHO, May is the most magical time for witnessing and photographing wildlife in YNP. Over the years, I tend to spend the most time, of any month, during May. Each week is almost a new week in terms of what is visible. Each year is a bit different, depending on the weather. Flowers are way cool, but it depends on the part of the Park as to when they show up, as the Park is so large that some parts are having Spring while other parts are still buried in snow and ice. It is a gem that rewards those that can give it lots of time, all through the year – but if one gets only one trip, then May is the month, with more viewable, generally speaking, from the middle to later part of the month.

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Marg Huxley
Marg Huxley
January 28, 2018 1:40 pm

Thank you for your beautifully detailed article and magnificent photos Dvir. As an Australian I feel very privileged to have visited YNP twice, both times in Fall. It was on my first visit here that I became interested in photographing photographers. In the clearing up from the fishing bridge a bear had hunted a deer a few days earlier. In the late afternoon every photographer within a 100 mike radius seemed to gravitate to this one spot in the hope of capturing scavengers or a returning bear to photograph. I too was there but what intrigued me was the species …. photographer. So since 2010 wherever my travels have taken me I’ve been on the alert for interesting and unusual antics of photographers. My collection is quite large now and one day I will make myself quite the unique little coffee table book. All thanks to the very spectacular Yellowstone National Park.

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Turtle Cat
Turtle Cat
Reply to  Marg Huxley
January 29, 2018 1:27 pm

The antics of photographers is right! I should start photographing the people who run, literally, from their cars to the nearest bear in my area. It’s comical and yet sad.

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