Month: August 2021

This interfaith wedding ceremony of Brian and Alicia took place on July 16th, 2021. The bride is Methodist, the groom is Jewish, and the church is Presbyterian. All of this combined for a beautiful wedding of mixed religious traditions. As can be seen in the image, the ceremony is taking place under a chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy that symbolizes the figurative new home that will be built between the husband and wife. Beyond this can be seen the Methodist Minister on the left and the father of the groom on the right, who alternate between blessings and prayers in each of the faiths. In front of them, the bride is being given away by her father while nearby the groom is wearing a kippah, also known as a yarmulke, as is all of his groomsmen on the right side. On the left stand the mothers of both the bride and groom, and in front of them are the bridesmaids in royal blue dresses. The Wild Images Team Coordinator, Christina Orban, can be seen as the third one from the left. Meanwhile, The Wild Images Team Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, is behind the lens as usual. While we were not responsible for the wedding shots that day, they had hired a professional wedding photographer, we had to capture our own series of photos from the back balcony. We were responsible for the video cameras that can be seen in two strategic locations: one in the back corner on a tripod to the right of the stained glass window, and the other in the bottom right of the above image, covering over part of a door, a column, and the grand piano. Above the grand piano, half-hidden, is the organist on the left and behind him is the cellist, in the left corner under the American Flag to the left of the stained glass window. Literally minutes before the wedding ceremony began, a severe thunderstorm passed through the area, pouring with rain, flashing with lightning, and booming with thunder. This photo was captured at just after 5 PM on a day only a few weeks after the summer solstice. It should be bright and sunny through the stained glass window. Instead, the heavy clouds of the thunderstorm turned it into looking almost as dark as night, as can be seen in the photo. This enhanced the contrast of dark and light such that the lit chandeliers really stood out at the top of the chapel, so we made sure to include them in this picture. Also standing out are the candles burning at the base of the stained glass window. The two burning in glass holders had just been lit by the mothers of the bride and the groom, using the smaller bare candles. The unlit central candle, thicker than the others, is waiting to be lit simultaneously by the couple after the recital of their vows. In this image, we also love the long train worn by the bride, Alicia, which flows over the steps and is reflected in the polished floor. After the ceremony, we captured a series of photos of our Coordinator, Christina, in her bridesmaids dress and holding her bridesmaid bouquet. The wedding ceremony took place at the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, in Fox Chapel, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The wedding reception was held at the Longue Vue Club, a National Historical Landmark in nearby Sandy Creek, across the Allegheny River. Set on top a large ridge overlooking the river, and further ridges opposite the river, it is great setting for sunset pictures. All of this made for a memorable day! The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout Pennsylvania, including the postgame fireworks over the Andy Warhol Bridge, the colorful bursts of Independence Day fireworks over the Ohio River, the view as delicate flowers bloom in the Laurel Highlands, and the very early lantana at the University Park Flower Gardens, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Pennsylvania have documented the Halloween moment when hundreds of witches converged on Mellon Park and then later performed a choreographed dance routine, when The Wild Images Team attended an interfaith wedding ceremony during which our Coordinator Christina Orban was a bridesmaid, a look inside of the ornate St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, the side yard greenhouse vividly reflecting light displays, the scene dominated by vibrant strands of holiday lights on a tree, the many hues of a very festive holiday house along McColly Street, the colorful view of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Fall Foliage Train, the burst trails of fireworks over the Allegheny River, the red, white, and blue trail fireworks over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the palette of colors with fireworks bursting over the Ohio River, the hundreds of American flags flying over Blairsville Cemetery, the fall leaves surrounding the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania System World War I Monument, the many colors of a flower soaking up sunshine, and the dichotomy created by a floral battle of yellow versus red. During our trips to New York on the other side of the state we have captured many photos such as in the Corning Museum of Glass antique cruets and dishware overlap, then in New York City itself the sudden snow squall over the Garment District, the scene of the Sherry-Netherland towering over a sculpture, and the opposite directed festive view of West 58th Street, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our New York blog posts document the Corning Museum of Glass plate of colorful giant glass fruit, the intricate stained glass vines and bubbles over a figure, and the suspended glass knives in front of a red stack tower, then in New York City itself the Empire State Building shining like a beacon, the perpetual hustle and bustle of Times Square, the impressive bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture, the memorial bronze statue of legendary Balto and its accompanying dedicated to the indomitable spirit plaque, the animated bronze animals and the Delacorte Clock, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina with Spongebob SquarePants, the festive view of a large toy train in Rockefeller Center Station, the late night giant holiday lights on the sidewalks, and the piles of giant holiday ornaments in Liholts Pooley Pool.

To see more photos, please visit our store

On the morning of July 14th, 2021, The Wild Images Team left from Middleton, Wisconsin with the intention of reaching Latrobe, Pennsylvania that same day, a drive of at least 12 hours. We know that the thought of even a 6 hour drive would make most people cringe, let alone twice that amount of time and distance. But for us, a 12 hour drive is not only something we are used to, but something that we look forward to. This is still well short of our record driving time in one day which is closer to 18 hours, not very ideal but something that we had to do out of necessity to reach somewhere that we were booked at. Actually, our Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, one time drove with two friends nonstop across the country by rotating drivers starting from State College, Pennsylvania, and arriving in San Francisco, California two days and nights later. To us, driving is part of the life of being an adventure and travel photography team. We do prefer to keep it more like 8 hours a day max whenever we have the choice, so that there is adequate time to spend outside of the vehicle as well. But when faced with the task of driving 12 hours straight through from Middleton to Latrobe in one day, we still become excited. We love enjoying the sights along the way, and catching a glimpse of what life is like throughout our travel path. According to the GPS, the quickest route from Middleton, Wisconsin to Latrobe, Pennsylvania is to head straight through Chicago and its multitude of toll roads, then across the northern tier of Indiana along its turnpike that costs a small fortune in tolls, then across the northern tier of Ohio along its turnpike that costs an even larger fortune in tolls, then a brief stint across the southern tier of Pennsylvania on its turnpike. All combined together, it comes out to about $100 each way just in tolls. Or alternatively, it is possible to travel straight down the middle of Illinois on Interstate 39 until reaching Bloomington, then taking Interstate 74 eastward over the state line and onward until reaching Indianapolis, where it meets Interstate 70 which continues all the way into Pennsylvania, at which point state route 119 followed by state route 30 will finish out the option that is toll free. So we chose this as our route. At the moment of leaving at 11 AM, our arrival time in Latrobe was 12 PM, 12 hours later plus an additional hour due to the loss of crossing over a time zone traveling eastward. No worries, not too late, so we can have adequate sleep before the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the next afternoon. However, just 2 hours into the trip somewhere west of Mahomet, Illinois, and while driving at the 70 MPH highway speeds, our driver’s side front tire blew out its entire sidewall. Trying to maintain control, we let off the gas and downshifted. Seconds later we were riding on our bare rim. This is the first time and hopefully the last time we have to do that! Riding on the metallic rim equals almost zero steering control. Anyway, we did pull over safely, but we were delayed quite a bit while we changed the tire in the heat and humidity. Then later we arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana to find Interstate 70 completely closed through the city due to construction, forcing a detour and adding to the delay. Then we arrived in Columbus, Ohio to again find Interstate 70 completely closed through the city due to construction, forcing yet another detour and another delay. We finally reached our destination in Latrobe at almost 4 AM, for a total driving time of 16 hours. After minimal sleep, we did attend a great rehearsal and dinner the next day, followed by a beautiful wedding the day after that. The Wild Images Team Coordinator, Christina Orban, was a bridesmaid in the wedding and The Wild Images Team Photographer, Jeremy Robinson, captured this great shot of her in the chapel lobby after the ceremony. Even with her hair up, the gorgeous golden orange hues really stand out. Apparently royal blue is her color, as she was complimented many times for how it looked with her hair. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout Pennsylvania, including the postgame fireworks over the Andy Warhol Bridge, the colorful bursts of Independence Day fireworks over the Ohio River, the view as delicate flowers bloom in the Laurel Highlands, and the very early lantana at the University Park Flower Gardens, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Pennsylvania have documented the Halloween moment when hundreds of witches converged on Mellon Park and then later performed a choreographed dance routine, when The Wild Images Team attended an interfaith wedding ceremony during which our Coordinator Christina Orban was a bridesmaid, a look inside of the ornate St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica, the side yard greenhouse vividly reflecting light displays, the scene dominated by vibrant strands of holiday lights on a tree, the many hues of a very festive holiday house along McColly Street, the colorful view of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Fall Foliage Train, the burst trails of fireworks over the Allegheny River, the red, white, and blue trail fireworks over the Roberto Clemente Bridge, the palette of colors with fireworks bursting over the Ohio River, the hundreds of American flags flying over Blairsville Cemetery, the fall leaves surrounding the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania System World War I Monument, the many colors of a flower soaking up sunshine, and the dichotomy created by a floral battle of yellow versus red. During our trips to New York on the other side of the state we have captured many photos such as in the Corning Museum of Glass antique cruets and dishware overlap, then in New York City itself the sudden snow squall over the Garment District, the scene of the Sherry-Netherland towering over a sculpture, and the opposite directed festive view of West 58th Street, each of which is available for sale in our store. Our New York blog posts document the Corning Museum of Glass plate of colorful giant glass fruit, the intricate stained glass vines and bubbles over a figure, and the suspended glass knives in front of a red stack tower, then in New York City itself the Empire State Building shining like a beacon, the perpetual hustle and bustle of Times Square, the impressive bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture, the memorial bronze statue of legendary Balto and its accompanying dedicated to the indomitable spirit plaque, the animated bronze animals and the Delacorte Clock, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina with Spongebob SquarePants, the festive view of a large toy train in Rockefeller Center Station, the late night giant holiday lights on the sidewalks, and the piles of giant holiday ornaments in Liholts Pooley Pool.

To see more photos, please visit our store

Oregon is one of the most geographically diverse states in the US. While it is often thought of as being cloudy, rainy, and plush with green pine forests typical of the northwestern United States, in reality nearly half of the state is covered by high desert and semi-arid shrubland. The American Cordillera is a long chain of high peaks created by the Ring of Fire that run along the eastern portion of California as the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, and up into both Oregon and Washington where they are found more in the western portion of each of these states as the Cascade Mountain Range, nearer to the coastline. Storms from the Pacific Ocean hammer these peaks with an enormous amount of precipitation throughout the year. However, the high peaks capture and hold the storms mainly on their western flanks, creating a very dry rain shadow to their east. Due to this effect, the eastern half of Oregon is mainly arid desert land, especially in the southeast portion of the state which continues on through the entire state of Nevada, part of California, part of Idaho, and part of Utah as the Great Basin Desert. Back in Oregon, right on the boundary between green forests and dry desert scrub lies the town of Bend, often considered as the gateway to the outdoor sports. The Wild Images Team has spent several days in Bend, and as always it did not take us long to start exploring the surrounding landscape. One region that caught our attention was the Lava Cast Forest, which is found in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, in a remote region about 20 miles south of Bend. In order to access the Lava Cast Forest, it is necessary to leave the pavement and negotiate through a network of dirt roads for about 10 miles. Much of this isolated area is along the edges of the Ring of Fire, and has seen extensive volcanic activity in the past. Lava flows are found everywhere here, breaking the landscape up into a jumble of large boulders of jagged black rock. Already a very distinct geography, but the Lava Cast Forest is a unique place even among the lava flows. At different times around 6000 years ago and older, the same volcanic activity that created the towering peaks in the area also pushed massive amounts of lava across the landscape, following the contours of the landscape and guided only by the surrounding ridges that were impervious even to molten lava. But in the region that is now the Lava Cast Forest, large trees also stood against the onslaught from the hot lava, and many became buried under several feet of molten rock that eventually cooled and hardened. As the wood of the trees was either burned or decayed away, it left giant openings in the lava, called lava casts, scattered all over the area. Some of these openings are vertical and can exceed 8 feet deep where the trees still stood upright. In other areas, trees were toppled over and completely buried in a horizontal cast, some of which are up to 30 feet in length. That is the type of cast found in the above photo captured by The Wild Images Team. One opening of the cast can be seen at center bottom of the image. Another opening can also be seen at left of center, though the cast itself continues on to the far left of the picture. To complete the composition, we intentionally included distant snow capped volcanic peaks at top center, visible below the clouds and blue sky behind the top center pine tree. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Oregon and neighboring Washington such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other photos in nearby California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps.

To see more photos, please visit our store

This is a scene that The Wild Images Team encountered many times, and so it was only natural that eventually we would bring our camera equipment over and attempt to capture it. But several elements had to come together for us to be here in the first place. It all started with Savannah being one of our high priority target towns to visit. We had researched it thoroughly, and it looked to be a great photographic location. So we planned a trip that took us through Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by Durham and the Outer Banks in North Carolina, then onward to the Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, followed by the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. After this, we continued westward across the deep southeast, eventually reaching New Orleans for a long stay, before turning northward up to Pittsburgh for Independence Day. Then it was over to a stay in downtown Chicago before heading out to Badlands National Park and another very long stay in Yellowstone National Park leading up into Fall. While we have been to most of these locations multiple times, this particular trip does stand as the only time so far that we stayed in either Charleston or Savannah. And so we were determined to make the most of it. Not that it takes much to keep The Wild Images Team motivated during a photography trip. But we had the extra excitement of new, unexplored locations that we just had to go and discover. And when we stay in a town or a city, it is mandatory that we completely immerse ourselves into its culture. This involves very long days of walking around the streets, especially those that are off the beaten path and away from the more touristy areas. Not that tourist areas are bad, we visit there too, but we have noticed that around those locations the shops and restaurants tend to be more mainstream to appeal to the tastes of a larger variety of individuals that may be unsure about and unfamiliar with local fare. So we like to make sure to find our way into regions more dominated by the locals, and often find ourselves asking residents about their favorite locations, shops, and restaurants. We have found many hidden gems this way, and hope to find more in the future. For our visit to the Historic District of Savannah, we stayed in the Historic District Hampton Inn, which is located on top of the Yamacraw Bluff, overlooking the Savannah River. As Diamond Club Members to the Hilton Hotel Chain, which includes Hilton Hotels and Hampton Inns among many others, we are hooked up wherever we stay, including reduced room rates, access to the Diamond Club locations, access to rooms kept available in completely booked hotels, and complete choice of room location. So here in Savannah, we were given a suite on the top floor, facing the Savannah River, next to the rooftop pool. As we have mentioned before, when we visit a town or a city, we park our vehicle and we walk everywhere that we want to visit. When we say that we walk everywhere, this includes within the hotel. That is, we are those people, the ones who take the stairs even if the room is on the forty fifth floor. Now, buildings in Savannah are nowhere near that tall, five or six floors max, but that does not change what we do. So this stairwell in the image above was seen by us multiple times a day as we left in the morning and entered later. The red rails contrast sharply with the gray steps and yellow walls, and spiral downward in colorful geometric patterns. The Wild Images Team has captured many other images in the Historic District of Savannah such as the haunting photo of houses of Calhoun Square through Spanish moss, this view of an ornate house from Lafayette Square, and the mystical aura surrounding the Forsyth Fountain in Forsyth Park, each of which are available for sale in our store. Savannah blog posts have documented as a boat is dwarfed by the massive Hapag-Lloyd Budapest Express, an evening view of the Savannah River terminals and the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, the amazing story of the Florence Martus Waving Girl Statue, the very detailed National Maritime Day Monument and a photo of its associated Propeller Club Dedication plaque, the perfectly framed view of the William Jasper Monument, the very functional historic armillary sphere of Troup Square, a lucky shot of a ghostly woman in a green dress standing in the doorway, an image of the geometric spiral patterns that fill a stairwell, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome catching some rays and then doing the backstroke in the rooftop pool. In the nearby Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina, the Wild Images Team has captured many other images including the colorful walkway with lights through humidity, a photo of the ornate house through trees branches, and in the bay where the Schooner named Pride sailed through, each of which are available for sale in our store. Charleston blog posts have documented when The Wild Images Team sought refuge from a historic downpour, which subsequently flooded the Charleston streets, that led to the stranding of our Coordinator Christina, photographed on a humid night as Christina poses in the steamy view, and then on a drier day as Christina rides the ferry to Fort Sumter, which formed these reflective wake trails towards the fort, the Battery District where ornamental balustrades line the street along East Battery, a late night view through the back gate of a house in the Battery District, and then an image of decorative folk art in a courtyard. In the somewhat nearby North Carolina, The Wild Images Team has captured photos such as the Cape Lookout Island scenic backdoor view of the lightkeepers house which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from North Carolina include the standard vegetation as Cape Lookout Lighthouse is framed by pine trees. In the somewhat nearby Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, The Wild Images Team has captured images including the wispy clouds over ornate Front Gates of the Governor’s Palace and a night time view of Josiah Chowning’s Tavern with waitstaff, each of which are available for sale in our store. Colonial Williamsburg blog posts have documented where dianthus barbatus also known as Sweet William grows in the Governor’s Palace Gardens, the day our Travel Gnome jumped the Governor’s Palace wall, was quickly taken into custody by a guard, and sentenced to serve time in the stockade, to which The Wild Images Team was also sentenced thanks to our Travel Gnome, and during a freer time the moment that a couple is married in a jumping the broom ceremony.

To see more photos, please visit our store

Riverside Geyser is located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The Upper Geyser Basin has the distinction of being the largest concentration of geysers in the world. Many of those are located on Geyser Hill, while others are found further down the Firehole River. Riverside Geyser is one of these, it is quite a distance down the Firehole River where the trees close inward from both sides near the edge of the Upper Geyser Basin before the landscape becomes rugged and drops down to Biscuit Basin. Furthermore, Riverside Geyser is the largest geyser that erupts directly over the Firehole River, so no runoff channels exist in its vicinity. Instead, it sits as a solitary siliceous sinter formation towering several feet above the level of the river, with a gorgeous backdrop comprised of a grassy hillside topped with trees. In later summer, the grasses dry out to become deep shades of orange and yellow, while the background pines continue to add a dark green. All of this surrounds the reddish orange geyserite rock along the river. Add a blue sky with white clouds coupled with the black color of the Firehole River here, and the picturesque view is almost maximized with color. But yet more can be added. The sinter complex of Riverside Geyser is composed of two vents: an upper vent and a lower vent. It is the lower vent that will slowly fill up with water after a previous eruption. Somewhere around 90 minutes before the next eruption, the water in the lower vent will have filled up enough to cause overflow to initiate. Since the overflow is carried over the rim and rolls down the sides of the sinter complex, they are constantly receiving warm water and therefore are conducive to the growth of the colorful thermophile bacteria. This creates the colorful bands streaked down the front of the complex. And then there are the rainbows. No geyser in the world is more efficient at creating rainbows than Riverside Geyser. This is due to the way the geyser erupts. It is a fairly frequent erupting gesyer and very predictable. Almost on the dot every 6 hours and 10 minutes another eruption will occur. However, it has what is known as a bimodal interval as sometimes it will instead erupt after only 5 hours and 10 minutes. This shortened interval is infrequent though, occurs less than ten percent of the time, and never in succession. The eruption window is only about 20 minutes in length, so anywhere between ten minutes before and ten minutes after is when it will erupt, with a predictability on par with Daisy Geyser and Old Faithful Geyser. It begins with water rising out of the pool from the lower vent up to heights of about 80 feet, angled out and over the Firehole River. The Upper Vent mainly creates a steam column, but will periodically throw out a giant glob of water into the river. The curtain of fine mist dropping down from the eruption together with the background steam column creates one or more rainbows pretty much any time of the day depending on observation point. In the morning, it is best viewed from the south or more up the Firehole River, and in the afternoon and evening it is best viewed from the west or directly across the Firehole River. And that is where The Wild Images Team positioned themselves this evening to capture the photo above. Close inspection will reveal that is has a second rainbow directly above the first and just below the tops of the trees. However, if a north wind is blowing, sometimes in the evening it may be best to once again view it from the south up the Firehole River such as in this breathtaking image for sale in our store. Close inspection of that image will also reveal a second rainbow, also emanating from the river but right next to the Riverside Geyser sinter formation. It is no wonder that many consider Riverside Geyser the most beautiful in the world. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

This was the moment that we had been waiting for. And waiting. And more waiting. What was so special about this moment? An eruption of Ledge Geyser of course, and under ideal photography conditions on top of that. So why the wait? Well, like the vast majority of the geysers around Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Ledge Geyser is not predictable. It also does become completely dormant for several years at a time, during which no eruptions occur at all. Even during the times when it is active, it has infrequent eruptions. All of this translates into a rare eruption at any given time, let alone on a day that happens to have nice weather, good lighting, and a great background sky. After having been dormant for 7 years, Ledge Geyser suddenly sprang back to life in 2015 when it started having regular eruptions. Regular is a relative term though. It would erupt once every 3 to 9 days, so it had an eruption window of 6 days. At any point during those 6 days, it could erupt without warning. And it was just as likely to happen overnight or in bad weather common to the area at the altitude of Yellowstone, around 8000 feet. Over 5 days before this eruption, its previous eruption occurred overnight and therefore was not under ideal conditions. And over 7 days after this eruption and then again over 5 days after that, its successive eruptions happened early in the morning and were heavily steamed over, again not under ideal conditions. As a matter of fact, the only other one that happened under any sort of ideal conditions was not for three weeks later, and it was plagued by false starts. After a couple more overnight eruptions beyond this, Ledge Geyser went completely dormant for 4 more years, and has had only a couple of sporadic eruptions since. So this was the day. And nicely The Wild Images Team was there to capture an entire series of photos during this particular eruption, a sister image of which is found for sale in our store. Besides being a rare geyser to witness, Ledge Geyser has a few characteristics that make it really stand out. It is the second largest geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin, which is quite an honor considering that the largest geyser there, Steamboat Geyser, is also the largest geyser in the world. Ledge Geyser can reach heights of 120 or more feet above its elevated location on its namesake ledge. It has one of the longest eruptions for any intermittent geyser, lasting for over 6 hours! It is also one of the loudest eruptions to hear, as during the entirety of its eruption, it sound like the hum of a jet engine. Actually, The Wild Images Team took an opportunity to capture some images from another viewpoint during the lengthy eruption, and we were struck by how quiet it seemed once we moved even a short distance away. And then there is the steam. As may be apparent from the various photos of Ledge Geyser, it puts out an enormous amount of steam. It does transition into a steam phase, when most of its output is purely steam with very little water. But even during its water phase, various other vents provide a thick curtain of steam that is usually carried up the hill by the prevailing winds and rains down on the trail above, often times preventing other visitors from accessing views of Ledge Geyser during the entire course of its eruption. It is clear that very few visitors brave the soaking steam rain to come down the trail after a Ledge Geyser eruption begins. But we were there ready for it on this day, and we were very happy with the images that we captured. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

About twenty miles to the north of the heavily concentrated thermal areas of the Upper Geyser Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and Lower Geyser Basin lies the thermal area known as Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming. It is known for holding some world records. First of all, it is the hottest thermal area in Yellowstone and one of the hottest in the world, with subsurface temperatures near the boiling temperature of water. This leads to the landscape such as the porcelain basin, where no plants can grow. Second of all, it has the most acidic waters for a thermal area in Yellowstone and one of the most in the world. The high acidity of the water has contributed to some unique features being found in the siliceous sinter formations of the area. Third of all, the largest geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser, is located here. With eruptions that reach up to 400 feet in height, it is quite an amazing sight. In the past it has been very unpredictable, often with years between single eruptions that would occur randomly. It has even had a fifty year span between two successive eruptions. Lately for the last couple of years it has been erupting quite regularly, about once every week or two, but at the time of this blog entry, it has not erupted in over 42 days. This is just after having successive intervals between eruptions of 26 days followed by 37 days. So it currently appears to be heading towards a period of dormancy again. Only time will tell. But while Steamboat Geyser is the largest in Norris Geyser Basin, the second largest geyser distinction belongs to Ledge Geyser. And while the eruptions of Steamboat Geyser last around 15 minutes, the eruptions of Ledge Geyser easily last over six hours! Ledge Geyser also alternates between periods of near dormancy followed by periods of somewhat predictable activity. It was fairly active in 2008, but other than a couple of random eruptions, it did not become active again until 2015, seven years later. It was then that The Wild Images Team made a concerted effort to catch one of its eruptions under ideal photographic conditions. That is a tall order for a geyser, that even when it is active, has an interval between eruptions of anywhere between 3 days and 9 days, for an eruption window of 6 days! And of course, it will erupt anytime during that eruption window, day or night, sunny or cloudy, dry or rainy. But our patience paid off when we were present during its eruption on the afternoon of August 17, 2015, when it had a perfect background sky and nice lighting as seen on this sister image found in our store. Since the eruption lasted for over an hour and a half, we had plenty of time to position our camera equipment in various locations around the area. While our shots centered on the view from equal level to the eruption, we eventually moved down into the porcelain basin to capture this above photo of the namesake ledge after which Ledge Geyser is named. The actual main geyser is seen as the narrow, heavy jet of water that is rightmost of the group of three found at the center of the image. Behind it and to its left is the large column of steam coming from its eruption. To the left of this and back in front of it is the steam vent that is also part of Ledge Geyser. Meanwhile, to the right of the eruption of Ledge Geyser in the picture, Coalsack Geyser itself is putting on a show with heavy bursts of water that are running down its visible runoff channel. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

Tilt’s Baby Geyser is located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Named for its larger and nearby predecessor, Tilt Geyser, that itself hasn’t erupted in over 14 years, and hasn’t had regular eruptions in over 22 years. Meanwhile, as the eruptions of Tilt Geyser were waning and its vent closing over with geyserite, in the nearby area a new vent began to form with regular eruptions, that while smaller in height, were also angled in a tilted direction, earning it the name of Tilt’s Baby. Its eruptions have continued regularly up to the present. It is located near the corner of the boardwalk at Crested Pool, on which it shares a common sinter platform. This region is full of surprises for the unsuspecting visitor. First of all there is Crested Pool, a narrow, yet very deep hot spring that is one of the hottest features in the entirety of the park. It is named for its edges which are crested with a wall of geyserite about 10 inches tall that completely encircles its pool. The crested edges help to shadow the pool from sunlight and it tends to look very dark and black. It has a very high rate of convection, such that superheated water is constantly pushed to the surface as cooler and heavier water at its surface rapidly sinks down into its depths. The churning flow of the pool retains its very high temperature throughout. It is generally found in a state of gentle boiling with a steady trail of tiny bubbles rising to the surface. Occasionally however, and without any sort of warning, it waters will suddenly burst upward in a loud explosion, sometimes reaching up to ten feet, startling everybody in the vicinity. After a single explosion, it will immediately quiet back down into its gentle boiling again, as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. Then there is Tilt’s Baby Geyser, whose indications of a pending eruption are not usually known to the general visitor, so it will also suddenly begin erupting without warning. Close observation of the geyser will show that there is a build up to eruption. While it is not well predictable with a four hour eruption window, an imminent eruption can be predicted. It begins by filling up its vent after the previous eruption. It will then begin to go through pulses, where it will alternate between pushing large amount of water out, and then draining back down into its vent. Each successive pulse tends to be a little higher, and will cover more of the surrounding sinter formations. In its immediate vicinity are a group of geyserite pillars, each less than half an inch in diameter and about the same in height. The successive pulses of water will tend to cover over more and more of these pillars, and the moment that the last one is covered over is the indication that the pulse is strong enough to initiate the eruption. Tilt’s Baby Geyser will then start sputtering out large globules of water up to about ten feet in height. It is best to move away from the edge of the boardwalk during its eruption as the globules are near boiling temperature, and unlike finer geyser spray, do not rapidly lose temperature before landing. And many of them will land on the boardwalk. The Wild Images Team carefully captured this closeup image of one of its eruptions, as it was going through its typical sputtering activity emanating from its vent in the lower left. In the background, its runoff channel can be seen trailing down to the Firehole River. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

You do not often see this on a beach in the United States. Perhaps along the Atlantic Ocean coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, or Denmark, this is a much more common sight where Nazi Germany had built up the Atlantic Wall, a heavily defended shoreline to fend off a potential invasion by the Allied Forces, an event that eventually did occur as Operation Neptune on June 6, 1944, a day that will forever be memorialized as D-Day. Any knowledge of the events of World War II will center on Operation Overlord, the plan to gain a foothold and create a front in Western Europe that was initiated by the landing operations at Normandy, France, the largest seaborne invasion in history. As with much of the western European coastline, the beaches of Normandy were heavily fortified with bunkers, machine gun nests, trenches, barbed wire, metal tripods, and landmines. To this day, relics of this era still remain as a memorial and a reminder of a dark era in human history. Much less known, however, is that the United States also fortified its own coastline. Not along the Atlantic Ocean coastline, we were never in any real threat of an invasion from that direction, but along the Pacific Ocean coastline, in response to the buildup of naval operations by the Empire of Japan that itself culminated in one of the few foreign attacks on U.S. soil, the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Their intent was not an invasion, but rather to damage the United States Naval Fleet to prevent its interference with planned invasions in Southeast Asia, where territories were held by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had remained neutral in World War II, but this event changed everything. From that day onward, the U.S. remained under a constant vigilance and defense to the threat of invasion on its own coastlines. Defensive bunkers were built under beach sand dunes in several locations. Only a few years later, on May 8, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered after the fall of Berlin and the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and a few months later on September 2, 1945, after two nuclear bombs were dropped on its cities and with an imminent threat of a multinational force invasion, Japan formally surrendered, effectively ending World War II. So while our military bunkers thankfully never saw any action, they still remain as a reminder of the state of the world in those days. The Wild Images Team captured this image of a World War II bunker hidden under the Samoa Dunes of Humboldt Beach along the Pacific Ocean coastline in California. As can be seen, it has long remained unused and is covered by typical beach dune vegetation. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos from California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps. From our travels in the nearby Oregon and Washington, we have captured photos such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations.

To see more photos, please visit our store

The thoughts of Canada usually conjures up certain images such as the quaint harbors that make up its Atlantic coast, or the brilliant fall colors that cover its eastern end, or the jagged mountains that are found on its western end, or the misty shores of its Pacific Coast, or the taiga forest that covers its northern stretches, or even the arctic tundra that covers its Arctic shores. However, a good portion of Canada is also covered by wide open grassland prairies in what is their own bread basket region. Covering a large region through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, is some of the flattest terrain encountered on Earth, rivaling that of the United States own Great Plains. While in separate countries, the two bread basket regions are actually connected through Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Just as in the United States, the plains of Canada are covered with a patchwork of farmland over its prairies. The climate here is similar to that of the Great Plains: hot, sunny summers with patches of strong thunderstorms and extremely cold, harsh winters with times of bitter winds. This is the typical inland Continental Climate Zone, and the long days of summer sunshine with usually only a scattering of cumulus clouds to break up the blue sky, it is an ideal crop growing region, especially for grains. As such, grain silos and grain elevators towering over the fields are a common sight the prairies of Canada, just as they are in the Great Plains of the United States. The Wild Images Team has traveled through much of Canada on our way up to Alaska. It was while we were passing through the incredibly flat lands of Saskatchewan that we watched the buildup of a very tall cumulonimbus cloud. In this image, the typical puffy white edges of the large cumulonimbus cloud can be seen on the left, while the majority of the right is dominated by the dark hues of high water density and rainfall typical of massive cumulonimbus clouds. Meanwhile the foreground is not only still dry, but actually shining in the sun as can be seen on the dirt roads and the glare from the large collection of grain silos. These strong, concentrated storms that buildup over the plains may also produce tornadoes even in the more northern prairies of Canada. A similar situation occurs there as high, dry, and heavier cold air flows off of its own Rocky Mountains, and ends up above the warmer, humid, and lighter ground air of the prairies. The lighter air is then forced upward which creates the tall, billowing, storm producing clouds. And if under the right circumstances, the vertical flow of air may be turned horizontal, resulting in a funnel cloud. The Wild Images Team has captured many photos during our journey up to Alaska through western and northern Canada including colorful canoes standing at the edge of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, a moment of isolation as a canoe crosses Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, the scene when a grizzly mother is grazing with two cubs, a practically newborn grizzly cub is shorter than the grass, near the Rancheria River where a massive blonde grizzly steps out of the brush, where the remote Liard River wanders through woods and mountains, an action shot when two bison calves are learning to spar, and another action shot as a large bull moose runs through the woods, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from our journey through Canada document the dark background storm clouds while the grain silos shine in the sunlight of Saskatchewan, the sheer terrain of Cascade Mountain towering over the Bow River valley, the velvet covered antlers of an elk as it passes by in Jasper National Park, the welcome sign declaring you are now entering the world famous Alaska Highway, the very iconic mile 0 signpost found at the start of the Alaska Highway, the desolate road of the Alaska Highway drops down into clouds of the Yukon Territory, the very remote road of the Alaska Highway rounds a mountain within clouds of the Yukon Territory, as the Alaska Highway heads straight towards a giant peak along Kluane Lake, the tall snow-capped peaks along the Alaska Highway west of Whitehorse, the shore lining patterned designs of mudflats from the missing A’ay Chu, as The Wild Images Team Photographer Jeremy Robinson hides in the Signpost Forest, and as The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina hides in the Signpost Forest. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other images while in Alaska including the terminal moraines of a glacier winding down from the Chugach Mountains, the many splendid colors of the Sheep Mountain chromatic peaks in the Talkeetna Range, as a seal watches over the thick floating ice in Kenai Fjords National Park, as very fast moving seals cut tracks through the ice, as an entertaining seal strikes a pose on Northwestern Lagoon ice, the many miles of Northwestern Glacier reflecting over the turquoise waters, the awe inspiring rumble when a glacier calves of the cliffs in Kenai Fjords National Park, the moment when clouds crown a peak in Kenai Fjords National Park, the long summer days when fireweed enjoys the land of the midnight sun, and as a very playful Dall’s porpoise breaches the ocean surface in Aialik Bay, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Alaska document the moment we realized that no bananas on a boat is a very serious rule, as our kayak carrying water taxi Michael A launches from Miller’s Landing, the chaotic scene during a feeding frenzy floating island of seagulls, the majestic bald eagle scanning the coastline from a tree, the expansive view of a colorfully banded rock island reflection, the chaotic jumble of very noticeable blue ice of Northwest Glacier, the reflective view over briefly calm waters of the far northern Pacific Ocean under the Harding Icefield, when The Wild Images Team was photographed at the mouth of a glacier draining tunnel, the intimidating view from the snout of a very large and very steep glacier, and when our Coordinator Christina Orban keeps tradition by kissing the snout of this glacier.

To see more photos, please visit our store

A little over a year ago, a wildfire burned through Cave Creek, Arizona, a community found 20 miles north of Phoenix, on the far side of Black Mountain. Cave Creek is made up mainly of large estates of open desert with million dollar homes. So a fire tearing through there could have been a financial disaster. Especially a fire that grew to 1000 acres within just a matter of minutes. But yet somehow, when all was over with, only one business and eight homes were burned down, including the one that produced this iconic image. What saved the day, literally, was the group of brave firefighters and their quick response, including the aerial firefighting squad. Eight planes and the helicopters simultaneously battled the blaze, in a concerted effort of circling around and one at a time entering in to make drops of water and fire retardant. Strangely enough, The Wild Images Team were living there on that fateful day, May 30, 2020. While most of the world was fighting the rising cases of COVID, Cave Creek and much of Arizona also had to contend with wildfires, lots of them. Due to an unusually rainy March, heavy desert brush growth had dried out under the hot May sun of the Sonoran Desert, and the entire area had become a tinder box. While this fire, named the Ocotillo Fire, was the most destructive one, it was not the first fire there that season. The East Desert Fire came to the edge of Cave Creek just two weeks before as seen here in each of these images. But the Ocotillo Fire started in and burned through the heart of Cave Creek. Thanks to the strategic flight patterns of the aerial firefighting squad, most homes were saved. In this image, a DC-10 makes an incredibly steep climb after flying at an altitude of only about a hundred feet or so above the desert ground while it drops the characteristic reddish pink fire retardant. It was an unbelievable sight to watch planes of this size make dives and climbs so low to ground. Below the retardant trail is its shadow which covers over the infamous 7th hole of the Rancho Manana Golf Course, the site of the origination of the fire. The bulk of the fire is to the right of and not seen in this particular photo, but The Wild Images Team captured multiple images of the height of the fire found here in the early days of our blog. As a matter of fact, the Ocotillo Fire and the earlier East Desert Fire were the original inspiration for our blog which has continued to this day. We did receive an evacuation order back then, as the fire approached within a half mile of our location and winds were carrying it quickly our way. At just the last minute, however, winds shifted to the northeast and stopped the approaching fire line in our direction. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Arizona, such as the colorful storm buildup in the painted desert, the stark view of an incredibly tall monsoon cloud over desert, the sky covering massive anvil cloud over the mountains, the isolation in the curtains of rain over the Navajo Nation, the deep red lightning scene in the Mazatzals, the moment Zeus throws a bolt over Cave Creek, the network of colorful bolts over the Sedona ridges, the rainfall created colorful dry wash in bloom, the dangerous stripe-tailed scorpion climbing plants, the deep desert late night glowing bark scorpions, the dynamic image of a honeybee on an exotic wildflower, the view of a hummingbird among the thick wildflowers, a lucky shot of a great horned owl roosting in mesquite tree, the evening view of an organ pipe cactus, the serene scene of ocotillos and saguaro cacti, the view from Bell Rock of scrub brush and phenomenally colorful cliffs, this precarious Wupatki box canyon dwelling, a look up at the very majestic Wukoki Pueblo ruins, a chance encounter with a thunderstorm through a Wukoki Pueblo window, and the spiny sharp glass sculpture with cacti, each of which are available for sale in our store. Our blog posts from Arizona have documented the close up of a large stripe-tailed scorpion, the animated behavior of a great horned owl, the nearly daily encounters with the multitude of rattlesnakes, the mysterious darkness created by a very prominent Alexander’s Band between two brilliant rainbows, the crazy late sunset when red rain fell over the Mazatzal Mountains, monsoon season forming rain curtains hanging in front of the sunset, the sunset moment when delicate rain curtains fell in front of a darkening sky, spring rainfall creating a colorful desert bloom in a dry wash, the dynamic view of a honeybee equipped with dual pollen baskets among the blooms, the red sunlit clouds with a rainbow over the foothills of Black Mountain, the massive spectacle of a giant spiderweb of lightning over Black Mountain, near Sedona where red cliffs are framed by cane chollas, the reddish glow of sunset lighting an organ pipe cactus, the precarious location of the cliff edge Box Canyon ruins, the strategic location of the majestic Montezuma Castle Sinagua dwellings, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at a scenic Grand Canyon overlook, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina in front of the Wupatki Pueblo, The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tombstone and the Original Bird Cage Theatre history, its interior eponymic Bird Cage balcony seats, its secretive hidden door beneath the stage, through which lies the underground hidden gambling room, next to a hidden room for a lady of the night, the OK Corral Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp and Wyatt Earp and their gun fight with Tom McClaury, Frank McClaury, and Billy Clanton, the Boothill Graveyard headstone of Lester Moore and the headstone of John Heath, the reflective multicolored boatload of glass, the mass of blue and white glass atop a wall, the lighted view of purple stem vegetation glass, the lighted view of red stem vegetation glass, the closer view of the textures and shapes of Chihuly glass, the overlook view of Comet Neowise with a saguaro, which was brightly shining over the town of Cave Creek, eventually with its bright green coma and tail, as it appears to drop down into a saguaro grove, the day when rare snow fell in the Sonoran Desert and covered Black Mountain in a white blanket, the weeks of a devastating large record setting Bush Fire that continuously raged through the Superstition Mountains, the day when the Aquila Fire burned through Desert Hills causing massive destruction to a few structures, the day that the East Desert Fire nearly burned into the Cave Creek area, and then two weeks later the day when the devastating Ocotillo Fire did burn down into and throughout the estates which were protected by spectacular firefighting around the town of Cave Creek leaving behind this iconic image.

To see more photos, please visit our store

Dedicated this 19th day of May, in the year 2000 to those courageous mariners who guided their ships through perilous waters, carrying cargo and people. Their contributions have been so much a part of our history. May they never be forgotten. International Shipmasters Association, Chicago Lodge No. 3. Sculptor: Michael Martino. So says the bronze plaque affixed to the base of this bronze sculpture titled Captain On The Helm, found standing along the shores of Lake Michigan at the head of Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. The International Shipmasters Association is a group of ship captains who are licensed as masters of the vessels that transport cargo and passengers throughout the world. As can be seen in the image, the sculpture portrays a ship captain who is gripping the wheel tightly in both hands as the helm is tilted in what is assumed to be rough seas. Closer inspection will reveal that the captain’s jacket is being blown to his left, and indication that a heavy gale is bringing waves in from his right. Also included on the bronze plaque is the following quote: “They mark our passage as a race of men, Earth will not see such ships as those agen.” This is not a typo, the word agen is an old and mostly obsolete spelling for the word again, but it is often found in literature and poetry before and around the turn of the century. These words were actually written as the famous final two lines in the 1917 poem titled “Ships” by John Masefield, Poet Laureate from 1930 to 1967. John Masefield spent many years as a sailor aboard various ships, including working on the HMS Conway, and many of his early poems were focused on the theme of sailing the oceans of the world. Stone steps and brickwork surrounding the sculpture are engraved with the names of many legendary ship captains, as well as various donors whose contributions made the sculpture a reality. The Chicago Marine Heritage Society is especially thanked for its support. On the right side of the photo, a pile of rocks forms a line outward. This is Dime Pier, a detached pier built to protect the south shore of Navy Pier from waves, and which at one time boat captains would charge fishermen a dime for a ride to the pier to fish. Following the rocks of Dime Pier in the background, it points to a structure just next to the left knee of the Captain On The Helm sculpture. That is the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, built on another distant rock pier that partially encloses Chicago Harbor, in which the Navy Pier is built into as seen on the left of the photo. It was from here that The Wild Images Team had originated while exploring the city by foot. Working our way around the head of Navy Pier, we came across the Captain On The Helm. We captured this image from the exact angle to allow all background objects to neatly surround the centerpiece sculpture. As with all of our photos, even the most minute of background details are taken into account. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos throughout downtown Chicago, including the blue skyscrapers of The Grant and One Museum Park, which is available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Chicago have documented the view of the Wabash Avenue elevated train, the ornate art deco brown buildings of old town Chicago, the interesting curious foxes of the small green space, when The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina sat at the stone desk, the hidden colorful fire escape framed by trees, the day The Wild Images Team finally found the heart of Chicago, the moment when giant headless zombies took over Grant Park, and at the head of the Navy Pier where sits the bronze sculpture Captain On The Helm. Blog posts from the nearby state of Minnesota include the moment that The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina becomes the Jolly Green Giant, the moment that The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina becomes the Little Green Sprout, and a scene of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina underneath a life size Jolly Green Giant. Blog posts from the somewhat nearby state of Texas include the art created by the line of sunken monuments at Cadillac Ranch and the textures created by thick layers of paint covering the monuments at Cadillac Ranch. A blog post from nearby state of Missouri includes the Route 66 sign of The Uranus Fudge Factory.

To see more photos, please visit our store

There is no other geyser in the world quite like Great Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone National Park of northwest Wyoming. It is located in the Lower Geyser Basin, but along Firehole Lake Drive in the White Creek region of the basin. Here will found be a large set of travertine terraces, in more or less a circular shape, steeping up towards a central pool that may or may not be filled yet depending on the length of time since its previous eruption. Even if an eruption is not happening, the terraces themselves can be a beautiful subject for photography, such as this image captured by The Wild Images Team at sunset just before the initial eruption one evening. Great Fountain Geyser is relatively predictable with careful observation. Often the most helpful clue is the moment that the water filling up the pool overflows its edges; this indicates that the eruption should be occurring somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half later. Without this knowledge, it is only possible to guess the next eruption within a four hour window, causing longer waiting intervals. But of course it is worth the wait to catch an eruption whenever possible. It begins with a strong boil happening in the pool. Often this will happen multiple times between moments of relative calm, but with a moment of vigorous boiling the central pool will suddenly burst upward in heights easily topping 200 feet. So much water pours out with this very initial burst that it causes waves to cascade over the successive terraces as seen in the photo above. A fraction of a second later from this shot, The Wild Images Team captured their famous sister image that is available for sale in our store. After the massive initial burst, water in the pool tends to be lower so no more waves are seen for the remainder of the eruption. However, the continuing bursts can easily reach the same height as the initial, or even higher! The eruption will be comprised of a succession of bursts for a few minutes, after which the whole system will go quiet. Most people in the area will mistakenly believe the eruption is over, and will leave, missing the majority of the eruption. This moment is known as its first pause. A few minutes later, a vigorous boil will once again occur, and the next series of bursts will occur for a few minutes, before once again going quiet briefly during the second pause. And once again, more people will leave thinking that it now has to be over. However, it will come back to life yet again in the third series, and so on. The entire series eruptions and in between pauses will last for somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. It is highly recommended to watch the entire show. The Wild Images Team has observed numerous eruptions of Great Fountain Geyser, and often some its largest bursts occur in later series such as the third, fourth, or fifth series, if it lasts that long. It will vary anywhere between three up to nine series of bursts in a single eruption. An eruption is over when the next series does not occur within a reasonable amount of time, and the pool is drained. The next eruption is generally 10 to 14 hours later, so it will have only one eruption in the light of day at most. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

On top of Geyser Hill sits a large mound. It is tucked back into the trees, so while it stands above everything, it certainly does not stand out. As a matter of fact, most visitors who make the trek over to this area will usually pass it by without realizing that it is, in fact, a geyser. Dome Geyser is its name, for the large dome it has built up over the ages, similar to those of Old Faithful Geyser and Split Cone Geyser. All of these are located in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, a tract of land over which the largest concentration of geysers in the world is found, with over 150 geysers spread over a narrow band of terrain along the Firehole River. One region that stands out in the Upper Geyser Basin is Geyser Hill, a barren area due to the high surface temperature, that stands up above the surrounding landscape. And it is on top of Geyser Hill that an even higher mound stands, that of Dome Geyser. Even when it does have an eruption, it often still goes unnoticed, due to the steep grade of its mound obscuring a view of its eruption from the trail. The best viewpoint of a Dome Geyser eruption is found by continuing further down the trail to somewhere near Infant Geyser and taking a look back along a less steep gradient of its mound from a higher altitude. It is from this exact viewpoint that The Wild Images Team captured this image of the initial eruption of Dome Geyser. This is the initial eruption, as afterward Dome Geyser will continue to make 15 or more eruptions, about one every 15 or so minutes, in what is known as a series. During this series, it will make a brief eruption for a few minutes, then go quiet for 15 or so minutes, the erupt again for a few minutes, in succession for several hours. After this it will become dormant for a period of time, before coming back to life in a new series. Even with all of this activity, it is rarely seen except by the few individuals who may be looking in the right direction at the exact viewpoint. Its eruptions are quite scenic, as can be seen in this image. A nice foreground is dominated by the sparsely vegetated yet colorful mound, and a nice background of the contrasting green of the surrounding pine trees. Combine this with a nice sky and the result will be a beautiful photo. A close inspection of this image will show a slight blue tint to the water burst of Dome Geyser, an effect caused by the reflection of light from its deeper pool and its stronger blue color, something that is also found in a few of the bursting fountain type geysers found around Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming, including Oblong Geyser, Artemisia Geyser, Fountain Geyser, and Great Fountain Geyser. Dome Geyser is unique among them however, by existing atop its namesake dome mound. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

The very regular Daisy Geyser is one of the most predictable geysers in the whole of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Its predictability even rivals that of the most famous predictable geyser in the world, Old Faithful Geyser. Daisy Geyser has an interval between eruption starts of almost exactly two hours, give or take only about 5 minutes each way, such that its eruption window is only about 10 minutes in length! Compared to Old Faithful, whose interval between eruption starts is 100 minutes give or take about 10 minutes, for a larger eruption window of 20 minutes. Just like Old Faithful, Daisy Geyser is also located in the Upper Geyser Basin, a large tract of land along the Firehole River and about which resides several of the largest geysers in the world. Unlike Old Faithful though, Daisy Geyser is located in a more isolated area that requires about a mile of walking to reach. It is found on top of a rise above the Firehole River valley, together with a few others in its group including Splendid Geyser and Comet Geyser. Splendid Geyser is very large, with eruptions easily reaching 200 feet in height, but unfortunately it is also a very rare erupting geyser. While it goes through periods of activity where an eruption becomes more likely, it also has long stretches of dormancy that last decades. It has not erupted since May 13, 1998, but it may again become active one day without warning. Meanwhile, Comet Geyser is just the opposite. It erupts almost continuously, surging up to heights of about 20 feet, with short pauses that are exceptionally rare. Due to this continuous erupting behavior carrying large quantities of dissolved minerals, it has built up a large sinter cone around its pool. And then there is Daisy Geyser, with its own characteristics somewhere between the other two. Its eruptions last a little over 3 minutes, with about 2 hours between starts, so unlike Comet Geyser it is certainly not continuous. But with a short eruption window of only 10 minutes, it is very regular and predictable. While not as large as Splendid Geyser, with heights reaching up to 80 feet, it is still a very impressive geyser to observe. The most unique feature of Daisy Geyser, however, is the direction of its water surge. Due to a buildup of siliceous sinter at its surface overhanging and partially blocking the pool that it erupts from, water is forced outward in a characteristic diagonal direction. The Wild Images Team captured this image of a characteristic diagonal eruption of Daisy Geyser early in the day. Its massive steam cloud blocks out a portion of the clouds and blue sky, and is carried up and over the background pine trees. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store

Pink Cone Geyser is one of the many hidden gems found throughout the entirety of Yellowstone National Park of northwest Wyoming. It is not actually hidden from view, but instead is found in an open sinter platform shared together with other thermal members of its group including Pink Geyser, Bead Geyser, Dilemma Geyser, Labial Geyser, Narcissus Geyser, and Box Spring. What makes Pink Cone Geyser a hidden gem is that it is in a nondescript location along Firehole Lake Drive and is not a very frequent geyser, such that many visitors to the park will often pass it by without realizing its existence. Yet some visitors will be lucky and pass it by at the right time thanks to the length of its eruptions. Pink Cone Geyser does have the distinction of having one of the longer duration eruptions, which usually last between 1.5 and 2 hours. However, once it does finish its eruption, it cannot be expected to erupt again for at least 18 hours, usually longer, up to 25 hours. With an eruption window of 7 hours, it can be a difficult one to catch and often will involve some patient waiting. However, there are some indicators of an approaching eruption, in particular what are known as the roadside bubblers. At the edge of its sinter platform, cliffs a couple of feet high are covered with a few small fissures. These fissures will start to bubble and gurgle within a couple of hours before the beginning of an eruption. The will continue to bubble and gurgle up to and through the eruption, so it is most telling if the start of the bubbler action is known. Otherwise, it can only be known that the eruption will happen sometime within the next few hours. The wait will be rewarded with a geyser that will reach up to 30 feet in height emanating from the nozzle of its cone. As can be seen in this image, Pink Cone Geyser has a scenic setting on a sinter platform with a backdrop of yellow grasses and green trees. As can be imagined, it is named after the peculiar color of siliceous sinter that comprises both its cone and its platform. The Wild Images Team has observed and photographed many Pink Cone Geyser eruptions. On this particular rainy day, we captured its white jet of water spraying quickly from the opening, creating a thick curtain of droplets and steam, while in the background dark, heavy, menacing clouds bring the promise of more water to fall from the sky. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Yellowstone National Park including a Beehive Geyser eruption with a massive rainbow, the world famous Old Faithful Geyser with water textures, a towering Grand Geyser pause burst eruption, a sunset Castle Geyser eruption with a bright rainbow, an afternoon Riverside Geyser eruption with a rainbow, an early morning Lion Geyser eruption with a rainbow, a very difficult to catch Oblong Geyser blue burst eruption, the extremely powerful Artemisia Geyser eruption with deep bursts, the very moment of waves from a Great Fountain Geyser initial eruption, an iconic White Dome Geyser eruption at sunset, the large bursts of a Fountain Geyser eruption in steam, the delicate red light on a Grotto Fountain Geyser eruption at sunset, the defining moment of a Rocket Geyser eruption at sunset, the extremely brief Aurum Geyser eruption with colors, a view through a Cliff Geyser eruption of Black Sand Basin, the colorful patterns of bacterial mats in Midway Geyser Basin, the changing conditions that cause a rainbow to parallel the Snow Lodge, the Biscuit Basin duo of Black Diamond Pool and Opal Pool, the colorfully pock marked waterways of the erupting Blood Geyser, the active steppes of the Mineral Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, the distant double rainbow over the Lewis River Canyon, the before eruption reflections of sunset over the terraces of Great Fountain Geyser, the deep colors of sky reflections over Beauty Pool, the thermally induced sunset light filters through the steamy trees, the intense moment of mammatus clouds over the Firehole River, the very early morning fog surrounding Lower Yellowstone Falls, the runoff created reflections over the colorful runoff pan of Constant Geyser, the unworldly terrain of the extensive Porcelain Geyser Basin in Norris, the deeply hued steam over colorful bacterial mat reflections of Grand Prismatic Spring, the contrast of runoff channels surrounding the blue superheated water of Sapphire Pool, differing wave patterns created by the colorful submerged Fishing Cone Geyser, the strong green created by the record depths of mysterious Abyss Pool, the moment the full moon rises over the Grant Village Lakehouse, the cloud symmetry of a sunset reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, and moments earlier with a cloud shelf reflection over a calm Yellowstone Lake, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Yellowstone National Park have documented the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, the steamy Oblong Geyser eruptions, the deep drain Uncertain Geyser eruptions, the steep crater Depression Geyser eruptions, the amphitheater Grand Geyser eruptions, the impressive Fan and Mortar Geyser eruptions, the very quick Aurum Geyser eruptions, the rooster tail Whirligig Geyser eruptions, the series type Lion Geyser eruptions, the tall grotto White Dome Geyser eruptions, the frequent Sawmill Geyser eruptions, the double cone Atomizer Geyser eruptions, the nozzled Beehive Geyser eruptions, the cratered Fountain Geyser eruptions, the deep pool Artemisia Geyser eruptions, the playful Vixen Geyser eruptions, the scenic Riverside Geyser eruptions, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from above, the very rare Ledge Geyser eruptions from below, the gurgling Tilt’s Baby Geyser eruptions, the bursts of Great Fountain Geyser eruptions, the hidden Dome Geyser eruptions, the tilted Daisy Geyser eruptions, the remote Pink Cone Geyser eruptions, the long Castle Geyser eruption water phases, the loud Castle Geyser eruption steam phases, the stark Constant Geyser eruptions, the rim wall Cliff Geyser eruptions, the initiation from Grotto Fountain Geyser eruptions, the continuation of Grotto Geyser eruptions, the defining moment of Rocket Geyser eruptions, the marathon Spa Geyser eruptions, the blue waters of a Spouter Geyser eruption, the isolated Artist Paint Pots throwing mud, the little seen intricate burst of a mud volcano, a view of a dozen visitors under a Beehive Geyser rainbow, the eruption through numerous vents of Fan and Mortar Geysers, the enormous amount of water through the runoff channels of Excelsior Geyser, the otherworldly view of cloudy blue runoff pools in the Porcelain Basin, the moment that a large bison bull rolled in his claimed dirt pile, the rule for the right of way wildlife, the high altitudes where a large raven that perches over the Dunraven Pass, the the day that a phoenix streaked across the backcountry sky, the trail from Grant Village that crosses over this suspended bridge, The Wild Images Team in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, our Photographer Jeremy Robinson shadowed in Morning Glory Pool, and The Wild Images Team Travel Gnome at the Yellowstone National Park entrance sign.

To see more photos, please visit our store