Photo tours

We will build your photo tour based on what you’d like to do and see, your budget, and how much time you want to spend. Pricing for some basic tour types are as follows, but all tours are customizable.

Guided driving/hiking tour	Half day (4 hours) @ $500 Full day (8+ hours) @ $950 1-3 people, plus $50 per additional person above 3
Astrophotography tour	4-6 hours @ $650 1-3 people, plus $75 per additional person above 3
Multi-day tour	Pricing varies

A hiking tour can also be done as a snowshoe or cross-country ski tour in the winter.

Photo tours can include as much or as little instruction as you like. As an example, if you’ve never done night photos before, we can show you how it’s done, from camera settings to actually taking the shots. Alternatively, if you’re already familiar with photographing the night sky, we can just focus on getting you to the right spot and let you take your shots without guidance.

Although your options for a multi-day tour are extensive, some ideas are:

• A drive through Yellowstone, then over the scenic Beartooth Highway. We would stay in Red Lodge for the night, then drive back over the Beartooth and through Yellowstone on the return trip.
• A trip through Yellowstone, then down into the Grand Tetons for a day or two before returning through Yellowstone.
• An afternoon drive into Yellowstone for an evening of wildlife viewing and/or astrophotography, staying the night in a location with easy sunrise access to wildlife-rich parts of the park the following day.

What’s included

Tours include the following for no additional charge:

• A professional photographer as your tour guide
  • Your guide is certified in CPR and Wilderness First Aid, and will carry a first aid kit, bear spray, and GPS with emergency SOS capability for safety
• A lunch (full day tours only)
• A reusable water bottle and a supply of water for refills
• Use of a limited selection of equipment
• All transportation
• Multi-day tours include lodging and meals

Equipment that is available for your use on a photography tour:

• Tripods, with ball heads with Arca-Swiss quick release
• Monopods, without heads
• Arca-Swiss plates for your camera
• Binoculars and spotting scope
• Head lamps
• Low-level lighting units with stands
• Day packs
• Microspikes or snowshoes

What you should bring

Any photo tour is based on the assumption that you will be using a DSLR camera. Here are some basics you’ll need to go along with your camera:

• A long lens for wildlife
  • A zoom is ideal. You may have trouble with a prime lens, as there may not be opportunities to move very far towards or away from your subject.
• A mid-range zoom for scenics, closer wildlife, etc
  • A zoom that covers mild wide angle to mild telephoto is ideal.
• A very wide, fast lens for night photos
  • You will need the widest lens (without fisheye distortion) and widest aperture (smallest f-stop number) that you can get for best results with the Milky Way. For star trails, this is less important.
• A macro lens for wildflowers, in the right season
  • If you’re visiting in winter, sometimes cold mornings result in very interesting hoarfrost crystals that are worth use of a macro lens as well.
• A good camera bag or pack for hikes
• Plenty of storage cards for your camera

If you need a particular lens from this list, or some other piece of expensive photo equipment, but don’t have it, we can help you get a rental from a local camera shop. (Availability may be limited, as lenses are popular rental items in the busy season.)

For any children under 60 lbs, you will need to bring a car seat.

Other needs

Beyond photography needs, there are some basics you’ll need for any trip to this area.

• Good shoes
  • If hiking, wear wool socks and a good pair of comfortable shoes or boots.
• Layers!
  • No matter what time of year you visit, layers of clothing you can add or remove are crucial. Even in the summer, mornings can be in the 40s or 50s (in degrees Fahrenheit), while afternoons can be in the 80s or 90s.
• Sun protection
  • Long sleeves/pants, sunscreen, hat, etc. The sun is powerful out here!
• Rain gear
  • Rain can spring up out of nowhere, so having a raincoat and rain pants available is important.
• Snowshoes or skis
  • We have a selection of snowshoes you can borrow. Ski rentals are available in Big Sky, and we can reserve them for you.

What will we see?

Although there can never be any guarantees with wild animals or weather conditions, there are many opportunities. Below are some photos I’ve taken in and around Yellowstone. You can see more examples on my SmugMug site.