Grand Teton National Park is located in western Wyoming, north of Jackson and south of Yellowstone. The park is named for the highest peak in the Teton range, and also features lakes, plains and forest. I was there recently for a week long photography workshop led by Craig Tanner and Marti Jeffers. If you use the world wide web for your photographic education, you are likely familiar with their site, “The Mindful Eye”, especially Tanner’s frequent video installments of critique and tutorial. The tone of the website and its on-line community is one of sharing and encouragement. This is what I was hoping to experience during the Teton workshop.

First Snow, Gros Ventre

The group met Saturday evening at the Cowboy Village Resort, our home base for the week. Situated in Jackson, just outside of the park, it was comfortable and clean. We stayed in individual cabins, each with bathroom and kitchen, and each less than a minute’s walk from the central conference room. The price was good, just under $100 per night, and about as close to the park as we could reasonably expect to stay.

The daily routine varied but generally involved a sunrise shoot; lectures, critiques and photoshop lab during the day; and an evening shoot. Wake up call was early – we set out each morning between 5 and 5:40 am. The time varied depending on the destination, with a minimum of 25 minutes of travel time to each location. Despite the distances, driving had to be held to reasonable speeds, due to the darkness and the quantity of wildlife (much of which was bigger than the automobiles we were in). Certain “iconic” locations (like Schwabacher’s Landing) warranted a very early arrival to beat the crowds. Lack of sleep is a reality in any good photo workshop, and it could have been worse. We were helped by the fall timing with relatively late sunrise and early sunset. We had one morning to sleep in mid-week, and everyone was free to skip any shoot or lecture if in need of a break.

Big Sky

Mealtimes fit the shooting schedule. I usually ended up with four meals each day – light breakfast at wake up, “second breakfast” around 9 am, lunch in early afternoon, and supper after sundown. Sometimes a fifth meal was thrown in late afternoon. Besides being able to prepare food in the cabins, there were lots of places to eat in town. Frequent stops included Pearl Street Bagels, Betty Rock Cafe and, for a quick but hearty meal, Bubba’s, just across the street. More than one evening ended at the Snake River Brewery. Groceries could be had at Pearl Street Meat & Fish. Hunger was not a problem.

As expected, we visited the must-see locations (Schwabacher’s landing, Oxbow Bend, Mormon Row); but the park is brimming with beautiful photo opportunities. Down every dirt road there are mountain vistas, lakes (some tranquil, some awe inspiring), forests, and grazing animals. Some of the animals are really big (moose, elk and bison), others are really fast (pronghorn). You need to watch out for the big animals, so they don’t step on you – it’s easy to lose track of the surroundings when concentrating on composition!

Snag, String Lake

I have been an avid follower of The Mindful Eye and, before that, the Radiant Vista; so I had wondered if the lectures would be “re-runs” of things I’d heard before. That wasn’t the case. I’m sure there was some repetition; but there was more than enough new information to satisfy my cravings. There were also useful tidbits I’d heard before but that I needed to hear again (before the proverbial light bulb went on). Of course, the material for the critiques was all new. These were done in a positive and supportive fashion, while still providing helpful criticism.

You can never guarantee the weather, but ours was good. We were blessed with snow part way through the week. On a couple of shoots, clouds were a bit scarce, but what can you do? The leaves must have been at the peak of their colour. There were also giant forest fires blazing nearby (thanks to Scott Fraser for that photo link). Often, we could see the flames. The smoke had a constant presence and yielded some great visual effects.

After the Fire

You also can’t guarantee what the group will be like; but certain teachers attract a certain type of student. Our group was great to be a part of, whether doing photography or just hanging out at the end of the day (since no one wanted to have too much sleep).

What else can I say? This was an excellent workshop. I don’t doubt that other Mindful Eye offerings are similarly good. I’ve posted some of my photos from the week to my on-line gallery, here. You can also view them as a slideshow. Click here for The Mindful Eye website, or check out their promo video: