An aspiring landscape photographer I've been mentoring was talking with me the other day about how frustrating the foliage season this autumn in Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding area has been. He didn't have to convince me; he was preaching to the choir.

The color has been great and is lingering...BUT there has been absolutely no precipitation, the skies have been mostly empty, it's been warmer than usual, and the air has been thick with smoke from nearby wildfires. In short, the conditions have been lousy.

I get where he's coming from. It has been exceedingly difficult to make landscape photographs - not just here in Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming, but also in Utah where the colors are late. This week I was supposed to be working near Moab but cancelled the trip since the cottonwoods along the Colorado River are still predominantly green.

Foliage season is already painfully short; not having much to show for it, in spite of having expended a great deal of time and effort, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Is that true, though? Was little accomplished?

In discussing this with my photographer friend, I asked him to think about the work he's done over the past few weeks. Did he make any images with which he was happy, even if it was fewer than he'd hoped?

Quality is what matters. Don't tie yourself in knots over quantity.

"Twelve significant images in any one year is a good crop."
-Ansel Adams

Of course my friend wanted to do more. I certainly did, particularly as it pertains to a book project I'm working on. But if you walk away with even one quality image, that's a win.

Think like Ansel.

We talked about whether or not he learned anything new. He did, in fact. Having recently purchased a long lens, this was his first opportunity to use it in the field. Putting it - and himself - through the paces, he now feels more comfortable with the new gear.

Did he see anything interesting? Yes. Like many of us who were in Grand Teton National Park at the end of September, he witnessed the Pack Trail fire the day it virtually exploded in size. The plume was visible from the Teton Pass and nearly anywhere in Jackson Hole, so you could hardly miss it. Speaking for myself, that sight conjured up mixed emotions. Visually stunning and weirdly majestic, it was also immensely sad.

Did he practice anything or experiment with something he hadn't tried before? Out of necessity, he said he did. Because the poor air quality mostly took grand landscapes off the table, he tried creating abstracts and doing macro work - both of which were somewhat new to him.

Finally, did he enjoy the experience of being in the natural world? Obviously there were frustrations regarding the conditions, but let's face it, the "office" in which landscape photographers work is pretty sweet.

Maybe his autumn hasn't been a complete bust after all.

Whether or not time spent in the field can be considered a success is not solely determined by the number of images we make.

In Local News

As mentioned above, the color here this year has been hanging around. In advance of an incoming front, the winds picked up yesterday and precipitation is (finally) expected today and tomorrow - so we'll see how the leaves fare through all of that.

West Yellowstone, Montana as well as YNP are under a winter storm warning with snow accumulations of up to six inches below 7,000 feet and six to 14 inches at higher elevations anticipated between now and noon tomorrow. Expect road closures in the park.

Likewise, in Grand Teton National Park the mountains will receive snow with accumulations in the valley possible.

Sounds like potential photo opportunities to me...

As for the Pack Trail Fire, also referenced above, the incoming precipitation is welcome. The blaze has grown to more than 85,000 acres (as of Tuesday) and is 62% contained. 613 personnel are fighting the fire.

Two weeks ago this fire combined with the Fish Creek Fire, which had been burning in the same general area for about a month. Both were caused by lightning. Shifting winds have caused the combined blaze to grow and move in multiple directions. The Upper Gros Ventre and Darwin have been evacuated.

Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that crews are wrapping structures and laying hose to protect them.

The firefighters have been doing a tremendous job.