Old Faithful and the Tetons at Night

Even though you can’t see it as well, watching Old Faithful under the cover of dark is every bit as impressive as watching it during the day. On Saturday, I set up my camera on a tripod with Old Faithful in the foreground and the Big Dipper in the sky. The picture above is what I got.

There are some notable flaws. There is a ton of digital noise in the photo — there was essentially no light, except for flashlights on the geyser and the stars. One of the stars of the Big Dipper is obscured by the steam of Old Faithful and the other is faint. But it remains an interesting image.

I tried to come back after 10 p.m. for the next eruption, after the moon had risen, but it was hidden behind clouds and didn’t help the situation much.

The camera was on a 30 second exposure. ISO is 1600.

Most of the roads into Yellowstone are open for another two weeks, so we still have a chance to enjoy this fascinating playground!

And here is a picture of the Tetons, taken at about 11 p.m. on October 13. This picture was taken with the benefit of a full moon behind me. It had snowed the prior weekend and the contrast on the mountains was gorgeous.