January 19, 2017
Frosty Trees, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA

Here's a final image from my recent visit to Yellowstone National Park, at least for now. It took me three days to make this image of a group of backlit frosty trees. I first saw the composition a little too late in the morning and the low brush behind the trees was also getting sun. I returned earlier the next day and got there just as the sun was illuminating the trees and not the background. However, I didn't have time to drive to the next pullout and then walk back, so I decided to turn around in the middle of the road and then just shoot from the car. Well, as I was pulling over to the far right of the road to start a three-point turn, my front-right tire went off the pavement that was hidden below the layer of plowed snow. As I tried to get all four wheels back up on the pavement, my right-rear tire went off the pavement and I was done for. I flagged down a passing vehicle and then dug out my tow strap and special tow hitch that I installed on the other vehicle. By the time I was back up on the road, the tree and even more of the background was illuminated so I missed the shot again. The third time was a charm. I got there in plenty of time and could set up on a tripod and wait for the sun to fully illuminate the trees before making my exposure.