My best friend and I had rented an RV and were spending a week camping and photographing in Yellowstone National Park. We had camped overnight in one of the larger campgrounds because it was near the Brink of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. The day before had been sunny and warm, and we had spent the day shooting in the Lamar Valley. We had seen a couple of wolves and a grizzly at a distance and a number of bison that day. But we woke the next morning to a serious snow shower.

The walk down the pathway was slippery in the blue hour light. And we got to the Brink of the Lower Falls (A designated “Photo Spot”) just after dawn. Seeing the combination of the light and the blowing snow, I knew something worthwhile was there. Just because you go to a place that everyone goes to doesn’t mean you have to photograph the same old cliché.

I was so busy shooting that I didn’t really look at what I’d shot until we were back in the warmth of the RV. I downloaded the images onto my laptop, and before I even scrolled through close to 100 images, I was pretty sure that this image would be there. And with some minor tweaking, I found this image.

It has won awards in the International Color Awards and several other competitions. And it’s still one of my all-time favorites.