Fog + Tetons = Awesome!

I got tired of blue skies here in Pueblo, so i chased the good weather up north to the Tetons this weekend. The east side of the Tetons didnt get as much snow as i had hoped for; all the snow fell on the Divide and Shoshones to the east (Togowotee was a sea of mud thanks to road work!) but it set the stage for a glorious day o' fog on Sunday--absolutely perfect for photography! Way too many photos to post, but here's a small sampler:
1) Sunset Saturday by the river...

2) Oxbow Bend--youd have to pay me to shoot this location at sunrise, but mid-day is always an option...

3) The clouds swirling around Teewinot foretold of what was coming...

Foretold what? What did they foretell? The suspense is killing me!

4) When i saw the frost Sunday morning, and starry sky, i knew fog was a coming! I headed to the Oxbow Bend area to shoot sunrise, but it was clear when i got up there that the fog was pooling on the north end of the valley, and it wasnt going to clear up for sunrise. I stopped briefly to warn the dozen photogs glued to their tripods at the Oxbow turnout, i really felt bad for them, but they ignored me of course, so i shrugged and sped southward as quickly as possible! Fortunately, it began clearing to the south as the sun rose...

5) Hey Todd--patience, man!
So, the range began appearing just in pieces from the fog...

6) Then, Grand Teton began to appear...

7) Soon, the whole range was showing up...

8) By 9:30 ish, it looked like the fog was done and i headed to String Lake for a hike...

9) Obligatory What-the-Duck shot from String...

10) Fog done? No way--it kept giving and giving all afternoon as i headed up towards Solitude Lake....

11) One of the few intimates i took--who needs close up when youve got crazy peaks emerging from clouds??

12) Make it a baker's dozen...here's a conversion...
one more at ESS...about 40 left to process

So full of awesome I don't even know where to begin Stan... 5,8, and 12 are epic!!!

#9 looks crazy!!...wait I mean 7, and 8. But 9 is crazy.

Now you know why I love shooting in such conditions so much. Not that it was any big mystery.

These are awesome, Stan. My mild rebuke is for the first one, and less so on #2. They both look like you graduated from the Tom Till School of Post-Processing and Landscape Cartoons. The blues look especially neon. The rest? Solid! Especially 8, 10, 11, 12. Doubly especially 8 &12. Especially to the infinite power 12. Or maybe 8. Aw, fark it!

Love the low hanging clouds in # 8! Looks like it was worth the drive! Let's see more.

#8 Stan...WOW. Superb series!

8 is unreal!!!! WOW! I even shouted out loud when I saw it! And I was still in shock when I gazed upon the awesomeness of 12. Sheesh. I'm exhausted.

Ok, since 8 seems popular, here's a vertical--better or worse?? (aside from the unlucky 13 factor)

Unlucky #13 takes the prize. Fabulous! So Fabulous that I decided to post here for the first time in 2-3 years! I simply love everything about 13, and find it to be an order of magnitude better than the excellent #8. The composition is just so much tighter, and the layers of fog bring out the layers of the mountain so much more.

I'm on my laptop so not seeing what TC is referencing in #1, I like the comp and light, maybe the mts are a little too blue? I can't decide between #8 and #13. The light and conditions are exceptional on both, I guess it depends if you have a wide wall with low ceilings or a narrow wall with vaulted ceilings!

8 is beautiful and sweeping, whereas I'd call 9 more intense and imposing. Both are seriously awesome. I love #2 as well, Moran looks great with its head in the clouds. #12 is pleasantly gloomy, and all the others ain't half bad either.

A long drive for just a weekend, but certainly worth the effort!

I'm also not seeing Todd's "cartoon" reference in the first two. Maybe a tad too much saturation?

I love the expansive view in #8, but the tight, compressed composition in #13 is a unique perspective, and therefore wins my vote. You might try adding a bit of mid-tone contrast to those mountains in #13. They appear a bit hazy, but you may want that effect.

#13: Better or worse? No. Apples and oranges. Just plain, freakin' incredible! It's probably the best of the series, but it's different enough from #8 that it stands on its own, not to be compared to the other photo.

Stan, I found myself waiting for the "what's coming," like Todd, and man, you didn't disappoint! For me, the good stuff started at #7, and #'s 8 and 13 are epic Teton shots, period. Amazing clouds, great compositions, and the added bonus of good fall color to boot. Any photographer who frequents the Tetons would envy these shots. You made a wise decision to ditch the blue skies, and I'm delighted that it paid off so well for you. As usual, excellent and unique work!

Yep, you were richly rewarded. Those thin fog bands in #8 are great and what i always yearn to see when at the Tetons. It is my pick of this litter so far. Hope you got some other nice ones up at Solitude.

#13 absolutely screams majestic! All are your usual marvelous stuff! A very productive weekend.

Great series Stan. Wish I could have been along.

#8 is awesome! Love those defined cloud layers. #13 ain't so shabby either. Hard for me to decide between those two... Similar, yet so different.

#8. Love the oceans waves of fog Stan. Oh yea, the vertical too. Great job.

Another vote for #8!!

Definitely a productive weekend. #1 is stunning.

- Dan

I'm not seeing the neon blue Todd describes for #1 and #2, but those aren't the best images anyway. #8 is clearly your best image of this bunch by a wide margin in my opinion and #12 is nice too, but for fall I'm not sure about the black and white conversion... it seems the opposite of Fall.

The vertical of #8 (image #13) isn't as good in my opinion. The layers are better presented in #8, the view is more sweeping so your eye travels from foreground to background going back and forth over the frame. #13 chops everything off at the edges too much and the crop is a just too tight.

Good trip overall - glad you had a great time.

You kicked butt up there while the rest of us tried to ignore the sky down here. I like #3, #8, #10 and #11 in particular. I like the comp and reflection in #1 but it seems a little too "duotoned" color-wise to me (hope that makes sense). Your conversions are super.

13 takes it. Unreal.

7, 8, 13 - 8 and 13 are waaay off the charts, Stan. And I agree with Todd that 8 and 13 "Stan" on their own - it's always nice to have one of those cameras that turns sideways to give yourself more options, eh?

To my eye, 1 &2 could use light on the trees, and #3 is very cool!

Again a great set Stan - pretty nice story - #13 , #12, #10 and #8 are outstanding.

Wow, I wish I could have met up with you! Glad you encountered such awesome conditions. #8 is mesmerizing. #13 is leagues above it all. Great selective comp.

I was pretty impressed by #8 until I saw #13. Those two images alone were worth the trip. Incredible work, Stan.

8,10,12,and 13 are my favorites. I got back from the Tetons on Oct 8, my last day there was Oct 7 and Oxbow Bend colors were peaked and had been peaked for since about Oct 5. There must have been a big wind/rain/snow storm to have blown off all those leaves before you got there on the 9th,10th. You still managed to garner a lot of great stuff from your trip, congrats on another super performance!

Another great series. I like 8 a bit more than 13 and its probably all subjective. But I like the great feeling of expanse, the additional feeling of 3 dimensionality, the added contrast that comes from the larger field of trees. I also think with just a bit of light on some of the foreground trees and grasses #1 would have been just as good or better.

cool series, Stan _ thanks for sharing!

#8 is a stellar shot, amazing clouds and color