Tree Trunks, Grand Prismatic Pool, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The image Tree Trunks, Grand Prismatic Pool, was made on a fall photography trip to Yellowstone National Park. One afternoon my wife Anne and I pulled into the parking lot for the Grand Prismatic Spring. We walked around the pool on the wooden boardwalk and made a few photographs. The sheer size of the pool and its incredible colors were mind-blowing. We wondered what the view would be like from the hillside to the north of the pool. The next morning we drove to the trailhead that would take us to the hillside north of the pool.

I was interested in the two bare lodgepole pine trunks in contrast with the vividly colorful mineral flows and the steam coming off the Grand Prismatic Pool on this cool morning. I used my longest lens – a 450mm Fujinon-CS – on my Linhof 4x5 Technika camera. I looked through a few different filters and settled on the Wratten No. 23A light-red filter. It was not easy to meter the scene from such a great distance with my spot meter. When I first determined the contrast range in the scene I was surprised at how low the contrast was, as it was a crystal clear sky. After double-checking my meter readings, I decided that I would utilize a N+2 development to achieve the contrast range I desired in this abstract image. I used T-Max 100 film, and the exposure time was 1/4 second at f/32. After processing the negative, and making a contact sheet, I could see that I really wanted a higher contrast rendering. I then selenium intensified the negative to add additional contrast. The making of this image was a good reminder that the contrast of a particular lighting situation can sometimes not actually be what we anticipate. Even though the sun was bright and intense, I needed to utilize a variety of techniques to increase the contrast to match the visualized image in my mind’s eye.,

Once I complete the prints I need to make at this time, the negative will be retired for traditional silver printing, and will never again be printed in any size as a silver gelatin print.

This silver gelatin, selenium toned, print is approximately 13-3/8 x 9-3/4", personally printed by me (as are all my prints), processed to current archival standards, signed, mounted, and matted to 16x20" on 100 percent rag museum board.

All prints are carefully prepared and packaged in specially designed protective shipping boxes, and shipped fully insured via UPS ground.

Normally there is a long waiting period for John's original prints. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a print with a short waiting period.