Montana | 2005

This Montana trek made us discover natural treasures "Like no other place on earth" (as written in the discovery of Yellowstone, The Washburn Expedition, 1870). Fellow trekkers in buses 1, 2 and 3 could imagine they were following the great expedition which led to the creation of the first National Park in the US, two centuries ago. All of us appreciated in the magnificence of untouched nature throughout the ages.

Photos opportunities abounded from natural scenic wonders such as Towers Falls, Grand Canyon, Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, to a rich variety of wildlife including herds of bison, elk, eagles, ospreys and swans. Virginia City/Nevada City, pioneer mining camps, frozen in time, hit us by their nostalgia and historic content. Elkhorn Ranch seduced us with its gallop of wild horses.

Travel with our mentors and try out all of the latest equipment from Nikon! Including world class digital SLRs, Nikkor lenses and the Coolpix line of Digital Cameras.

In our spontaneous discoveries we were all the time guided by our mentors who alternated the time spent with each group. Adam Jones in the midst of adventurous walks coached us on 3 fundamentals of good pictures: 1) Subject,2) Light and 3)background. Brenda Tharp had 5 advices: 1) light, 2) visual design (using what is there), 3) composition, 4) perspective and 5)decisive moment. John Reddy, the real Montanian, coached us on panning and composing breath taking landscapes images.

A little competition went on between the buses but it was only good fun and stimulation of creativity which expressed itself during the final slide show revealing exceptional artistic talents among the trekkers. We had opportunities to print great images thanks to Epson, present on site while benefiting from expert park guides dedicated to our groups.

All in all a great trek, a lot of fun, good friendship and fabulous photo opportunities. Thanks Michelle for hosting this great event!