Artificial Lighting Banned in Grand Teton

The Thomas A. Moulton Barn illuminated with Low Level Lighting at about 2:00am, in order to align it with a mid-July Milky Way. The lights are left on during the full 25-seconds exposure, and were dimmed to output less light than a Quarter Phase Moon. In fact, the light is so dim it takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to see the effect on the barn —until then, you have to rely on the greater sensitivity of your camera to see what is happening. At the time, I did not know that artificial lighting was not allowed in the park! © Royce Bair

Night photography that uses artificial lighting is not allowed in Grand Teton National Park. This policy applies to all Grand Teton National Park visitors, including commercial operators.  Any operator found using artificial lighting outside of a headlamp for walking safety and red lights inherent on camera equipment may be subject to a written citation.

The ban on artificial lighting is not new. This policy has been around for many years. The park’s compendium language states, "The Superintendent has determined that prohibiting the use of such devices is necessary for the protection of wildlife." This restriction, in section 2.2(e), is found on page 19 of the 38-page Grand Teton National Park Superintendent's Compendium.

Since most of us don't take the time to fully read such lengthy documents, it's not surprising that I've overlooked this restriction in years past. However, during this year's CUA application process for a photo workshop permit, this restriction was brought to my attention. Instead of taking the normal few weeks to get a permit, it took several months. In the end, I and all other commercial operators are being made aware of this ban on artificial lighting. (I know of about a dozen photo workshop operators in the park who show artificially lit Teton features on their websites. This change may come as a surprise to many photographers!)

Both of these photos of the John Mouton Barn and homestead were taken in June and illuminated with Low Level Lighting. At the time, I did not know that artificial lighting was not allowed in the park! Click images to enlarge. © Royce Bair 

Alternatives to artificial lighting in Grand Teton: The Moulton Barns are popular and historic man-made structures in the park. They and the Chapel of the Transfiguration are the only features I've ever lit within the park. There are over a dozen other natural park features that I regularly photograph at night without the use of any artificial light, so this restriction will have little impact on my NightScape style photo workshops within the Tetons!

Even the man-made structures can easily be photographed without artificial light, using additional longer exposures for the foreground and blending those exposures with the sky exposure(s).

Manish Mamtani took this photo of the Thomas A. Moulton Barn without the use of any artificial lighting. © Manish Mamtani

Teton wildlife and artificial lighting: Section 2.2(e) of the Superintendent's Compendium states, "Viewing of wildlife with any type of artificial light is prohibited in the park and the parkway. This prohibition conforms to Wyoming State Law (W.S. 23-3-306). The Superintendent has determined that prohibiting the use of such devices is necessary for the protection of wildlife."

A closer look at section W.S. 23-3-306 of the Wyoming State Law reveals that it prohibits the... “Use of aircraft, automobiles, motorized and snow vehicles and artificial light for hunting or fishing…” and that “(b) No person shall take any wildlife with the aid of or by using any artificial light or lighting device...”

This law is all about the use of artificial light to take (kill) wildlife. The state restriction is only against the hunting and taking of wildlife via the use of artificial light and motorized vehicles. I would have to have a firearm and dead animals in my possession to be in violation of the state law.

So, does the park Superintendent's ban on the use of any artificial light (other than the use of headlamps to get safely to our night photo locations) within the park help protect the wildlife and eliminate the disturbance of their natural habits? That's certainly debatable, especially compared to the havoc automobile headlights have within the park. And, Low Level Landscape Lighting is about 40 times less powerful than most headlamps.

Still, I believe we should be grateful that all night photography was not banned from the Tetons. This restriction on artificial lighting is only a minor inconvenience compared to not being able to photograph the stars over such a magnificent setting!

Planning for Monthly Milky Way Movement

This alignment of the Milky Way over the Grand Tetons, from the Snake River Overlook, required me to wait until mid-September.

I waited until mid-September so the Milk Way would align with the Grand Teton peak, which faces almost due West from the Snake River Overlook. Although the bright core of the Milky Way is just below the horizon, “The Great Rift” (where the MW splits and forms the “Sea of Darkness”) rises dramatically over the Tetons. It was taken with my Canon 5D Mark III, using a Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2 • 13 sec • ISO 6400 for the sky. I blended the sky exposure with a second exposure for the foreground @ f/2.8 for 240 sec • ISO 3200 (using the camera’s “Long Exposure Noise Reduction” function).

Planning your Milky Way alignment: I was required to wait until September in order to align the Milky Way with the Tetons. Although the core of the Milky Way moves nightly from East to West at about 15º per hour, the seasonal movement adds another 30º per month —moving the MW almost 150 degrees to the West, going from April to September. You can forecast your alignment using apps like Photopills and SkyGuide.

Click image to enlarge

In the above chart I’ve taken six Milky Way images from the Sky Guide app, all captured at 2:00am on the same day of each month (the time and date I ended up taking the top photo) and pasted them into one composite photo to illustrate the monthly movement of the Milky Way; and, I’ve added a real silhouette of the Teton Range on the West side to show the actual perspective from the Snake River Overlook. Using this illustration, it's easy to see how the seasons not only affect the westerly move of the Milky Way, but the height the Central Bulge, as it rises above or sinks below the horizon.

Behind the Scenes... Finding Ansel Adams' Tripod Holes: Compare my NightScape photo with Ansel Adams’ famous 1941 “Tetons and the Snake River”. Both images were taken from the same vista (now called the Snake River Overlook), but new tree growth now blocks much of the classic “S” curve from the Snake River:

Tree Trimming Needed? Despite all my planning and the impact of the Milky Way, my photo lacks the beautiful snow pack that disappears from the mountains by August. But even more noticeable is the growth of the trees that has occurred since Adams took his photograph in 1941. This new grow has obscured much of the Snake River.

Some Grand Teton park visitors have wondered if the park should trim these trees similar to what is being done in Yosemite. Under Yosemite’s “Scenic Vista Management Plan” young trees are being removed that block the historic views that John Muir and Ansel Adams rhapsodized about when they first saw Yosemite in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. What’s your opinion?

Popular Links: How to Shoot the Milky Way • Post Processing NightScapes • Workshops and PhotoWalks • Tutorials and Tips • Overcoming Lens Coma • Video Hangout with my Friends

Finding Ansel's Tripod Holes in Grand Teton

Teton Range and Milky Way from the Snake River Overlook, Grand Teton Nat'l Park ~ © Royce Bair [click on image to enlarge]

Aligning the Milky Way with the Grand Teton: For years I've dreamed of taking a Milky Way "NightScape" over the Grand Teton peak —especially one from Ansel Adams' viewpoint that he used to make his famous Tetons and the Snake River. That view, including a visitor's information plaque about Ansel's photo is located at the Snake River Overlook just off Highway 26/89/191.

Ansel Adam's famous 1941 B/W photo, Teton and the Snake River was taken from a position that is now a park pullout called the Snake River Overlook.

To make that Teton alignment with the Milky Way required that I wait until September when the brightest portion or core of the Milky Way rotates into almost a due West position. Although the core moves from East to West about 15º per hour during each night, it still doesn't move far enough to the West without the additional rotation provided by the seasons (averaging about 30º East to West movement per month). Planning for Milky Way alignment can be accomplished with applications i.e. Photopills, Sky Guide or Stellarium.

Even though the bright core of the Milky Way is just below the horizon, “The Great Rift” (where the MW splits and forms the “Sea of Darkness”) rises dramatically over the Tetons. This photo was taken with my Canon 5DM3, using a Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 @ f/2 • 13 sec • ISO 6400 for the sky • blended with a 2nd exposure for the foreground @ f/2.8 for 240 sec • ISO 3200 (using the camera’s “Long Exposure Noise Reduction” function to prevent noise build up during exposures that last over 30 seconds).

Note the silhouette of the Tetons on the horizon —shown from the perspective of the Snake River Overlook [click on image to enlarge].

Seasonal Changes: This graphic also shows the seasonal changes to the "posture" of the Milky Way in much of the Northern Hemisphere. In the early Spring, the Milky Way is very horizontal during most of the Astronomical Dusk (the darkest part of the night). By mid Summer it is in its most vertical position during most of the night. In mid June, the core is in its highest position. By Fall, it's posture is leaning more to the West and its core dipping below the horizon by mid evening. By mid December, the core or Central Bulge of the Milky Way will never make it above the horizon (during the Astronomical Dusk) until late February.

Tree Trimming Needed? Despite all my planning and the impact of the Milky Way, my photo lacks the beautiful snow pack that disappears from the mountains by August. But even more noticeable is the growth of the trees that has occurred since Adams took his photograph in 1941. This new grow has obscured much of the Snake River.

Some Grand Teton park visitors have wondered if the park should trim these trees similar to what is being done in Yosemite. Under Yosemite’s “Scenic Vista Management Plan” young trees are being removed that block the historic views that John Muir and Ansel Adams rhapsodized about when they first saw Yosemite in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. What’s your opinion?

Ansel Adams' beautiful "S" curve composition with the Snake River is almost completely obscured in my photo due to recent tree growth [click on image to enlarge]. 

 

Holiday Greetings Jackson Hole Style

Stylized John Moulton barn photo ~ © Mike R. Jackson

This is the photo my friend, Mike Jackson, posted on his blog this morning. It's part of his "December Daily Updates for Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole." In case you're wondering, it was 22ºF in Jackson when he posted this photo at 7:00 AM, and the High Temp Forecast is for 24°F (Sunrise 7:54 AM, Sunset 4:51 PM).

Snowman and the Teton Range ~ © Mike R. Jackson

Mike has had a great website since 2011, Teton Images, that is used as a gallery for his professional photos of the Grand Teton area. However, great images don't always guarantee an audience. It wasn't until this summer, when Mike decided to finally add his blog, Best of the Tetons, that traffic began to pick up. Mike tries to offer information every month from his blog that will provide a service to his readers, with the hopes that it will also lead them to the images on his website. That service is "Photography and Travel Tips for Grand Teton National Park." Every one of the following nightscapes was taken from Mike's "December Daily Updates for Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole":

Grand to Mt. Moran panorama ~ © Mike R. Jackson

Long before first light at Shane Cabin, with light painting ~ © Mike R. Jackson

Antler Arches with Christmas lights at Town Square ~ © Mike R. Jackson

"Best of the Tetons" is a great resource for anyone traveling to the area, especially photographers. Not only does Mike have travel information and points of interest about the area, but he regularly posts wildlife sitings. Naturally, one of my favorite posts is his Night Time In the Tetons (or "Iconic locations in the Tetons—long after the sun sets"):

Stars Over Jenny Lake from Mike's "Night Time In the Tetons" post

Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon

Shooting the October Moon - Mike Jackson

Alpen Glow Over Cunningham Cabin ~ © Mike R. Jackson 2010

My friend, Mike Jackson, recently posted on his Best of the Tetons blog some "Tips for Being at the Right Place at the Right Time" when photographing the October moon (or the moon in any month for that matter). If you like Grand Teton National Park, you'll enjoy Mike's blog, because it provides one of the most comprehensive photographic studies of this area, along with some great tips. Mike and his wife have lived in Northwestern Wyoming for over 26 years, during which time he has photographed almost every location in the area worthy of a camera lens. Although his blog started just this year, he is posting new locations and photos each week, so this site should soon become a great reference for travelers to the area.

Moon Over Grand Teton ~ © Mike R. Jackson 2013

Yellowstone Falls from Artist Point ~ © Mike R. Jackson 2011

More of Mike Jackson's work can be found at his website, Teton Images.


Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon