Yellowstone National Park

I recently took my first trip ever to Yellowstone National Park with my family. When we drove into the park I spotted some elk just off the road, with a composition in mind I got out of the car with my Canon 5d II and a 70mm-200mm Lens. As I attempted to get the shot I wanted, I noticed something very unusual, it turns out that my lens became a fixed focal length. In layman's terms, my $1700 lens no longer zooms in and out. I was extremely disappointed that I could no longer get decent shots of any wildlife. I was forced to shoot only with a wide angle lens, limited to shooting landscapes.

A few days later into our trip I began looking for local photography shops that might rent out lenses. I was in luck, they had a 300mm lens that allowed me to photograph some wildlife. From buffalo, elk, bears, ravens to beavers I was now able to capture it all!

Other than the trails that circled some of the geothermal features, no hiking would be done while we were there. Hiking trails were closed due to bear activity. I suppose during the spring time the bears begin to come out of hibernation and are probably grumpy from sleeping and not eating for 4-6 months, depending on snow levels. I get that away after about six hours of not eating.

Snow levels were still pretty high. Snow covered peaks surround the caldera, making landscapes especially aesthetically pleasing. If prepared, we would've cross-countried skied, gone snow shoeing, or possibly even ride some snow mobiles, but none of these were on our itinerary.