Yellowstone Colors

[Teton Chuck]

A couple of weeks ago I went to Yellowstone National Park to see what I could find to photograph in the late fall. It was a good time to photograph some of the thermal features in the Old Faithful area. They are quite colorful due to the thermophiles that live in them. Thermophiles are a class of microbial life that lives in extremely hot environments. The optimal temperature conditions for thermophiles to prosper is between 60 and 108 C. (140 – 226 F). The way the water is running over the substrate produces microhabitats of different temperatures creating optimal conditions for specific thermophiles that are different colors. Here are some other examples of where thermophiles a responsible for a variety of colors.

Geyser Cone Closeup



Artists Paint Pots



Black Sand Basin Hot Pool



Green Stream



Yellow Stream - It's soft because it is under water.



Opalescent Pool

[Nicks Pics]

These are downright strange looking places! Your photographs bring out the colors well. Were you saying that the yellow stream was photographed under water? Some of these pools look like they are steaming, is that steam rather than fog/mist?
Thanks for sharing these strangely interesting pictures

[Teton Chuck]

Nick, that is steam. Some of the pools are boiling hot. Others just warm. After a while you can get an idea of the temperature of the water by the color of the microbes growing in it. I should have said that the yellow stream was covered by a thin coat of running water.

[FrankMi]

All are great Chuck, but the colors in the first one are special.

If you don't mind the hike, there is a trail that goes up behind the Grand Prismatic Spring that gives you a way to shoot down and take in the entire spring. Most folks walk up to the edge of it on the walkways and never realize the spectacle that is at their feet because you can't get the proper vantage point to take it all in.

[Ziggy]

Thanks for sharing shots of Yellowstone, enjoyed viewing.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Teton Chuck]

Thanks for the comments. Frank, you are right. The Grand Prismatic Spring is best viewed either form the hillside or an airplane. It is somewhat counter intuitive, but it best viewed on a hot day. Not as much steam to block the view. I was having fun just chasing colors.

[IzzieK]

I like the colours of #1 too, Chuck. I like all of them in fact. From your last post to now, you have set a level of landscape photography to a T. All very nice and interesting. I presume that you took these while on an airplane?

[Mike Buckley]

Another wonderful series, Chuck! People who haven't been there during cold temperatures understandably can't appreciate the patience required to wait for the wind to blow the steam to a part of the frame that doesn't wholly obscure the wonderful colors.

there is a trail that goes up behind the Grand Prismatic Spring that gives you a way to shoot down and take in the entire spring.

I sure do wish I had known that during either of the two times I visited Grand Prismatic.

[FrankMi]

I sure do wish I had known that during either of the two times I visited Grand Prismatic.

It is one of the reasons to scope out an area you are going to visit with Google Earth in advance. You can see the parking area and trail south and going up the left side of Grand Prismatic Spring and you can climb the hill on the left side of the trail for a clearer shot. I wish I had known about it at the time I was there as well. Another photographer pointed it out to me.

[Mike Buckley]

It is one of the reasons to scope out an area you are going to visit with Google Earth in advance.

Good point. The last time I visited Grand Prismatic was in October 2005. Google Earth was launched four months earlier and I'm sure I wasn't using it at the time.

[Rebel]

I really like the last shot, very nice.

[bnnrcn]

Very interesting images, thanks for sharing

[Teton Chuck]

Thank you Izzie, In fact I took these with both feet on the ground. For the second shot I was standing on a hillside. You can get a sense of scale for the trees. The third shot is a hot pool that is only about 10 or 15 feet long. I just liked the colors. I am posting a photo of the geyser that includes more of it. Can you tell where the water is hot and where it is not?

[Teton Chuck]

Mike and Frank, You are right about getting the shots without the steam. And scoping it out before a visit is helpful, but still requires some learning on the spot.

Thank you Matt and Binnur for your comments.

[Nicks Pics]

Hi Chuck, That last image is interesting, what do you call that, a geyser? Or is that not quite the same as the other Yellowstone geysers? Anyway, they're certainly unusual to say the least

[Stagecoach]

Interesting series Chuck especially with the explanation behind it.

[John 2]

I agree. A picture may be worth a thousand words but a picture with a few words is even better. Nice colourful series Chuck.

[Teton Chuck]

Thank you Nick, Grahame and John. I call it a geyser because of the cone. But whatever it is, I think it is pretty.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice series. Those features are more difficult to capture than one would think