Grand Prismatic Spring Photos

Grand Prismatic Spring Morning		Grand Prismatic Spring Ariel View		Grand Prismatic Spring Runoff

The vivid colors of Yellowstone National Park’s famous Grand Prismatic Spring are a result of bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the deep blue mineral-rich water. The vivid colors offer fantastic photo opportunities. In the summer the mat colors turn orange and red and in the winter they are more dark green.

Yellowstone National Park is filled with magnificent mountains, scenic valleys, waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, lakes, rivers and forests. Yellowstone has the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Besides its famous bison, people come to Yellowstone to see and take pictures of grizzly bears, wolves, elk, moose and bighorn sheep, among other wildlife. Colorful wildflowers grow in the spring and summer.

Yellowstone’s spectacular scenery offers an endless variety of photo opportunities anytime of the year, and each season has its own unique beauty. It is best to shoot nature photos at sunrise or sunset for the best lighting conditions.

Camera Equipment Used in Photos

These photos were taken with a Nikon D2X and a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. Other full frame cameras such as the Canon EOS 1DS Mark III will work as well. Some professional photographers carry a smaller APS-C DSLR such as a Canon 7D or Nikon D90 as a backup camera. Many of the landscape pictures were taken with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens; this lens is available for most digital cameras including Leica, Pentax, Sony, and Sigma and Olympus.