After The Wild West took off, collectors kept asking me the same question: “Do you photograph the Tetons?” Not yet. But I’d been wanting to.
So I started planning. Then came the car trouble, the life trouble, and everything else that seems to show up when you’re trying to get away. Trip after trip fell apart before I could leave.
When I finally made it there, I arrived early to claim my spot. Storm clouds lined the horizon, and my chances of catching that first glow on the peaks looked slim.
They were. Sunrise came and went without the light I’d hoped for. But I could see a few breaks forming in the clouds, so I stayed while the crowd packed up and headed out.
Then the sky opened, and golden light spilled across the Tetons. After all the canceled trips and a morning that nearly went the same way, there it was.
Some places make you earn them. This one did—and saved the best light for when I had it to myself.