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Some twenty years ago I shot an autumn photo of Mt. Moran reflecting in the Snake River from Oxbow bend. It was early in my infatuation with photography and the image was mediocre at best. But the weather was perfect, and I had all of Oxbow Bend to myself – not another soul around. At that time I didn’t recognize how extremely rare the solitude would prove to be. But I remember standing there in the cold autumn air, drinking in the incredible panorama laid out before me. I was hooked.
Since then I have returned frequently to that place to try to improve on the photo I took on that day. But each time I either misjudged the timing of the autumn colors, underestimated the crowds, was frustrated by poor weather, or experienced some combination of the three. Needless to say I’ve come to value the memory of that first experience.
This year we decided on an earlier-than-usual start to our annual autumn pilgrimage to the Tetons. The weather was cold and there had been a dusting of snow in the days before we arrived. But the leaves were spectacular and I decided to try Oxbow yet again. I arose two of the three days (the other day was stormy and cloudy) at 4:00 a.m. to ensure I could choose my spot. And although the experience was far from solitary, I did meet some interesting and friendly folk while we waited patiently for the sun to come up. Both the weather and the leaves were favorable for the first time in years, and I finally had a second chance to record one of Nature’s most beautiful spectacles. This image is a compilation of seven images taken in portrait orientation and stitched together.
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