Montana Photo

Fishermen,Canyon Ferry Lake.©Jason Savage

Well, I’m still here…haven’t gone missing in Blog Land…just busy as all get out.

I snuck out the other morning  to see what was happening close to home over near Canyon Ferry Lake. Lots of fishermen were heading out to try their luck and the sunrise wasn’t half bad. Also spent some time exploring around the hills behind Townsend and forgot that big game season was under way. Since I sold my rifle for a tripod, I don’t keep track of the season as well as I used to. It was a beautiful day and everyone out seemed to be enjoying it.

Canyon Ferry Lake.©Jason Savage

Things may be sketchy the next month or so with the blog and I may have to resort to pulling some photos out of the archive to keep some current content going.

We are in the process of opening a photography gallery in downtown Helena and between that and a million other things going on right now, times a little short. 

However I will be posting photos regularly, I just won’t be heading out on any photo trips anytime soon.

Next big trip will be Yellowstone, but not until the gallery opens and of course not until we have some snow. And with the way things are looking, Montana has been pretty tame lately and winter doesn’t seem to be showing any sign of arrival just yet.

With all this mild weather, it’s a great time to hit those trails for some hikes before we have to get the skis out.

Take care.

Here’s a few more pics from my recent trip out to Seeley Lake area.

Tamaracks.©Jason Savage

Rainy Lake.©Jason Savage

Canoeing.©Jason Savage

Tamaracks.©Jason Savage

Had a few minutes to get a quick post. Been pretty busy lately and haven’t had much time to get anything out.

Was up in Seeley Lake area last weekend and the Tamaracks are awesome! If you get a chance, check them out. They won’t be around much longer as they look like they are at their peak.

Fall colors are winding down, but there are still some good areas to check out. Seeley Lake being one of them. If you take the FR 477 that connects Seeley Lake to Ovando, this has some of the best Tamaracks and also check out Rainy Lake, very nice.

Seeley Lake.©Jason Savage

Hopefully in the next couple days I will get some time to get some more pics out and some info on what’s been happening around the state.

Avalanche Lake.©Jason Savage

Not much time lately to get to the blog, so I thought I would post a few pics from Glacier last week. Fall’s looking great and I will be on the road the next couple weeks wrapping up this season’s shooting. Will get to the blog hopefully next week. In the meantime enjoy the photos.

Bowman Lake.©Jason Savage

Red Bus.©Jason Savage

Avalanche Creek.©Jason Savage

Polebridge/©Jason Savage

Well finally back to the blog. Feels like I keep getting sidetracked lately and haven’t had a chance to post for a while.

Spent this last weekend exploring some new spots up in Glacier National Park and the fall colors are looking spectacular.

Couldn’t beat the weather either. September was a beautiful month and one of the warmest we’ve had in a while or at least it seemed that way.

Towards the end of my trip I decided to venture over to Bowman Lake as I had never been there before and also planned to check out the Polebridge Mercantile which I have always heard rave reviews about.

All I can say is that if you haven’t been-you gotta go. 

For all the years I have spent exploring Montana, there are a handful of places that stick out as very special and have a fond spot in my memory. Polebridge is no doubt on that list.

The town, or if you can call it that, is not much more than the Polebridge Mercantile and the Northern Lights Saloon. There are a dozen or so yearound residents and a variety of vacation homes scattered here and there throughout the valley.

Traveling from West Glacier you cross the North Fork of the Flathead River and continue heading west on 486. After a bit the road turns to dirt and for the next 15 miles or so it’s pothole city. 

Surrounding Polebridge are some spectacular spots that are a must see if you are heading to Glacier. Six miles from town is Bowman Lake and another 20 or so is Kintla. 

After spending some time at Bowman Lake on Sunday, I ventured over to the Polebridge Mercantile to check out some pastries. 

I was greeted by Sasha their three legged dog and had one of the best cinnamon roles ever. 

Polebridge Mercantile/©Jason Savage

The Mercantile is owned by Dan and Deb Kaufman and they are on their fifteenth year in Polebridge. Deb was kind enough to show me around and shared a little history with me on the place.

It sounded like it has survived a lot since being built in 1914 by Bill Adair and has traded hands many times over the years. Deb said they had a couple forest fires that came close to taking out the place,with one catching the roof on fire.

The place itself looks like it hasn’t changed much since it was built and with the fresh baked bread and pastries, it certainly has a particular charm to it.

If you need to mail something, make a phone call, shop for supplies or just gather for coffee, the Mercantile is the place to be. It’s also a great stop after spending time in the wilderness and from what I was told has quite a following from the local college kids to people traveling here from all over the world.

I hope to get back up there soon and if you’re in Glacier, I would highly recommend stopping by.

Fall colors have arrived… and I did an extensive survey this weekend and drove my butt off. Not that I don’t mind a little road time, but I really covered some ground this weekend and found some great spots where the colors have just started. By next week we should be in good shape. 

I was over in the Seeley Lake area Saturday and it still needs another week or so before things start getting better. The aspens are just starting to turn and of course it will be another two to three weeks before anything is happening with the Tamaracks.

Lost Creek/©Jason Savage

Venturing further south down to Anaconda, Lost Creek State Park had some great colors already happening. The underbrush was fiery reds and oranges and again aspens were just starting. Anytime now until the end of fall it will be good here.

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Hylite Creek/©Jason Savage

Sunday was up in Hylite Canyon hiking around and it’s definitely fall here. Colors are spectacular and it will only be getting better in the next week or two. 

So that’s all to report for now. Will be hitting the road this weekend for Glacier and with no dogs allowed in the park, sad to say my faithful traveling companion will have to sit this one out.

Pronghorn/©Jason Savage

Snuck down to Yellowstone over the weekend, and man was it packed. There still were a ton of people milling about down there and if it hadn’t been for the rain and snow pelting me in the face, I would have swore it was the middle of summer.

The park looks awesome though and I don’t think I have seen it so green in some areas and just lush all over. The weather has been kinder to us in parts of Montana this summer and it shows.

The weather was pretty spotty with some disturbances moving through that did bring some undesirable weather for photography, but sometimes you have to make the best of it. 

Lowers Falls/©Jason Savage

With all the weather the wildlife was moving around a lot and photo ops were superb. Mammoth hot springs area was teaming with elk and big bulls in the rut. This was quite a show as frantic rangers tried to block off the areas where the elk were congregating. Only problem was the elk decided to move frequently and without notice. Combine that with massive amounts of tourists and the Park Rangers had their work cut out for them.

If you want to see irratic behaviour of the bull elk during this time of year check out the park’s website where there is tourist videos of a few cars being rammed. Crazy stuff. Check it out here.

That’s all for now. I will have some trips coming up in a couple weeks and in the meantime, hope to get back to blog more frequently.

Fall Colors.©Jason Savage

Well believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking fall photography here in Montana. It may still seem far away,but if you are traveling north say to Glacier, it’s just around the corner.

I’ve been drawing up some plans for my trips over the next few weeks and it got me thinking of offering up some fall photography trip ideas for anyone looking to get out and capture some of the amazing stuff that happens during this time of year.

A couple great locations for the early part of the season are the National Parks. Not only is the scenery outstanding in fall, but you can’t beat having the parks to yourself.

Glacier and Yellowstone both offer diverse scenery and wildlife and are unique in their geography. If you head to Glacier, you want to go early. Say third or fourth week in September. It’s usually stellar, but your window is small for fall colors so you want to time it just right.

I usually prefer the east side of the park due to the dramatic peaks and being able to take advantage of that morning light. The aspens are brilliant and lots of wildlife to be seen. Late September.

If you head to Yellowstone, September and October can be some of the best months to see the park. Not only is there a sense of solitude, but the wildlife is shifting gears before winter and is on the move. Watch out for the bull elk in rut, they can be a little surly!

If you are looking for some other areas around Montana that are a little off the beaten path other than the National Parks, there are plenty to be found.

The Seeley-Swan Valley an hour northeast of Missoula has one of the most spectacular displays of Tamaracks around the state. I will be teaching a workshop in this area the third week in October with our company Big Sky Photography Workshops. The Tamaracks are unbelievably  brilliant and if you are lucky the Swan mountain range will have a dusting of snow. The Tamaracks are usually at their peak third week in October.

If you are looking to get some river time in, the Big Hole running south down below Butte, offers some classic Montana scenery, complete with that Fly-Fishing esque image that Montana is known for. Hit this early and mid October.

Hope that gives you a few ideas on where to head this season. Fall may have seemed a little further away, but upon waking this morning it was 37 degrees and the mountains are covered in snow.  Yikes…

38 Special/©Jason Savage

I’m finally out of my cast and free! Well sort of… still hobbling around and won’t be running any races anytime soon, but I am able to get around a little bit. Good thing too, as I had to shoot the 38 Special Bike race up near York this last weekend.

The race is a fundraiser for the York volunteer fire department and it’s start is held there. The race is appropriately a 38 mile ride through some beautiful country and passes along some awesome canyon areas.

It has grown in popularity over the past few years since starting in 2004 and has close to 200 riders.

My office for the day

I was reminded of why I love Montana while spending the day parked over a phenomenal canyon overlook photographing people having fun and pedaling their asses off.

Not a bad way to spend the day, even if it was work.

Helena Rodeo. ©Jason Savage

There’s still some time left this summer to catch some great rodeos around the state. I was bummed that I missed most of the stuff happening through the middle of this summer, but relieved when I saw we still had some events happening toward the end of August. If you want a schedule of all of the rodeos that are held in Montana, check out Travel Montana’s rodeo schedule here.