James shares the outtakes from his preparation for the Climb up Grand Teton.

This article is in honor of my Dad, Ronald J. Morrissey. For a very long time, my father, brothers and I would be in the Tetons during this week. My dad's birthday would have been today - 9/25/34.

The Absarokas at Sunset, from Oxbow Bend

The trips out West this year turned out to be among the most rewarding I’ve had for landscapes. In more than 25 years of photographing the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, I’ve rarely come home with such a consistent set of images that I truly enjoy. Of course, there are individual photographs from past trips that match or even surpass some of these, but to gather so many in a short span felt special. Usually, I’m grateful if I come away with two or three portfolio-worthy shots from a trip. That’s still true here — but this time there were enough extras that I thought it would be fun to share a few “outtakes,” images I loved that didn’t make it into the main article,"Not Stuck but Growing, Lessons From the Tetons."

Sheep Mountain with Jenny Lake from the String Lake Loop


Sheep Mountain is one of my favorite sunset locations in the Jackson Hole region. Because the mountains face West, most of my sunsets are of Sheep Mountain or of the mountain range shooting into the sun from an area where there is good reflectivity over the water. This image was taken on my first night out in the Tetons, preparing for the Grand Teton Mountain Climb. We had done this trail in the morning and I knew exactly where I wanted to be at sunset. I also want you to take a good look at that mountain. It is very clear that Casper the Ghost is on that thing and that he is smoking a cigarette. Probably a Marlboro. Don't ask me why, it just is. I had never noticed that formation before. My hiking partner, John, pointed it out to me. It apparently has been there since 1925, so it is the 100th Anniversary of what is called the Gros Ventre Slide. I know I am not supposed to point people off my website, but there is a really good article on the USGS website that is worth reading about it.

Signal Mountain at Sunrise


Signal Mountain is one of my absolute favorite places to photograph sunrise in the park. There is never anyone there and there is an abundance of wildlife. Fox are everywhere and grizzly frequently roam the area. In every article I do, I make the point that I was the only one there. This time John was there because I dragged him kicking and screaming. Oh, if you are in love with this location now, if you pass the transmitter you went past the overlook. Bring bear spray, please. I see people marching all around without a care in the world and it is important to remember that we are on their territory. A few years ago, I wrote an interview with Chuck Bartlebaugh about being Bear Aware it is worth the read if you have the time.

Jenny Lake After Sunrise


Jenny Lake is another location that I love to shoot in the morning. The only people there were taking part in something called a 'Picnic.' The Picnic is an endurance challenge that combines a total of: road biking 46 miles, swimming 2.6 miles across Jenny Lake, and running and climbing 20 miles, including free soloing the Grand Teton (13,775’) via the Owen Spaulding routes. As someone who just made the attempt to climb the mountain and made it as far as the Upper Saddle, I can tell you that these people are clearly not well. At least mentally. Physically I have dreams of being half that fit. This gentleman was kayaking across the river to pick up his friends. John called him over and had him come into our frames.

Taggart Lake Waterfall


The very first bridge you cross hiking the Taggart Lake trail has this waterfall. While the tip of Grand is just visible at the top, there is so much drama to the rest of this fall. The trick to a good waterfall image is to drag the shutter enough that you make the water look like toffee, but you don't want to blow out the highlights. The Taggart and Bradley Lake trail is such an amazing and accessible trail and may be worth an article all of its own. LOL, if this image and paragraph magically disappears then you will know why. I suppose the top of the frame is a bit bright - but I believe I can tamp that down in post some.

The Absarokas with a Rainbow


I hate rainbows… but I love the Absarokas. This shot didn’t make my initial cut because the same evening produced the most incredible color, so this image was overshadowed. In many ways, though, this is the “truer” view. If not for the magnetism of Moran, it’d be easy to forget to look east — yet the sunset light often lands most beautifully on the quieter, equally striking Absarokas. The cover image for the article is the one I ultimately chose to use in my first article - I am still really struck by it when I see the image. It is remarkable how one scene can change in just a few minutes. I consider the Absaroka Range to be a 'hidden gem in plain sight.' Because Moran is so magnificent, it is easy to not turn around and look at them - but with that waterline and the perfect evening light, they really are site worth while in and of themselves.

Oxbow Bend Panorama - 5 Images, 84 Megapixels of OH MY


I’ll close with this panorama, which normally wouldn’t have made the cut since I tend to shoot them only after the best light fades. But this sunrise just kept getting better. In all my years photographing this spot, I’d never had conditions like this at dawn. It’s a reminder of the value of perseverance: keep returning, and sooner or later, conditions align in ways you can’t predict.

Don’t get me wrong — you can make images you’re happy with on any given trip. As my friend and mentor, Steve Kossack, always said to me, "It is your day at Disney World...go make the best of it." But the ones you’re truly proud of, the ones worthy of hanging in a gallery on N. Cache Street, come with time and persistence.

Today would have been my dad’s birthday. One of the most important lessons he taught me was the power of repetition. Paradoxically, the way to find new perspectives is to revisit the same places, again and again. You don’t need to be the best at what you do — you just need to be good enough, and fortunate enough, to be there when it matters. I’ve tried to carry that into every part of my life. I hope it shows.

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Please remember that the text and all images in this article are (c) 2025, James Morrissey.

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