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January 16-23, 2016, I spent a week in Yellowstone National Park with Nature Photography Adventures "NPA" (www.naturephotographyadventures.com) For some inexplicable reason I had long wanted to visit Yellowstone in winter so this seemed the perfect opportunity to satisfy that itch and learn new photography skills from the pros - and maybe some survival skills as well! It was very cold, barely getting above freezing until our last day. I flew to Bozeman, Montana from Atlanta the night of the 16th, arriving to a snowstorm. There were no taxis waiting so had to call for one & waited approx. 45 minutes. There were 3 of us waiting for a cab & two of us shared the first to arrive - the third person, an Australian lad, had a surf board bag (I kid you not!) so couldn't fit him in. Lesson learned for next time - book a hotel with a shuttle. I chose to stay at the Residence Inn because it was close to Target & Bob Wards & I needed to pick up some supplies for the week - however the Holiday Inn is just across the street & has a complimentary shuttle. I took the NPA arranged shuttle on Sunday to West Yellowstone Holiday Inn which was to be our base for the next week. Two other participants were on the shuttle so we got to know each other a little on the drive down. The hotel was comfortable but the service could have been better and there was no bathtub - they are limited & need to be requested when booking. Despite that I would stay there again. We met the group comprising 11 photographers, 1 non-photographer, two professionals and our driver/guide for orientation, introductions & pizza on Sunday evening. As to be expected the majority were from the US, plus 3 Brits (including 1 non-photographer) and myself. Our goal was to be the first in the Park each day (& the last out), so the hotel provided breakfast for our group a 1/2 hour before the normal start time. Breakfast at 6 o'clock & to be on the bus at 6:45! We pre-ordered our lunch sandwiches for the week & breakfast a day in advance. No partying, everyone in bed by 9 pm.

Equipment-wise, the majority, including the tour leaders, were Nikon shooters, plus 3 Canoneers, myself the lone Pentaxian, and Sue with her iphone who arguably got the best 'snowy bison' from the bus window. Sue, if you are reading this, I want a copy.

To sum up the week, it was a pretty good group with which to share the experience. The weather could have been better - we didn't see blue sky until our last day. This, coupled with a change in transportation meant that we didn't get to see all that we had been led to expect . We were told we would have two 14-seat buses, but for 3 out of the 5 days we had a single 28 seat snow-tracked vehicle, which although providing ample space for passengers & equipment, was more difficult to board/disembark, the same people grabbed the front seats each day (despite the admonishment during orientation), we couldn't hear the tour leaders' remarks from the rear seats, and it was not as manouverable & couldn't travel as far as the smaller vehicles. The 2 days in the smaller vehicles bore out the limitations of the larger vehicle. The day we visited the 'Grand Canyon of Yellowstone' it was blowing sideways and we could only manage about 5 minutes outside - including the walk to the lookout. The weather we had no control over, but the equipment change was a major disappointment. For several participants this was not their first visit to Yellowstone so they seemed more sanguine but this first timer felt a little bit short-changed.

My goals for the trip were: To enjoy every minute of what the location has to offer. To see where I am at photographically speaking - what am I doing right & what am I doing wrong. To learn and to share - from/with others and also about myself.

Were my goals met? Yellowstone is truly spectacular, I thoroughly enjoyed the location, and I will return. Do I consider myself a better photographer having participated on this tour? Not really. The tour leaders are clearly both exceptional & successful photographers, however the 'tuition or workshop' elements I found wanting. On occasion Bob would suggest an exposure, but I hoped there would be more guidance on composition - something which doesn't come natural to me. To be fair he was available for questions but in the short time we had at each location, and the number of people requiring attention, it was either 'shoot' or seek guidance & miss the shot. Perhaps, as this was my first photography tour/workshop, I was expecting too much. Certainly those that had been with NPA before seemed satisfied, whereas the first timers expressed similar mixed feelings. Would I consider another photography tour? Possibly, to a logistically challenging location, but with a different company so that I can compare the experiences more objectively.

Photographic opportunities: We had good opportunities to photograph Bison and Coyotes. We had one chance to catch a Bobcat. We saw several Bald Eagles but they were too far away for me to capture with any detail. The geysers & ice formations provided many different angles & facets to explore. We spotted a fox but too far off & didn't see any wolves - next time!