Before visiting a particular location, I’ll often read as much as possible about the specifics of what can be photographed before going to the spot. Knowing sunrise and sunset is often extremity important. Case in point, Mount Evans, Colorado. The best time to photograph the Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep are very early in the morning as they tend to head down the mountain side to graze within an hour or two after sunrise. From our lodging in Breckenridge, Colorado, Slade and I would get up at 4am, drive to Idaho Springs, and then take the white-knuckle drive up Mount Evans. This road is the highest paved road in North America. Once at the peak you can photograph the goats and sheep at close range. But, by 9am, they start to disperse and head down the mountain. In Yellowstone, Slade and I are usually heading out of Gardner, Montana at 5:30am to be in Lamar Valley by sunrise. When photographing wood ducks from a blind northwest of Minneapolis, I have to arise at 4am to be in the blind prior to sunrise. It’s not enough to be at the location at sunrise, but you need to be set up and ready to shoot at sunrise. You snooze you lose.
