apgar
This series of images were taken on my final morning in Glacier National Park. I had a long road ahead of me – I’d be commuting roughly five hours to get over to Bozeman Montana from Colombia Falls where I’d been staying before heading to Jackson. Before that trip began, I had to drive into the park one more time to drop off my bear spray rental.
I wasn’t in a rush – I had time to kill before checking in at the hotel later that day. I spent my morning visiting the Lake McDonald waterfront one more time before strolling around Apgar Village. The rain deterred other guests. That meant I got some quiet solitude that is hard to come by at such a popular national park. I loved every second of it.
Location:
Apgar Village, Montana
Date:
October, 2023
Camera:
Fujifilm GFX 100S
When I first arrived I noticed the colors of the main tree over the lodge. The rain added a reflective quality to the surfaces of the scene accentuating the colors present. I snapped this first image. From there, I began walking towards the lakeshore and shot a few scenes but at that point sunrise had came and went and the clouds were locking us in and away from the sun. I didn’t mind – I’d already had so many sunrise shoots that trip that it was nice having slept in for once.
While I was at the lake front I did take an image of one of the boats moored there (the “Crestliner” featured in this image). However, I don’t think it’s worth sharing here – the other compositions of that boat from the trip were stronger.
From there, I began walking back towards the car. Along the way I re-photographed a scene I’d shot earlier in the week of a nature trail off the parking lot. I adore the way that the rain treated this scene. Of particular note, the shrubbery and growth in the front of the scene got a particularly lovely glossy sheen.
After this – I’d had my bear spray returned and it was time for me to hit the road. As I began to get on my way though I noticed something, the main road. The framing of the scene was perfect and I loved the lone car parked off to the side. I re-parked my car, drew my camera, lined up the shot, and fired.
Now – I can be honest with myself. I know this isn’t an image that many people will love, it’s not the most dramatic or eye-catching scene. HOWEVER – I’d argue that that should not be your primary goal in photography!
As my photographic journey has gone on and I’ve grown and matured (both as a photographer and a person), I’ve realized that if I don’t do this for myself I’m going to drive myself crazy. When I made that shift, I began to look at a lot of my images through a different lens (pun intended). For me this image is a memory of a quiet morning that I never want to forget. Now that I’ve written it down – I hope that I never will.
I hope you enjoyed reading this memory as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’ll see you in the next one.
Always enjoy looking at locations through your eyes.❤️
You are so gifted in your writing style. I really enjoyed the quietness of your pictures.👍