"The camera always points both ways. In expressing your subject, you also express yourself."

-Freeman Patterson

Connection. Being in nature is all about connection: connection with the world at large, and more importantly, with connecting to ourselves. This course looks inward to help see the external world in a new way.

Winter in Yellowstone is magical. There is an ancient stillness with a feeling of quietude and solitude. Winter's role is rest, hibernation, stillness, reflection. The purpose of this course is to slow down, be present, and make beautiful images of Yellowstone landscapes and wildlife from a place of being centered. This seminar will emphasize being still and present in these conditions and developing a deep sense of joy and belonging. Mornings with be spent doing wildlife photography and searching for wolves and snowy bison, amongst Yellowstone's other wild inhabitants. Midday, we return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for lunch and a brief rest. Post-lunch, we will then venture out on short (2-3 mile) afternoon snowshoe excursions. These meanders are about our own experience in winter wonderland and on focusing on the small things we see. One of our snowshoe excursions will take us to the Rose Creek pen behind the institute to understand the story of the wolf reintroduction and the daily work of people who worked to reintroduce wolves. All snowshoe hikes are weather and snowpack dependent. Following our snowshoe excursions, we will enjoy late-afternoon and sunset wildlife and landscape photography. Then we return to the LBR for dinner and evening reflections.

Our cameras will be the lens through which we experience this magical season, spending time with wildlife and creating beautiful wintery images. You will also be provided journals and small tokens to deepen this connection. Each morning and evening I will provide a quote or journal prompt to encourage reflection, while the bulk of our days will be spent slowly immersed in this magical place.

The purpose of this course is to make gorgeous images, but also to slow down and to reflect on our inner lives. This course is about photography and connection.

This is open to all levels. Everyone from phone photographers to professional photographers welcomed.

About the instructor

Kate Ochsman is an award-winning international wildlife photographer and naturalist, and is based outside of Yellowstone. Kate believes in art for a cause – her’s being conservation. Her artistic “why” is to help people connect with the wild, both within and outside of themselves, for we protect what we know and love. Kate owns her own photographic guiding company, All Things Wild, that operates locally in the GYE and internationally. As a certified South African Safari Guide, Kate also runs an innovative youth conservation program in the South African bush for college-aged participants that teaches them photography, filmmaking, marketing and how to use these along with social media to spread awareness for wildlife conservation issues. She has also worked in human-wildlife conflict in Namibia. Aside from guiding others to make timeless images, Kate’s main focus is her fine art photography portfolio, and Kate travels globally to photograph wildlife and wild places.