Abyss Pool in Yellowstone: some photography musing

Abyss Pool at West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone

Abyss Pool violently erupted in the 1990s before settling into a placid phase.  This green goddess is one of the most beautiful pools in the entire park.  Like many pools in Yellowstone, the colors defy description and even photography is challenged to show the brilliance and full spectrum of greens on display!

I chose this as my Photo of the Month pick for June because of the wonderful colors, the clouds sweeping across the sky, the absence of humans and the balanced composition.  This was my best landscape shot from Yellowstone this year.

Some Technical Information:

To photograph such colors I used a polarizing filter to reduce the surface reflection.  This allows the greens underneath to shine better.  

I shot 4 vertical pictures from left to right with identical aperture and shutter speed and then stitched these photos together in Photoshop back home.  My widest lens, the 17mm, does not accept photo filters.  That polarizer is truly required here, so I shot it at 24mm in 4 frames.  

Exploring around Yellowstone is a reality-check, a miraculous discovery, time travel and much more.  West Thumb Geyser Basin is a highly recommended stop if you are in the Park.