u/Psy1ocke2

The old pilings gave me just enough structure in the middle of the frame, while most of the photograph became sky and water.

Cape Charles, Virginia

Canon EOS R8

I love how the landscape changes depending on the light.

The first was shot into the sun, with the mountains falling into silhouette and a canoe catching the reflection on the water. The second was quieter, with the trees and clouds reflecting across the lake. The last was at dusk, when most of the color had faded except for a little warmth along the horizon.

Canon EOS R8

What amazed me most was how abruptly the Tetons rose from the valley. I’m used to seeing foothills gradually build toward a mountain range.

With the lake in the foreground, I could appreciate how expansive the whole view was. My photos show a portion of it, but they don’t fully convey the scale of the mountain range.

What amazed me most was how abruptly the Tetons rose from the valley. I’m used to seeing foothills gradually build toward a mountain range.

With the lake in the foreground, I could appreciate how expansive the whole view was. My photos show a portion of it, but they don’t fully convey the scale of the mountain range.

I’ve been really fortunate to have traveled quite a bit, both in the U.S. and internationally. My dad loved to travel, and growing up he gave my brother and I the chance to see a lot of places we probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Since he passed, my husband and I have tried to keep that going by visiting somewhere new every year or two.

I’ve been a commercial, portrait and nature photographer for almost two decades, and I’ve photographed very beautiful places, but Montana honestly caught me off guard. I had seen so many photos of it before we went but it completely blew me away in person.

I also knew going in that tourism can be a touchy subject in some areas. Someone had left a Montana-shaped “Locals hate you” sticker on one of my posts, and after that I did a little reading about the culture and some of the concerns locals have around tourism so I could better understand where that reaction might be coming from.

While we were there, I tried to be mindful of that — staying on trails, leaving things as I found them, and keeping plenty of distance from wildlife.

And honestly, everyone we met in person was really nice :)

These were taken around St. Mary Lake and along Going-to-the-Sun Road. Montana was easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the chance to photograph.