Our First Week Of Wildlife Photography | Yellowstone National Park

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you all so much for watching our video! We've really enjoyed the feedback and appreciate all of your suggestions. We are aware that some of the video shots are shaky and we've learned a lot about our equipment since filming this video. So, the quality of our wildlife shots will be higher in our coming videos, as the more we practice and learn the better we get!

[@KevinF235]

You two have some seriously good photography and videography skills. Your narration skills are very well done too. As a boomer growing up in the 70s, you two take me back to my best time of life, keep being you. I wish you both happiness and good health.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate hearing that! You take care as well! 😊

[@TravisWest-j1q]

What a special place! Not to be a spoiler, but the first “Grizzly Bear” you spotted was actually a cinnamon black bear and a large one at that. Many people mistake the grizzly and black bear when they are brown in color. The most distinguished feature of a grizzly bear is a prominent shoulder hump which this bear had none. Non the less it was quit the specimen for a big black bear.

[@rickpartlow534]

Yeah, I was gonna point that out. But they saw an actual grizz not that long after, so it's all good.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Yes, that was one that we weren't completely sure about, even when editing. I think the size of it really threw me off! It's been really cool getting to see all of the different shapes and sizes that both bears can actually be. Thank you both for helping us identify that!

[@xiongbear.travel]

Beautiful footage 😊 I love the moment at 6:02, that “sync” in narration and the Cub emerging behind mother bear was great! I’m actually heading to Yellowstone late June this year, hoping to see lots of bears and other wildlife this summer

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Aww thank you so much! We’re glad to hear you appreciated that part! ☺️ Ohh that’s so exciting! We will be there in early June hopefully! We’re hoping to see lots of wildlife as well! We hope you have a great trip!

[@xiongbear.travel]

@@kaydeandkatrina Hope you have a great trip too! I heard late May/Early June is the best time for wildlife, hopefully it stays that way when I visit later in the month. I Plan to wake up super early to see the most wildlife cuz the hotel I'm staying in is almost a 40min-1hr drive to Lamar Valley where most of the wildlife action is. Also plan on checking out the East Entrance Road as I heard about many grizzly sows that hang out close to the road in that area :D Im also going to Glacier too and hopefully the time is right to spot some bears and moose from a safe distance. I watched your Glacier video too a few days ago and I'm still dreaming of having such a beautiful moose encounter (Was that at Fishercap Lake bc I heard its the best place to find moose?) and of course some bear sightings from the road as well 😊

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We went to Glacier at the end of July and were able to see all of the wildlife you saw in that video! Yes that was the lake! We hope you have a great summer filled with exhilarating wildlife sightings! ☺️

[@rerolley]

Nice shots. If I can offer some advise, you might want to look into getting a bean bag as a car window mount to stabilize your camera. Long lenses are hard to handhold for long.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We appreciate that tip! This 200-500 can be a beast to handhold, especially when standing.

[@chili5555]

Or a tripod.

[@VexMediaPhoto]

Wow! So envious of how much wildlife you got to see! I need to go back with more time for sure! Great stuff!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We felt really lucky with all that we got to see! We can't wait to go back 🙂 thanks for checking us out!

[@adventuresforthecurious]

Another great video! I'm so jealous of the number of bears you saw, but the video of the ground squirrels made me laugh out loud. I really enjoy your videos and look forward to watching more!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We feel so lucky with how many bears we came across! We thought the little lawn mower was funny too 😂 thanks for watching!

[@maryfisher2006]

I highly recommend watching the utube video of Yellowstone and their outstanding work there. If you haven't adventured to spend time in Yellowstone, this provides you with the opportunity without the travel or expense. Awesome job Kayde & Katrina. I love watching all the wildlife but especially the bear, they are always so magnificent.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank for such a nice comment Mary! We really appreciate it. We love the bears too! Kayde's original goal for wildlife photography was to take photos of bears, so we've been pretty successful in that so far!

[@joeret2896]

Wildlife photography is very addictive but in a good way, especially in the Yellowstone and Tetón areas. Enjoy your adventure!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We're finding that to be true! Thank you!

[@HusbandnWifeDuo]

Love from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada! As enthusiast nature photographers, we will visit this park one day soon, but visiting it now vicariously through your video.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

This park is the best for nature photography! We're glad we could digitally bring it to you guys up in Canada. Thanks for watching!

[@floydhurst6372]

I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Yellowstone is my I and my wife's favorite place. We made our first trip about your age and we are now in our 70's. You may be making photos and videos but you are making memories you will always treasure, even when the pictures fade and get misplaced. Keep up the good photography and yes you will learn and progress but it is digital, no end to how many you can shoot. On our first trip we were shooting 35mm film in a Nikon f2. The longest lens I had was 300 mm. I was afraid to take too many pictures as I had to pay to have them developed. I think I shot maybe 200. Enjoy Gods creation!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you for the wonderful comment, Floyd! We're really enjoying this time of our lives and feel fortunate to be able to travel and experience these amazing places. And we're happy to bring you along our journey!

[@TimWillinghamRatz]

. That was a great first trip and fantastic photography! We were there this time two years ago and saw wolves there for the first time. There was a bison carcass across the river and they were gorging themselves on it, taking naps and repeating the process. You could hear multiple coyotes on the hill behind them protesting the wolves not sharing.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks so much Tim! Wow, that sounds like an incredible experience. Wolves are fascinating to see in the wild!

[@cwgner1270]

So stunning. Thanks for the video, I felt like I was there. ❤

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you! We are so happy to hear that! 😊

[@mjrinegar]

Thank you for this. Well done. Loved your editing, simplicity and clean lines, story lines, and such diversity of wildlife. The minor camera shakes added to the authenticity and realism. Unpretentious! Simple, clean, elegant! Very well done. Thank you! A person can learn a lot about wildlife from this. I lived for years about 2 hours from the Park, then summer family reunions based in West Yellowstone. Am a serious amateur photographer, grew up in Wyoming, now in HOT Phoenix, AZ, lol! So thank you for a job well done! Keep going, kiddos as my fav Aunt Patti used to say! Lol!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you for this comment! We really appreciated hearing your take on the video and your kind words! 💚 ohh wow getting to have family reunions in the park sounds like it would be so fun! I bet you’re excited for fall soon being in AZ now! Aww thanks again!

[@Bruce.94538]

Excellent video, well narrated. It was a pleasure to watch.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much, we appreciate that! 🙂

[@RandyLykes-le8zo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Always good to see how others enjoy one of our favorite places. We enjoyed meeting y’all while sharing a red-napped sapsucker experience near Cattleman’s Crossing. Safe travels!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

So good to hear from you Randy! Thank you for sharing that experience with us. We hope the rest of your trip went well!

[@Red-Robin4]

Why can’t people enjoy the damn pictures and quit criticizing them? Everyone has an opinion on how they can do it better but it looks pretty damn good to me!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Haha, thank you Robin! We're new to this and we're learning a lot!

[@bobalanadventures2024]

I enjoyed your video! Yellowstone is one of my favorite places to visit. I try to get there at least once a year. Great place to make videos and take photos.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much Bob! It has been our absolute favorite place to see and photograph wildlife. Good luck with your future adventures!

[@ActionXander]

Awesome video you guys well done! Yellowstone National Park has a very special place in my heart and you guys definitely captured the epicness well! I just got into wildlife photography as well and it's so addicting!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much! It is so addicting. There is nothing like that rush of spotting a grizzly bear and pulling over to photograph it!

[@MoutainGuyAdventures]

Love YNP. I’ve made 15 trips over the years. It keeps drawing me back. New sub👍

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for checking us out! Yellowstone is so incredible. I'm sure we'll try to make it back every year!

[@Bruce.94538]

Well put together video.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you!

[@BraedenRoesler]

Vaguely feel like I might've seen your van once or twice while in the park/pass. Glad you had a great trip.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

That's quite possible, our van is pretty recognizable. Thank you! We hope you did as well!

[@marciapearson3635]

Stunning! I loved the fox! Thanks for taking me a long, can’t wait for more!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you!! We thought the fox was so cool too! Loved when he jumped straight into the air!

[@FotoHysteria]

I ha e been to YNP 4 times and its my favorite place to photograph wildlife. Cant wait to visit a 5th time!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

That is awesome! It is by far our favorite national park for wildlife. Thanks for watching!

[@larsjames777]

Very nice video and you visited YNP at the right time of year, spring transitioning into summer. Up your game with either a monopod for stills, and a fluid-head tripod for videos. You'll realize an amazing ability to keep a long lens stabile for long periods of time, a higher percentage of tack-sharp images and much smoother video pans and tilts.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey thanks for the tips! Check out our most recent videos to see if we've improved 😉

[@Jardinacaptures]

Really awesome video you guys! Definitely hitting that subscribe button to follow y’all’s journey!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We're stoked about that! Thank you so much!

[@ilpoheikkila4773]

Amazing video!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you!

[@buffalolizard]

Good work..keep it up!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you, we sure will!

[@Najim1958]

outstanding!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much!

[@OscarGonzalez-vt4wg]

Great stuff! Good pics! You really need a tripod for the vids. Bouncing all over the place. I just subscribed! Looking forward to more!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey, thanks Oscar! We're excited to keep sharing our adventures with you!

[@ЮрийМигунов-к7щ]

Hi. You need to do something about stabilization. A good tripod or monopod has not hurt anyone yet, especially when shooting videos. This has less to do with photography, although a photo without blurring is also the result of using a tripod.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

I got a pretty nasty cut from an old tripod a few years ago, but I see your point 😉 thanks for the tip!

[@joncothranphotography9375]

Great video!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you! 🙂

[@jolenehagen2103]

Love the video and all the animals

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We're glad to hear that, and that we were able to share them with you! 😊

[@MrTrirwin]

All of them. Badger and bear cubs

[@Rankos_Photography]

Nice video and photos.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you!

[@amypaulson3205]

Beautiful videos and photography ❤ Our favorite animals was the bear cubs, fox and chipmunks 🐿️ 🧡 I’m ordering a picture of the bear cub on the log. How adorable 🥰 Thanks for sharing your journey with us. ❤️

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you so much! ❤️ Aren't they all so cute? Oh awesome, I think that photo will look so good printed! We can't wait to keep sharing these adventures! 😊

[@TerryMoore-z9k]

Love the bears!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We do too!

[@jameslove1092]

Hi guys. Just subscribed. Loved the baby bear.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey! Thanks so much for subscribing! Aren’t baby bears just the cutest!?

[@patrickmolloy6994]

good luck ! some information on what gear you're using would be of interest.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks Patrick! For this video we used a Nikon Z6ii and a Z50. The lenses we used were a Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 F mount and a 24-70mm f4 Z mount. For audio we used a Rode Videomic NTG. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@lehighcap]

I was in the park likely same time. Got great grizzly shots.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

That's so awesome!

[@plumbushfarm]

My experience with video editing is somewhat limited, but I'm wondering if Davinci or whatever software you are using would have had a motion stabilizer filter that might help with some of your footage? At any rate, very neat stuff, and thanks for sharing!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey, thanks for the tip! Davinci does have stabilization, and I'm just learning that it is actually pretty good in version 18. So our next videos are going to have much more stable video with the help of that software. Thanks a ton for watching and commenting!

[@spiger52]

Thank you @KaydeandKatrina for a beautiful experience and video! I am a photographer and heading to Yellowstone for the first time in September. Did you capture your beautiful still images with a second camera and long lens or were you able to pull the images from your video frames? Thank you!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for watching @spiger52! That's really exciting news, I hope your trip goes well! Sounds like you'll be there during a great time of year. We actually shot stills and videos on the same camera. It's quick and easy on the Nikon Z cameras to switch between photo and video modes. Eventually we'd like to have two long lens setups so we could shoot photo and video at the same time. I hope that answers your question. Thanks again for the comment and for watching!

[@spiger52]

@@kaydeandkatrina thank you so much for the quick reply. One last question, what was the new lens you all were using on the Nikon? Thanks again for your assistance!!!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

No problem! The lens that we've been using for wildlife is the Nikon F mount 200-500mm f5.6. Not exactly a new lens, but it's new to us!

[@hughalbrecht1218]

When were you there

[@kaydeandkatrina]

This was filmed in early June!

[@robhamilton8993]

What you called Antelope actually were Pronghorns. And also I had to recheck park rules when you are in the parks about people’s pets/dogs. So just so your viewers think it’s ok to allow their dog to run loose here was the rule Pets may only accompany people in developed areas and must remain within 100 feet (30.5 meters) of roads, parking areas, and campgrounds. Pets must be physically controlled at all times: they must be in a car, in a crate, or on a leash no more than six feet long.Jul 16, 2019

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Yes you’re correct they are Pronghorn which is why I called them that at an earlier point in the video. Sometimes I use the terms interchangeably but I am very aware that they are not in fact antelope. Yep those are the park rules. Where we were camped was not inside the national park which is why we let our dog run loose after being cooped up in the van all day while in the park. I would hope people would do their own research before traveling to a place, but in case they didn’t now they know.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for the lesson Rob. I've lived in Wyoming my whole life and see pronghorn every day. I'm well aware of what those animals are. Around here we use both names interchangeably. We also know the park rules and always adhere to them. Our dog is always either in the van or on a leash. The times he was off-leash running around was at our camp on national forest land. -Kayde

[@robhamilton8993]

@@kaydeandkatrina Hope I didn’t offend you. Your vids are great. We’re on the road now…oh and when we got to Yellowstone and called the Buffalo by that name we were corrected by someone who said they were actually Bison. Yep I learned tan about people calling things different names for same thing depending on where you are from I guess

[@kaydeandkatrina]

@robhamilton8993 no worries, thank you we appreciate that! Ohh what crazy timing for that to happen. We hope you enjoyed Yellowstone while you were there!

[@AndrewCCM]

Great video. Grab a good tripod for increased production value! Thanks for sharing.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks Andrew! This was our first venture into wildlife photography and we're learning a lot!

[@TheCrabtree0]

Great wildlife video. What time were you there? We hope to avoid huge crowds and traffic when we go.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you! We actually just left, so we were there most of June. It's definitely starting to get crowded in the park but Lamar Valley isn't nearly as bad as the other more popular areas because of how out of the way it is.

[@brians1524]

What camera and lens are you using. Was just there. It’s awesome. May have seen the same cinnamon black bear

[@kaydeandkatrina]

You probably did! We were using both a Nikon Z6ii and a Z50 paired up with a Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 F mount lens. Thanks for watching Brian!

[@brians1524]

@@kaydeandkatrina sweet. I was shooting a canon R10 with a 100-400mm with a 2x extender at times. Good shots of the wolves. That was the only thing we were not able to see. Heard them early morning in Gardner MT. Was able to see Grizzly 610 and her cubs in the Tetons.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Sounds like a sick setup! We felt very lucky to be able to see wolves a couple of times. Unfortunately our time in the Tetons got cut short so we didn't end up seeing 610 or 399. We did see some other cool wildlife while we were there though! We'll have a video from then coming out soon!

[@yoglace]

Amazing videos and still shots what lens are you using? I’ll be out there in Oct and can’t wait. A very inspiring video

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you, we really appreciate that! We use a Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 F mount lens on both a Z50 and a Z6ii. We hope your trip to Yellowstone is fantastic!

[@GeoffMann]

Love the Badger

[@kaydeandkatrina]

They are so neat!

[@darrelbreazeale1499]

May i ask what camera and lens you used for this video? Thank you!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey Darrel! The wildlife shots were taken with a Nikon Z6ii and a Z50 with the F mount 200-500mm lens

[@RandyPollock]

You would benefit from a monopod or vehicle windows sandbag for those video shots.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for the tip Randy! This 200-500 can be a beast to handhold. Do you prefer monopods to tripods?

[@RandyPollock]

@@kaydeandkatrina I shoot Fuji so the best I have is a 400mm and with it's IS and the IS in the Fuji X-T5 short video captures are fine handheld. But if I know I'm going to be there awhile I break out the tripod...or sit in the car with the husk bad draped over the open window.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Gotcha, thanks for the info!

[@ronroccolarosa5575]

Hey guys, enjoyed the video very much! Thank you. What lense were you shooting with?

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We appreciate that! We are using the Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 F mount lens

[@ronroccolarosa5575]

@@kaydeandkatrina Yes, I have the D500 with 5 select lenses, the only distance zoom I have is a kit lense, 55-300 4.5/5.6 Thank you for the return reply! Have fun, keep producing!!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

If you're looking for a good, relatively inexpensive wildlife lens then I would definitely recommend this one!

[@ronroccolarosa5575]

@@kaydeandkatrina Thank you, I have been researching.

[@Maximilan20]

This was amazing to watch. What camera and lens did you use?

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much! We used both the Nikon Z6ii and Z50 with the F mount 200-500mm f5.6 lens

[@txlatino3952]

Great content and footage. As a fellow photographer I would suggest getting a tripod or at the least a monopod to help with the camera shake when videoing. I know zooming out to 600mm can really intensify the shake from hand holding but you need to get a stable support. Some video is hard to watch because of the shake. Good luck to y'all!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you! We appreciate the advice, this video was over a year ago and we have gotten a lot better since! You might like checking out one of our more recent videos like our Kodiak Alaska one! ☺️

[@Mr2EL]

Great video! You were really fortunate to see such a variety of wildlife in a short time. But it IS Yellowstone right? Thanks for sharing.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

We feel very lucky with all of the animals we have seen so far! Hopefully our luck stays strong as we head down to the Tetons. Thanks for watching, we're glad you liked the video!

[@Mr2EL]

@@kaydeandkatrina A slow drive on Moose - Wilson road in the morning is a good chance to se moose, elk and mule deer up close. Have fun in the Tetons!!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

I was actually just looking up where to go as I saw this comment. Thanks for the tip!

[@deirdre5279]

Loved the photographing of this beautiful place Ty I will suggest to hold video camera still the bouncy motion was distracting

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for watching and for the suggestion!

[@tdail47]

Enjoyed the video. Pro tip: If you are going to shoot video, use a tripod with a fluid video head or gimbal head to help your viewers avoid motion sickness. Keep up the good work!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey, thanks for the tip! I've actually been looking into getting a new tripod setup for this camera. I think I'm leaning more towards a fluid head instead of a gimbal head, but I keep going back and forth. The flex shot ball head seems like a cool option too. Do you have any recommendations?

[@kaydeandkatrina]

When I made this comment I didn't realize how expensive that flex shot head was haha, so that's probably not an option!

[@JohnSlankas]

Neewer makes a decent entry level gimbal. I would buy a good pair of tripod legs,though. Excellent content in the video!! Quite a visit

[@kaydeandkatrina]

I'll look into that. Thanks a ton, John!

[@williamstatt8651]

Now you need to get a tripod with a video head.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

That's in the works! Thanks for watching William!

[@ravol22]

Yeah would recommend a tripod! But very nice videos keep up the adventures.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you very much @ravol22!

[@rayninness6303]

You need a larger Tripod with a Good Gimbal head on it!!👍👍

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks for the tip!

[@talonridgeimages4331]

WELL DONE KIDS!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thank you so much! 🙂

[@VABrowneMDPhD]

Keep honing your photography and videography skills. Your storytelling is excellent! It might be helpful to use some stabilization software on the video clips during your post processing.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey, thank you very much! We did do that a little bit, and we also learned a little more about the in camera stabilization that we will make better use of in the future!

[@brianh6436]

Nice video. Please invest in some camera support & keep at it!

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Thanks very much Brian!

[@paulpokrywka1945]

You do know that they are not antelope.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

I recognize that the correct name for those animals is "pronghorn". However, where I'm from we all call them antelope. I tend to use both names interchangeably, just like I use both bison and buffalo. Thanks for watching Paul!

[@SteveMitchell-bt8ez]

What fun. But, please, get some kind of stabilization help.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Hey, thanks Steve!

[@AaronAdventurez]

small dog like that looks like a snack for a golden eagle. just be aware

[@kaydeandkatrina]

He sure would be! Thanks for the concern 🙂

[@gabeatv]

“Pets are allowed in public areas, parking lots and within 100 feet of any road. They must be on a leash that is not longer than 6 feet in length at all times.” Please respect the wildlife.

[@kaydeandkatrina]

Yep, we always follow those rules when in national parks!