Northern Lights Above the Paradise Valley
Last night, or early this morning I should say, was a beautiful site unlike anything I've seen. On an evening with no moon to be seen, and not a cloud in the sky, it was a warm, crisp and clear night that only those who have been to Montana to see it could grasp the shear immense scope of the stars and the sky.
I had just finished a wonderful 2 day shoot at a ranch South of Big Timber on the Boulder River when I decided I should stop in at a favorite spot in the Paradise Valley on the way back home. It was 1 in the morning, and I figured I could get a few good sunrise shots of the recently baled hay along the river. But when I stepped out of the truck ready to climb in to the camper for a couple hours sleep (my sunrise alarm always set for 4:00 am) I could see glimmering shades of green, purple and reds dancing along the horizon over the valley. It was the Northern Lights!!!
Needless to say, I stayed up all night watching and capturing a natural show unlike I've ever seen. I opened a window on the nearby truck, and put on a little late night Yellowstone Public Radio. With a classical masterpiece in the background, combined with the slow roaring of the Yellowstone River far below, the inspiring light show over Livingston and the Paradise Valley made me feel insignificant, and part of everything in a timeless way that words are inappropriate to explain…
Leave a comment
Also in News
New print release! “Great Grey Overlook” - Paradise Valley - Livingston, MT
March 05, 2024
“Great Grey Overlook” - Paradise Valley - Livingston, MT
A great grey owl sits in his perch in an old tree overlooking the fall colors of the Yellowstone River and the Paradise Valley while a full moon rises in the early evening over the Absaroka Beartooth Range in the distance.
Location: Mallards Rest - Paradise Valley - Livingston, MT 2023
OPEN EDITION
Continue reading
New photos published to the website!
January 30, 2024
Finally getting a few new images uploaded to the site this winter. Most are from the recent book that have been unpublished until now....more to come!
To see the most recent, click on this link below:
New work uploaded Jan 30th, 2024
On the cover: "Original Roots"
"Calving Season - Sun Prairie"
"Benchland View" Windham, MT
Continue reading
Recommended Reading- Montana Outdoors Magazine - Nov.-Dec. 2023
November 17, 2023
Montana Outdoors Magazine - Nov.-Dec. 2023
“Montana Panoramic: Transparent in the Backlight”
Craig W. Hergert. Essays by Shann Ray.
Few images capture the grandeur of Mon-
tana—big sky, big land, big mountains, big
everything—as well as Bozeman photographer
Craig Hergert’s panoramic photographs. In
his newest coffee-table book, Hergert takes
viewers on a journey to 26 areas from Glacier
National Park to Ekalaka. We almost don’t
want to recommend this stunning photogra-
phy collection, because anyone who sees it
will want to immediately move to Montana.
Continue reading