Have you ever wondered what it takes to get the beautiful wildlife and landscape shots that we share on our Facebook and Instagram? Our marketing team at the Foundation did—so we joined cinematographer Ryan Sheets of Sheets Studios for an early morning in the park.
We’ve worked with Ryan for a few years—he is a wonderful photographer and cinematographer in town who has created some of the Foundation’s most beautiful content. Ryan spends many of his mornings throughout the year waking up at the crack of dawn and driving to remote locations in the park to get the perfect shot. Foundation staff were lucky enough to join him on one such morning earlier this fall.
Ryan had us meet him at 6:30 in the morning at the visitor center in Moose, WY. Even though it was still dark, we were eager to get outside. We went into Grand Teton National Park and after a short drive, we pulled over to set up the camera. As soon as we parked, Ryan noticed two herds of elk located a few hundred yards away. Because of the time of year, the elk were in the middle of the rut. The bull elk were bugling and working to establish their harems while the sun rose over the Gros Ventre mountains. It was fascinating to watch and made for some great filming opportunities for Ryan!
Ryan set up the large camera he uses when filming wildlife in the park while we listened to elk bugling against the backdrop of a beautiful sunrise.
The camera Ryan uses is known as the Red Epic Dragon. This particular camera films up to 6K, which is six times the resolution of HD (high definition). This means he can capture details with the camera at an incredible magnitude. We were able to see the elk breathing in the cool morning air through the camera lens!
Thank you Ryan for letting us tag along and showing us what it takes to be a successful cinematographer—we are so lucky to be able to work with you!
For more of Ryan’s work, check out his website at www.sheetsstudios.com!