Montana Landscape Photography
Truth be told, I was only supposed to be in Montana for 6 months. The long and harsh winters didn’t sound too appealing to me, but here I am, going on year number five. This special and magical place, that I now get to call my home. For inquiries on print sizes, available mediums (ie. paper, metal or canvas), and pricing on the captures below, please email me at: ryanjdrewes@gmail.com.
Hover and click on the images below to expand them:
"Which Way" ~ I pass this sign so many times, to and from West Yellowstone. I finally stopped one day to capture it. Which way will you go? (West Yellowstone, Montana)
"Morning Noises" ~ What's it like sleeping net to a glacier as it hisses, and moans, and cracks. through-out the darkest of the midnight hours? If you really want to know, you're just going to have to do it sometime. (Glacier Lake Trail / Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana)
"Orange Sherbet" ~ Looking east away from Lake Louise in the Tobacco Root Mountains, the sky lit up a bright sherbet orange. (Tobacco Root Mountains, Montana)
"Minus 9" ~ This photo was taken on day two of a mid January cold snap. The thermometer read a balmy -9F. The day before rang in at -33F. Believe me when I say, you can feel the difference between the two temperatures. (Big Sky, Montana)
"Frosty the Snowman" ~ Out here hangin' with old man Jack Frost, on this bluster winter morning. With origins in ancient norse mythology, Jack Frost represents icy beauty and the bitter dangers of winter. Balancing the dualities of life, mmmm, was my heart to the core. (Big Sky, Montana)
"Beehive Basin" ~ When your friend says, "let's scramble up that rock scree", you don't ask any questions, you just follow him up there. (Beehive Basin Trail / Big Sky, Montana)
"Winter Along the Gallatin" ~ What's it like living amongst the mountains? This capture only tells a snippet of the tale. (Gallatin Gateway, Montana)
"Under a Big Sky" ~ Why do they call it big sky country? I don't know, just look up and explain it to me. (Gallatin Gateway, Montana)
"Lone Sunset" ~ A friend I don’t talk to as much as I would like to once remind me that, “what we don't heal in ourselves, we will attract and blend with what our shadows believe we deserve and want.” (Big Sky, Montana)
"Big Sky Autumn" ~ Ten to fifteen minutes prior to this capture, a bull elk with antlers crossed the road. What an epic shot had the sky been on fire while this amazing creature caught up to its herd. Sadly, it was early dawn, and the lighting just wouldn’t permit it. (Big Sky, Montana)
"This Not So Hidden Lake" ~ I wait! And I continue to wait! Soaking up these moments when the sun says "hello", the mountains say "be still", and the lake says "you're safe.” (Lava Lake, Montana)
"Fireside" ~ Fireside thoughts at the Wilson Hotel. (Big Sky, Montana)
"One Summer at a Time" ~ With all the craze of summer, I remind myself that I'm ever so slowly continuing my journey through Glacier National Park, one summer at a time. (Lake McDonald / West Glacier, Montana)
"Destination Here" ~ So many roads to take in this life, so many of them leading to various destinations. (St. Mary Lake / Glacier National Park, Montana)
"Drift Away" ~I found a rock to sit on which overlooked the interior of Glacier National Park. The wind picked up as the trees began to sway. Not another living soul around, although the thought of a bear approaching crossed my mind, more on that later. I closed my eyes and drifted away, to that special place of peace and solace. (Glacier National Park, Montana)
"Sunrise over Flathead" ~ I drove four hours on a Friday, after mowing lawns for eight hours earlier in the day, slept at a truck stop, got up at 4am to drive another hour to Polson, Montana just so I could capture this sunrise over Flathead Lake. The life of a photographer. (Flathead Lake, Montana)
"Sunset Over Flathead" ~ Maybe when you’re older, Maybe when you’re grey, Maybe when you’re rich, Or maybe just some day, The life that you’ve been living, Has been yours all along, So if not now then when, Will you finally sing life’s song. ( Flathead Lake, Montana)
"Desiring More" ~ One of the main reasons I came to Montana, was so I could explore Glacier National Park. While the heart of the park was still closed when I captured this shot, the outside of her skin left me desiring for more. (Lake McDonald / West Glacier, Montana)
"Spring Flow" ~ The waters always run more turbulent during the spring time. Washing off those winter blues for summertime excitement. (Gallatin Gateway, Montana)
"Omen" ~ This early August sunset over the Nevada reservoir in Helmville, Montana, wound up being a good omen of things to come. (Helmville, Montana)
"Simpler Day" ~ There's something special about old buildings. The ambiance that they exude, bring me back to what I believe was a simpler day. What would life have been like in 1875 when this church was built? (Townsend, Montana)
"Winter Coat" ~ Lava Lake dressed in her winter coat. (Lava Lake, Montana)
"Splashdown Ousel" ~ Ousel Falls splashes down, as she roared in anger from recent rainfall and melting snow pack. (Big Sky, Montana)
"Mystical Falls" ~ I could watch water fall for hour upon hour. It's beauty unparalleled. (Emerald Lake Trail / Bozeman, Montana)
"Searching for Tinkerbell" ~ The sun creeped through, causing rays to shine upon him, as he basked in his own fairytale story. An epic journey surely to be continued, for the lost boy searching for his Tinkerbell. (Morrell Falls, Montana)
"One of You" ~ In a world full of squares, be whatever shape you choose to be. There's only one of you, so why be one to them. (Natural Bridge Falls / Sweet Grass County, Montana)
"Follow the Light" ~ One of my buyers at the Lincoln Art and Music Festival reminded me to always follow the light, even in the darkest of times. (Lincoln, Montana)
"The Butcher House" ~ Elkhorn, Montana is full of rustic treasures. The old butcher house smells of ember and rot. (Elkhorn, Montana)
"Dupuis Barn" ~ A man from California asked me at the Polson Cherry Festival in 2023, if I had any pictures of the Mission Mountains barn. I didn’t at the time, but now I do. (Mission Mountains, Montana)
"Montana Freedom" ~ As I awaited the truck convoy of 2022 to pass me by, a mother showed up with her son and her own mother. they proudly waved an American flag as the truckers are their way east. A brief moment in time when I truly felt alive and connected to something unexplainable. Keep fighting for what you believe in, no matter the cost. (i90 Overpass, Montana)
"Freedom" ~ When the government over reaches, you take your power back. (Helena, Montana)
"Choices" ~ One simple choice, can alter your entire life. (Big Sky, Montana)
"Traffic Jam" ~ I left New Jersey so that I could finally stay. Stay amongst the mountains and the wild animals that the west has to offer. While this won't be my final destination, It will forever be the destination that I finally stood still. (West Yellowstone, Montana)
"Moose Drool" ~ Beer is good, and stuff! (Big Sky, Montana)
"Rustic Lava Lake" ~ A postage stamp photograph, a larger than life scene. (Lava Lake, Montana)
"Small Part of the World" ~ In a few short months, this road will be teeming with individuals from all around the globe. In fact, you'll need a reservation just to get in. How lucky was I to have this small part of Glacier National Park all to myself? (East Glacier Park, Montana)
"Winter Daze" ~ Wake me up from this winter daze, where the skies are clear, and my mind isn't crazed. (Porcupine Creek Trail, Montana)
"Sunshine Porcupine" ~ The sun peeks out from behind the trees along the porcupine creek trail. (Porcupine Creek Trail, Montana)
"Velvety Falls" ~ Under a sky, he writes with a sigh, lovers are born, lovers are score. This water it flows, it crashes and it knows, the wisdom it feeds, the source that it needs. (Golden Trout Lake Trail, Montana)
"Albino Lake" ~ Montana is home to over 3,000 lakes. This is just one of the many hidden in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. (Gallatin Gateway, Montana)
"Silence" ~ Silence breathes life, into stillness and reflection. (West Yellowstone, Montana)
"Taylor Fork Road" ~ A Montana winter scene never looked so good. (Gallatin Gateway, Montana)
"Resting Place" ~ This structure with a no trespassing sign on it leaned a little to the left, as it sat peacefully in its final resting place. (Elkhorn, Montana)
"Simpler Day" Black & White ~ There's something special about old buildings. The ambiance that they exude, bring me back to what I believe was a simpler day. What would life have been like in 1875 when this church was built? (Townsend, Montana)
"If Only" ~ We spend so much time saying “if only”, that we forget that we actually can. Turning your dreams into a reality is definitely a scary endeavor, especially in a world that tries to mold you into a certain way, but I do believe that those unwilling to give up on them, will eventually be rewarded. (Beehive Basin Trail / Big Sky, Montana)
"Lone Tram" ~ I grew up skiing in the east. My life now here in the west. The peaks are higher. The snow is brighter. Where life is much, much quieter. (Big Sky, Montana)