A Destination Photographer’s Guide to Northwest Wyoming!
Paintbrush Photography is located in the perfect place to service the entire Bighorn Basin. That red icon (Figure 2) shows where Powell, Wyoming is in relationship to the surrounding mountain ranges that create the Big Horn Basin. At its widest point, the basin is 100 miles. Surrounded by the Pryor Mountains, Big Horn Mountains, Bridger Mountains, Owl Creek Mountains, and the Absaroka and Beartooth Ranges, the basin has easy access to a number of beautiful locations for your destination wedding, engagement, or family photo session.
The best part about all of these locations, it that everyone of them is just a day trip. Your dream adventure could be achieved in one day and you can be home that very night. Lets dig in!
Big Horn Mountains
Pryor Mountains
Absaroka Range
North Fork of the Shoshone River
South Fork of the Shoshone River
Beartooth Range
One of the benefits of the Big Horn Basin is its abundance in different landscapes and its proximity to Yellowstone National Park. There is also a plethora of land accessible to the public as well as access to National Forests. It might feel a little intimidating to try to plan a wedding, elopement, engagement session, or family pictures in a location you are unfamiliar with, but that is what I am here for!
My family has lived in Wyoming for 5 generations, and 3 of those were spent within the Big Horn Basin. I will help you with the expertise that has been passed down in my family for generations. For those of you that are familiar with the area, you can rest assured that I will be comfortable with whatever shenanigans we plan! I am always ready for an adventure!
Enough talking! Let’s look at some of the places we can take beautiful pictures!
Out of the surrounding mountain ranges, I am most versed in the Big Horn Mountains, Pryor Mountains, Beartooth Range and Absaroka Range. They each have their own uniquenesses that I use to pick for my customers. Let’s take a look at the Big Horn Mountains and the Pryor Mountains first.
Big Horn Mountains
I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to plan a session in the Big Horn Mountains for anyone yet (this is a goal for 2023), but I dug some images out of the ol’ archive. These images are from my previous camping trips. I love the Big Horn Mountains, and it is obviously magnificent to look at.
You can enter the Big Horn Mountains through Shell, Wyoming. This entrance is home to Shell Canyon. The beautiful red rocks that make up this canyon take my breath away every time. You can also find similar red colors in the Pryor Mountains. Let’s take a look!
Pryor Mountains
The Pryor Mountains span beyond the Wyoming border into Montana. Lovell, Wyoming is the last town you will enter before turning north toward the mountains. The road is very accessible and there are many trails and docks for water access.
The Pryor Mountains are home to big horn sheep and wild horses, among other mammals. There are still cabins present from the homesteaders!
Although the Pryor’s are beautiful year round, I really enjoy them in the spring when the grass in vibrantly green in contrast to the red dirt underneath. There is a diverse variety of landscape within the Pryor Mountains. Ranging from flat deserts and then irrigated farmland at the entrance, to red chug water formations, Horseshoe Bend, and then mountainous landscapes throughout.
As you can see, this location is perfect for that western aesthetic. This is also a very accessible location for pretty much anyone. The roads are regularly maintained and you can find beautiful backdrops with very little walking if needed.
Absaroka Range
The red icon below shows where Cody, Wyoming is. I grew up in Cody and have spent my entire childhood playing around in these mountains. From Cody, you can follow the North Fork of the Shoshone river which will take you west through the mountains and ultimately to Yellowstone, or the South Fork which will take you to the Shoshone Forest.
North Fork of the Shoshone River
As you can see on the map, there is a large reservoir that was created to allow the settlement of the area. With the reservoir keeping a constant supply of water, people were able to irrigate the desert land and settle into towns.
During the winter, the reservoir is lower than usual and reveals its sandy beaches. The ice gets very thick in the winter as well and makes for a unique and dynamic location for a photo session. This session was a family sunrise session. There are large parking lots that can bring you directly to the beaches for easy access.
Buffalo Bill Reservoir: Family Sunrise Session
As you continue up the North Fork you can follow the river to some beautiful locations. In the fall, there are patches of Aspens and brush along the river that turn brilliant colors.
The North Fork also offers a variety of landscapes. There is river access, mountain ranges, and flat lands. In the Spring and early summer, this is the perfect place to get yellow and purple flowers in your session.
South Fork of the Shoshone River
The Southfork offers less public land access than our other locations. You have to drive to the Shoshone National Forest to guarantee public access. If you are planning a destination wedding there are a few venues like the Double Diamond X Ranch that allow you to have intimate weddings, elopements, and more surrounded by the mountains. The images below are from a 2022 wedding at the Double Diamond X Ranch in September.
I have also had the privilege of photographing sessions on private ranches on the South Fork. Although it is harder to get public access to many parts of the South Fork, the ranches that allow access for destination weddings are beautiful and the area is well worth it in my opinion.
South Fork of the Shoshone River Cody, Wyoming: Sunrise Maternity Shoot for Missy the Mare
Beartooth Range
From Cody, you can follow the Chief Joseph Highway (Highway 296) into the Beartooth Range. The Highway itself is gorgeous and it only gets better the farther you get. The road winds its way up the mountains and connects to Highway 212. If you are looking to continue your adventure, you can follow Highway 212 north/east to Red Lodge, Montana. This is a quaint mountain town that is home to Red Lodge Brewery.
Similar to the Big Horn Mountains, I have spent a lot of time there personally but haven’t had the chance to plan a session for anyone up there. If you are looking for an intimate elopement, this range is the place to do it. It is easy to slip away from the world to one of the many little bodies of water in this range. The second image in the gallery of images below is Pilot Peak as seen in the north west corner of the map above.
There are several hidden waterfalls in this mountain range, but of course I can’t give away all of my secrets!
Your Adventure Starts Here
Although I just gave plenty of examples of the mountains surrounding the Big Horn Basin, there are lots of great areas within the Basin as well. Part of the value I bring when you hire me to photograph your elopement, micro wedding, engagement or couples session, and family sessions is my extensive knowledge of the area. There are so many beautiful places I have spent my lifetime discovering. That paired with my forever growing knowledge as a photographer will give you images that are so incredibly unique.