Early morning in Grand Teton National Park during wildflower season. What could be better? We headed out before dawn and headed to Blacktail Ponds Overlook. Eating breakfast at 4:30am and on the road at 5:00am sounds awful, unless the scenery is worth it and the weather cooperates. In this case, both conditions were met. Some people have asked me why it is necessary to leave so early to shoot, and I often explain the golden hour light as the reason landscape photographers shoot then. The truth is, that for some locations (like this one), the golden hour only lasts for 5-10 minutes. This is a result of how fast the sun rises, coupled with the clouds and the parts of the peaks the photographer is hoping to have lit. It is often a hit or miss endeavor, but mornings like this one make missing it on other days worth it.