A friend of mine grew up quite close to Yellowstone National Park and from time to time speaks of it fondly. Since I’ve never been there and don’t have any plans to go there any time soon, I thought I’d get a couple of books instead.

The first is titled: “Yellowstone. A Land of Wild and Wonder” by Christopher Cauble. It’s an attractive 11×11 inch color photobook with a dust cover bearing the same image as that on the front cover of the book. According to the book’s “About the Photographer”:

Christopher Cauble grew up in Helena, Montana where he began his passion for photography by exploring the mountains with a 35mm camera passed down from his parents. After graduating from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in geography, he became a freelance photographer working mostly in Montana and Yellowstone National Park. His work has been featured in magazines and books, including A Montana Journal and the popular children’s book, What I saw in Yellowstone. Cauble is also a dedicated nature cinematographer, and his videos have been published on many national and international news sites and television programs. He lives near Yellowstone in Livingstone, Montana, with his wife, Sarah. His work can be found on his website, www.caublephotography.com and on social media.

The book has 120 pages, which, apart from a short (approx. half page) introduction are all beautiful photographs covering landscapes, wildlife and thermals.

The second book is called “Found Photos of Yellowstone. Yellowstone’s History in tourist and employee photographs. It’s a 176-page softcover book full of black and white, historical photographs divided into thirteen sections:

• Foreword
• Introduction
• From Rustic to Refined
• The Wonders of Wonderland
• Getting Around Was Half the Fun
• The Evolution of Camping
• Activities Abound
• Hard Work and Lots of Play
• Famous Figures
• Exploring Yellowstone Dude Ranch Style
• Time Well Spent: Civilian Conservation Corps
• The U.S. Military to the Rescue
• Wildlife Attractions

Amazon describes it as follows:

“Found Photos of Yellowstone” presents a collection of over 200 photographs, captured by park visitors and employees between 1880 and 1940. These unguarded snapshots unveil unseen moments from the park’s past, offering unique perspectives on accommodation, transportation, leisure activities, wildlife, and summer employment. The images were discovered by Michael Francis, a seasoned Yellowstone photographer, who has amassed a collection of over 11,000 historic Yellowstone photographs. Each image in this book has been carefully selected by renowned Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey, who also co-authored the captions with acclaimed writer Amy Grisak. These pictures are sure to astonish and charm all Yellowstone enthusiasts. They illustrate the transformation of Yellowstone over the years, while also highlighting the enduring charm that has captivated visitors and employees for over a century”.

It’s quite different from the Cauble book. Where that book is pretty much entirely photographs, this one is rich in text. There’s a short, two-page introduction and each of the sections has its own description. The photographs all have detailed captions. Another way it differs from the Cauble book is that it doesn’t just show the awe-inspiring vistas, wildlife, thermals etc. Apart from tiny figures near the base of Grand Geyser and Old Faithful, there are no people. There’s only one photograph of a building: “Old Faithful Geyser and Inn Under the Milky Way”. I was surprised to find that contrary to what some of Cauble photographs suggest, Old Faithful is not “in the middle of nowhere”. Rather it’s a stone’s throw from the Old Faithful Inn.

This book shows that there were a number of beautiful, old, rustic Inns at one time. Have they all gone? Apparently not, as a cursory Google search reveals that a number of them are still operational. This book is full of people enjoying themselves, buildings and other structures, vehicles (cars, boats, trains, horse drawn carriages etc.).

So, which one do I prefer…

The photographs in the Cauble photobook are definitely superior: sharp, well composed, well exposed by a very talented professional who clearly knows how to produce lovely images. I enjoyed the book, but somehow, it didn’t touch me. Apart from creating a feeling of awe at the beauty of Yellowstone the photographs didn’t really inspire any other feelings. This may be typical of landscape photography. When I first started taking photography seriously in the late 1970s, Ansel Adams was starting to become very popular. At that time, I felt that this was the type of photography I wanted to do. I wanted to be Ansel Adams. I have a number of books of Adams photography, and I still admire him for all the things he did, both for photography and for nature conservancy in general. However, I recently looked through one of the books: “Ansel Adams. 400 photographs“. I was surprised to find that only a few of the 400 photographs made me feel anything much. The photographs in the Francis book are nowhere near as good as those in the Cauble book. They’re just snapshots, but I suspect that they give a more accurate picture of the real Yellowstone. I can feel the joy of people having a great time; sadness that maybe a simpler age has now gone; excitement while looking at the beautiful hotels, etc.

But then again maybe that’s just me. I love photography, but I also love history (I’m the Vice President of our local historical society), so my preference if for “Found Pictures of Yellowstone”.