Grand Teton is a awesome setting to photograph. There are several places where you can find that one-of-a-kind Perfect Shot offering everything from dramatic panoramas to intimate glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat. It's hard to go wrong, but with a little planning before you click the camera you can make the difference between a good picture and a truly memorable one. Click here for our photo gallery.

Composing Your Picture. Decide whether your subject needs a horizontal or vertical frame. Vast landscapes make especially effective panoramic pictures because a sense of width and depth are shown. Towering mountains or action shots are best captured by a vertical "heightening" effect.

Take your time and consider everything you see in the viewfinder. Ask yourself why you're taking the picture or what you're trying to capture on film. Selecting a clear subject or theme is critical to good composition and will help you tell the story of your visit through photos.

Next, choose an angle that takes advantage of key points in relation to your subject. Anchor a background landscape with a foreground object, such as a large rock or the branches of a tree. Include people wearing bright clothing in your picture to show size and perspective. With a little experimenting, you can use different patterns, textures, and shapes to create interesting new compositions.

Range of Light. The so-called "magic hours" are the times just before and after sunrise and sunset when the light can make the sky and your subject colorful and dramatic. Most famous landscape photos you see are shot during these times.

Get up before dawn for great shots of the Teton peaks bathed in "alpenglow," the pink-to-red light of sunrise on mountain summits. Toward sunset, watch for beams of sun to make "Jacob's ladders," or shafts of light through the cracks of peaks and clouds.

The few hours after dawn or before dusk, when the slanting sun casts dramatic shadows, are best for shooting cabins, flowers, and people in action. Between about 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., eat lunch or travel to your next destination since the overhead sun is too bright and flat for effective shots.

Photographing Wildlife. If an animal is aware of you, you're too close. Park regulations require that you stay at least 25 yards from large animals and at least 100 yards from bears. Move any closer, and you could be putting yourself and the animal in danger. You could also be fined.

If you want great wildlife portraits, buy a powerful telephoto lens (the pros rarely use anything less than 300 mm). Otherwise, shoot a landscape photo showing an animal in the context of its environment to tell its story.