Tucreations Gallery Gallery

Six Legs Around Missoula	BJ begins the tale November, 2007: For one photographer and his sidekick, exploring Missoula and western Montana has become an almost daily ritual this summer and fall. Picking up the tripod inevitably leads to raucus scampering around the office and unabashed whining to get to the door. Then I calm down and join the dog in the car. We both hope you enjoy some of the pictoral highlights of our journeys. Peter and BJ Tucker	Spring Runoff near Lolo Pass This area near Packer Meadows at Lolo Pass opened to four-wheel drive traffic near the middle of May this year. I took this photo mid-June. When I returned in August, this streambed was just a trickle.	Packer Meadows at Sunrise THIS PAGE: The camas plants reach peak bloom about mid-late June most years. NEXT PAGE: Backlit camas blossoms creates a spectacular image at dawn.
	Early Summer Shower near the University Missoula doesn't get a lot of summer rains, but the heavy 10-15 minute downpours can still get you wet. This person came prepared for a damp bike ride. I tried to give him a painterly effect.	California Street Pedestrian Bridge Missoula has a lot of paths and trails for walkers and bikers. This bridge has always intrigued me, and I've taken pictures of it from many angles and at various times of day and night.	Bighorn Sheep in the Blackfoot A resident herd of bighorn sheep spend many mornings nibbling next to the highway just up the Blackfoot River from Bonner. I often stop in Bonner and put my telephoto lens on the camera just to have it ready for this guy and his buddies.
Ghostly Saddle I discovered this ancient saddle on a visit to the Garnet ghost town. It reeked of history and old tales.	July 4th from the South Hills Fireworks at the Southgate Mall in Missoula always bring out crowds by the thousands, so Rita, BJ and I took our lawn chairs and enjoyed the extravaganza from the edge of Hillview Way in the south hills. BJ doesn't appreciate the racket!	Fishing the Clark Fork THIS PAGE: This summer in Missoula, we had a record number of days in a row over 100 degrees. Fishermen ventured out most evenings, probably to cool off as much as to fish. NEXT PAGE: Even the tiny critters enjoy the coolness of the water. This guy was about the size of my thumb, and I was lying in the creek in front of him to get his picture.
South Hills on Strike 2007 wreaked havoc for firefighters around western Montana. Several of the fires made national news, but very few structures were lost. This photo was taken from our back yard, and the strike did NOT start any fires.	Clinton Fire Several helicopters were used to help put out the Clinton fire east of Missoula. The pond at the base of Starvation Gulch looked like the traffic pattern of a big city airport, with helicopters swooping in to gather water about every 1-2 minutes, then zooming off to dump 500-1000 gallons of water on the fire.	There's Always Time for Golf	Setting up the Fair PREVIOUS PAGE: When the sun gets high, the balls will fly. I also love to golf in the summer. Here I snuck a photo of my father trying out the "alternative fairway" at Canyon River golf course in East Missoula. THIS PAGE: The county fair rolls into Missoula in August every year, usually signaling the tail end of summer.
Daybreak in Glacier Park THIS PAGE: BJ and I took a day trek north to Glacier Park one day in August. Smoke and haze obscured a lot of our vistas on this day, but for some reason this particular area remained clear for about an hour after sunrise. NEXT PAGE: The early morning reflections combined with a slower shutter speed created a liquid gold effect on the water in this canyon.	Glacier Gold	Cool Running Even after flowing out of the canyon, this little creek was still very photogenic.	Hungry Horse Area The sun came out for a few minutes after I crossed Hungry Horse Dam, so I took a few quick shots of this creek above the dam.
Cat Tracks Sometimes when we want to stay close to home, we head for Fort Missoula. It's a five-minute drive, and I can always find something fun and different to photograph. Here I shot tightly on the track of an old Caterpillar tractor at dusk.	Parade Watcher The University of Montana Homecoming Parade occurs each year in October. Rita and I usually go watch the parade and then walk to the football game. This year one of the spectators across the street caught my eye as he sat patiently watching the floats roll by him.	Parade Walker I don't know if she walked the whole parade route or not, but this young cheerleader-in-waiting was dressed in her full Griz regalia as she marched proudly down the street.	A Little Bitterroot Magic One morning in October as I drove past the old weigh station near Lolo, the morning glow in the cottonwoods forced me to change routes and try to capture some of the beauty along the Bitterroot River.
		Back Yard Havoc PREVIOUS PAGE: These sunflowers came in different shades of yellow and orange. I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I photographed both of them. THIS PAGE: I like to experiment with different photographic techniques. One afternoon, I practiced moving the camera in short swirls while I took a longer exposure of the tree in our back yard. NEXT PAGE: I used the same technique in a cottonwood and aspen stand near Potomac.	A quaking in the Aspen
The Zen of Cottonwood As another gorgeous fall draws to a close in Missoula, the temperatures are dropping. Soon, we'll have white stuff on the ground. I guess it's time to dust off the Sorels, put a sweater on BJ, and get the studs on the Subaru to continue our explorations. We hope you enjoyed the visit today!