Written by Lauren Chase Smith

The Best of Jackson Hole Locals Guidebook aims to celebrate the people and places that make Jackson Hole remarkably unique. Buckrail has teamed up with local publisher Sharp Eye Deer to create a guidebook for locals and tourists alike. The publication is full of awe-inspiring photos, insider-knowledge stories, and of course, all of the 2019 Best of Jackson Hole Winners. Issue 1 of the Guidebook will be launching this Friday, July 19th, at a special JacksonHoleLive! show and will then be distributed for free all around the valley for the remainder of the year.

For the cover of this issue we selected an exceptional shot by local photographer Josh Packer. A CPA by day and photographer by, well, the wee hours of the morning, Josh is one of the many talented folks that call this area home. He primarily shoots landscapes, and his popular Instagram feed is filled with elegant shots of the Tetons and other landmarks bathed in ethereal pastel light. As a father of three, Josh juggles his craft with his busy daily life, and uses any free time he has to go shoot. That often transpires as early morning adventures while his family is still slumbering.

For the cover shot, Josh woke up early and drove three hours north to get to this spot before sunrise. The Tetons prove to be a magnificent place to take photographs not only because of the dynamic terrain and omnipresent wildlife, but also due to the distinct alpenglow often seen at sunrise and sunset. “It was a cold November morning, and I almost got frostbite capturing this photo,” he recounted. “On my way there, I nearly ran into two elk in the middle of the highway! Fortunately, I was able to split right between them without either of the elk moving.”

This photo required technical expertise to capture. “To get the sharpest image possible, I zoomed in on live view and manually focused to maximize the sharpness. To compress distance, I used a zoom lens to make the Grand Teton as large as possible,” Josh said of his process. Despite the challenges, he was able to create a truly remarkable image that we are proud to feature on the cover of the Best of Jackson Hole 2019 Locals Guidebook.

To see Josh Packer’s cover shot and the rest of the Guidebook in person, please join us this Friday, July 19th, during the JacksonHoleLive! show for a special Best of Jackson Hole awards and launch party! Legendary country rocker Hayse Carll is headlining the show, along with hometown heroes Sister Karee and the Other Brothers (who are Best of Jackson Hole Winners this year themselves). The entire community is invited to come celebrate with the 2019 Winners and pick up a free copy of Issue 1 before it’s available anywhere else!

We hope to see y’all there!