Inside a National Geographic Expedition: Photographer Max Lowe Reveals Winter Yellowstone

National Geographic Photographer Max Lowe takes GenieGrove inside Disney's Winter Wildlife Yellowstone trip — a small-group National Geographic Expedition where guests trail wolves in the Lamar Valley, photograph dawn at Old Faithful, and learn from a Bozeman-raised pro who calls the park 'an extension of our backyard.' Here's what travel with an Expedition Expert really looks like, plus Max's five tips for first-timers.

When most visitors think of Yellowstone National Park, they picture summer crowds at Old Faithful. National Geographic Photographer Max Lowe wants to show you a different park — one half-buried in snow, alive with wolves and steam at 4 a.m., and explored in a group small enough to fit inside a single van. That's the promise of the Winter Wildlife Yellowstone trip from National Geographic Expeditions, the immersive travel brand that sits inside Disney's broader experiences portfolio alongside Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise Line.

National Geographic Photographer Max Lowe portrait wearing winter gear during a Winter Wildlife Yellowstone expedition — National Geographic Photographer Max Lowe leads the Winter Wildlife Yellowstone trip for National Geographic Expeditions.

Lowe's central idea is simple and very on-brand for National Geographic: a destination opens up differently when you slow down enough to photograph it. "Photography turns exploration into curiosity," he says, "and curiosity allows for a deeper connection with a place or experience." On a Nat Geo Expedition, that mindset is the whole product — a guided trip designed around Expedition Experts like photographers, naturalists, and scientists who travel with the group from sunrise to sunset.

Snow-covered Yellowstone landscape with steam rising from thermal features in early winter morning light

Bison crossing a snowy plain in Yellowstone National Park during a winter National Geographic Expedition

Who Is Max Lowe? A Photographer Shaped by the Wild

Lowe didn't come to Yellowstone as a visiting expert — he grew up in its shadow. Raised in Bozeman, Montana, just outside Grand Teton National Park, he describes the greater Yellowstone ecosystem as "an extension of our backyard." His stepfather is famed alpinist Conrad Anker, and his mother, Jennifer Lowe-Anker, is an artist and writer. Climbing, photography, and storytelling weren't a career path — they were the household.

His professional break came in 2012, when he received a National Geographic Young Explorers grant that launched a career documenting wild landscapes and human stories around the world. His work has since appeared across the National Geographic portfolio, including projects tied to the IMAX film National Parks Adventure. And yet, of all the places he has shot, Yellowstone is still the one he keeps coming back to.

Bison grazing in snow along the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone during a National Geographic Expeditions winter trip

Yellowstone winter river scene with snow-covered banks and steam rising from geothermal features

Wildlife tracks in fresh snow on a Yellowstone trail photographed during a Nat Geo Expedition

Yellowstone Through an Expert's Lens

Visiting Yellowstone in winter is already a rare experience — most of the road network shuts down, snowmobiles and snowcoaches replace cars, and the crowds essentially vanish. Lowe says doing it in a small group with a Nat Geo Expedition Expert changes the experience again.

"Traveling through Yellowstone in winter is already a rare experience. Under cover of snow the park becomes quieter, more elemental and almost prehistoric. But exploring it in a small group alongside a National Geographic Expedition Expert fundamentally changes how deep that experience can become." — Max Lowe

The pitch isn't gear or access in a transactional sense — it's context. With Lowe walking alongside them, guests move beyond observation and into a deeper understanding of animal behavior, geological processes, and the subtle connections that shape the landscape.

"On your own, you might witness wolves moving across the Lamar Valley or steam rising from a thermal basin at sunrise and recognize that it's beautiful. With an Expedition Expert beside you, those moments carry context."

Group of Nat Geo Expedition guests photographing a winter Yellowstone landscape from a viewpoint

Steaming thermal basin in Yellowstone framed by snow-covered pines on a National Geographic Expeditions trip

Wide view of a frozen Yellowstone valley with steam rising from geothermal vents at dawn

Why a Camera Changes the Whole Trip

Lowe's other big argument is that bringing any camera — even just a phone — fundamentally changes how you move through a place like Yellowstone. Most visitors, he says, hop between viewpoints, take in the spectacle, and keep driving. A camera resets the metabolism of the trip.

"When people arrive in a place like Yellowstone without a camera, it's easy to move quickly, stopping at viewpoints, taking in the spectacle, and continuing on," he explains. "But when you engage with the world around you with a camera, even just a phone, your pace naturally slows."

That's also why he resists the "guided tour" framing. Rather than lecturing from the front, Lowe prefers to walk alongside travelers, pointing out subtle shifts in light and movement and encouraging guests to notice details they might otherwise miss.

"I think of these trips as shared explorations rather than guided tours. My goal isn't to stand in front of a group and lecture — it's to move through the landscape together, slowing down enough that people begin to notice things for themselves." — Max Lowe

Nat Geo Expedition guests photographing wildlife from a snow-covered Yellowstone viewpoint with Max Lowe

Hands holding a camera composing a winter Yellowstone landscape during a National Geographic photography expedition

Bull elk standing in deep snow at Yellowstone National Park photographed during a winter Nat Geo Expedition

From Snapshots to Stories: Real-Time Photography Mentorship

Guests on these trips arrive with a wide range of camera experience — from working photographers to first-timers picking up a DSLR for the first time. What unites them, Lowe says, is curiosity and a desire to learn from a professional in the field. That's where the Expedition Expert role becomes hands-on.

"With National Geographic Expeditions, guests benefit from real-time mentorship that goes far beyond camera settings," he says. "A National Geographic Photographer like myself helps people learn how to anticipate light, compose within a chaotic natural environment, or tell a story through images rather than simply collecting snapshots."

His first move with any new group is to take the pressure off the so-called "perfect" image. Instead, he focuses guests on a handful of powerful fundamentals — adjusting for light, stabilizing a camera in cold and windy weather, and composing scenes that feel balanced and intentional. The result, he argues, is photography that serves the experience rather than competing with it.

Guests learning photography fundamentals from Max Lowe during a National Geographic Expeditions Yellowstone trip — Real-time mentorship with a National Geographic Photographer is the centerpiece of every Nat Geo Expedition.

Max Lowe demonstrating camera composition techniques to a small group of travelers in snowy Yellowstone terrain — Lowe favors a "walk-alongside" coaching style over front-of-room lectures.

Yellowstone's Secret Hour: Pre-Dawn at Old Faithful

If there's a single argument for an Expert-led trip, Lowe says, it's the version of Yellowstone almost no one sees: the hour before sunrise, when day-trippers are still hours away and the park feels like it's running on its own private clock.

"The early mornings and late nights in Yellowstone reveal a version of the park that feels almost secret."

Standing together in cold darkness, waiting for the first light of day, guests stop being observers of the landscape and start being inside it. "There's a heightened awareness that comes from standing quietly in the dark, waiting for light," he explains. "Photography becomes less about capturing spectacle and more about witnessing transition."

Pre-dawn Yellowstone scene with stars fading over the Firehole River and steam rising from nearby geysers — The pre-dawn hour at Yellowstone is one of the park's least-photographed and most atmospheric windows.

The Story Behind the Photo: 4 a.m. at Castle Geyser

The Winter Wildlife Yellowstone group recently spent the night near Old Faithful — already a privilege, since lodging inside the park's interior in winter is famously hard to get. The next morning, undeterred by sub-freezing temperatures, guests layered up and joined Lowe for a 4 a.m. walk toward the geyser basin, arriving just before sunrise.

Standing on the bridge over the Firehole River below Castle Geyser, the first light of day quietly crept across the landscape. "Suddenly, the entire basin came alive," Lowe recalls. "Soft dawn colors filtered through the rising steam as countless thermal vents released plumes into the frigid air."

The image he took in that moment — below — is the through-line of the entire trip philosophy.

"The photograph I captured in that moment felt less like documenting a place and more like an ode to the experience itself — the cold, the quiet, the shared commitment of getting up early, and the fleeting beauty that reveals itself to those willing to meet the landscape on its terms." — Max Lowe

Pre-dawn light filters through steam rising from Castle Geyser and Firehole River thermal vents in Yellowstone, photographed by Max Lowe — Max Lowe's pre-dawn photograph from the Firehole River bridge below Castle Geyser, captured during a recent Winter Wildlife Yellowstone expedition.

Max Lowe's Five Tips for Your First Nat Geo Expedition

Whether you're booking the Winter Wildlife Yellowstone trip or one of the more than 200 itineraries National Geographic Expeditions runs each year, Lowe says preparation is the difference between observing your trip and being inside it. Here's his shortlist:

Pro Tips for Your Expedition

Come prepared for changing conditions. Pack adaptable layers, good footwear, and gear suited for variable weather. Comfort lets you stay present.
Know your gear before you arrive. Whether it's a camera, phone, or binoculars, learn the basics ahead of time so you can focus on exploration instead of troubleshooting.
Stay curious and open-minded. The biggest rewards are usually the unscheduled ones — wildlife encounters, weather shifts, spontaneous lessons with Expedition Experts.
Pace yourself. These trips are immersive. Rest when you can and stay hydrated so you have energy for pre-dawn excursions and evening discussions.
Be ready to engage. Ask questions, share perspectives, and connect with both fellow travelers and the Expert team — the small-group format is the product.

What This Means for Disney Travelers

National Geographic Expeditions sits at the more adventurous end of Disney's experiences portfolio — the same family of brands that includes Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, and Aulani. For Disney parks fans used to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, it's a sharp tonal shift: small groups, working photographers and scientists as your guides, and itineraries built around access rather than entertainment. The Winter Wildlife Yellowstone trip is also a useful test balloon — short by Nat Geo standards, dramatic in payoff, and led by an expert with deep roots in the region.

If a 4 a.m. walk to Castle Geyser sounds like the right kind of vacation, Lowe's upcoming expeditions — along with more than 200 other itineraries — are listed at NationalGeographicExpeditions.com. Bring a camera. Even the one in your pocket counts.