Gray Crane Studios Unveils Limited Edition Print

 

Gary Crandall, Jackson Hole Traveler’s current print edition cover artist, recently released a spectacular photograph of the Tetons.

 

According to renowned regional wildlife and scenic photographer Gary Crandall of Gray Crane Studios, the Tetons had him by the heart at “hello.”

 

“I came out and saw the Tetons in 1977,” he said. “I’m a [New] Jersey boy and wow!”

 

While Crandall did move out here a year after that first peek at the peaks, employment was more seasonal than year-round in Jackson Hole back in those days, so he went down to Salt Lake City to live instead. The good thing is that Utah is still close enough to here so that he could easily drive up to photograph and play to his heart’s content.

 

In 1994, Crandall became business acquaintances with Sean Love who owns Jackson Hole Trading Company. A friendship developed over the years and he’s now one of Crandall’s best friends.

 

“Sean carried my work for more than 20 years and the gallery space he had then used to be much smaller and was more a part of the store — and it wasn’t called Gray Crane,” said Crandall.

 

He moved up to Jackson Hole in 2012 to grow the gallery more, forming a partnership with Love for what’s called Gray Crane Studios. In 2016, the duo took over the space next to Love’s store and it then became the full-on gallery that you see now.

 

“It’s amazing how spoiled you can get living in this area,” Crandall said. “You go outside and maybe see a wolf or a grizzly — you’re always sure to see an elk or a moose. It’s a pretty cool place.”

 

The Gray Crane Studios gallery exclusively showcases Crandall’s photography. While Crandall considers himself more of a wildlife photographer than a landscape photographer he does a little bit of both. His work focuses primarily on scenes from the Yellowstone ecosystem and features the iconic bison that are found in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, as well as other wildlife both furred and feathered.

 

Why Gray Crane instead of Gary Crandall Gallery?

 

“’Gray Crane’ is kind of a play on my name,” said Crandall, “but I also love sandhill cranes.”

 

He said the name for the gallery came about as a sort of an inside joke because, in addition to being obsessed with cranes, he’s always wearing gray clothes. “My wife always says I am drab.”

 

“What was weird is that a few years after opening the gallery my daughter looked up what our last name meant and Crandall means ‘valley of the crane,’” said Crandall. “I thought that was wild, and suddenly it made a lot of sense.”

 

Birds are Crandall’s favorite to go out and photograph, especially the wading birds like cranes and egrets, but he said buffalos have become one of his favorites, too.

 

“I love hanging out with them,” he said. “They’re such a cool critter.”

 

Crandall gets out to photograph three or four months out of the year. He really enjoys photographing wild things in the fall and spring when “critters move around a lot,” as well as when bird migration is at its peak which he said is an awesome, cool thing to witness.

 

Wintertime, however, is his No. 1 favorite time to go out with his camera, especially to capture bison.

 

“I’m not the smartest guy,” he laughed about liking to photograph when it’s so cold out, “but I love being out there in winter.”

 

For one thing, winter is a lot quieter and peaceful and the bison are calmer. “They’re not getting pushed around by a lot of people,” he said.

 

“I love hanging out with them,” he said. “They’re such a cool critter.”

 

And secondly, winter just creates a magical quality.

 

“If you go into Yellowstone, you are guaranteed to see bison every day,” he said. “Seeing them in the Tetons is a lot more hit or miss in the winter, but when you do see them here they’re usually in pretty good-sized groups.” Crandall also travels to the Black Hills of South Dakota in winter because he said it’s also a great place to see buffs.

 

A number of Crandall’s photographs of bison and other wildlife, plus landscapes, are printed in sepia tones which he has been experimenting with for more than 20 years.

 

Right now, Gray Crane Studios is offering a limited edition print of a recent, full-color photograph named “12 Below.” It’s a spectacular sunrise photo of the snow-blanketed Tetons on a super crisp winter’s morn. A classic if there ever was one.

“12 Below” is a limited edition of 400 prints of each size such as 16”x20,” 20”x30,” “30×40,” 30”x50” and custom. Each photograph is numbered and signed by Crandall to verify its authenticity. Once a photograph sells out, it is no longer available as a photographic print. You can also buy “5×7,” 8”x10” and “11×14” prints, but those sizes are not a part of the limited edition, so they will not have a number on them. The prints can be purchased at the gallery or online at graycranestudios.com.

 

Visit or call the gallery at 307-690-9510 and purchase your limited edition of “12 Below,” and take advantage of Free shipping for a limited time.