A couple of years ago my daughter Sara hiked the region of the Great Tetons and returned with a bounty of grand photos, which I have used as references to several pastel paintings.
Below is "Squall in the Tetons." The interesting nuance of this painting is that in the reference photo there was no snow squall. Here is the reference photo:
In this case, the reference photo gave me the idea to compose a different vista in pastel. Use you reference photo as a guide to your creativity.
Here is the painting:
Quite a difference from the photo. You can see a number of modifications done to the mountains, the sky (and the invented storm), the trees, and the water (which did not exist).
So unfortunately I cannot take credit for depicting a specific landmark in the Western United States like Albert Bierstadt did in the 19th century, but I can take credit for having fun and letting my imagination run wild!