After trying to figure out where the milky way core was going to be in relationship to Devils Tower, I went to the approximate spot I had scouted out last year. I say approximate because I couldn’t find the exact spot in the dark. Turns out that I was much lower in elevation in the spot I shot from and so the core was behind the tower. Dawn was quickly approaching and with no time to find another shooting spot, I had to make the best of what I had.
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I was on Lookout Mountain in Spearfish, South Dakota a few days ago desperately looking for a composition when I spotted a group of deer milling about the brush and trees on a ridge about 300 yards away. I decided to see what I could capture, but by the time I got my camera and tripod out, switched to a long lens, and composed a shot, these were the only two deer left. I guess I crashed their party.
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I’ve always wanted to make an image of the famous Bear Butte barn with a snow covered butte as the backdrop. I finally got my chance a couple of weeks ago, but oh boy was it cold! (the image was made on the same day as my previous post) Since it’s an old barn I prefer a more vintage black and white look.
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I came to Bear Butte State Park near Sturgis South Dakota intending to shoot the iconic barn on the east side of the mountain. While there I noticed a sun halo (or sun dog) fading in and out as the frozen mist moved across the landscape. I wondered if I could catch Bear Butte framed by the halo if I got around to the other side, facing southeast with the mountain between my camera and the halo. I drove as fast as I could, but arrived only in time to get a quick hand held shot, exposing for the sky but luckily being able to bring out shadow detail on the mountain in post.
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Well, you can try it just not in any other season but winter. I tried going to this spot on the west end of Bear Butte Lake in South Dakota in early fall, made one wrong step and sank up to my knee in mud. I got my foot out with a little effort but getting my boot back was a little more problematic. No problem on this morning however as the temperature was around 17 degrees F.
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Continuing my fascination with snow drifts, I couldn’t resist capturing these swirls just as the morning sun was kissing the foreground dunes.
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I realize there’s a lot going on in this image, but what drew me to the scene were the soft piles of snow and the way the setting sun was playing across the tops of them. Even in the dead winter you can still find warmth.
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The fractures in the ice on top of the dark dark, deep water below reminded me of lightening at night in this image made at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota.
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Keeping with the snow drift theme, I shot this image in late afternoon because I like the way the snowy swirls were contrasted by the setting sun.
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I really admire images of desert sand dunes but after a recent blizzard here in Spearfish, snow drifts make a good substitute.
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We were in the midst of a major winter storm with all the roads closed or no travel advised, so my wife and I sat in the upstairs bedroom and picked out compositions in our back yard using a long lens. This is one of those images.
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A full moon setting behind the camera turns night into day in this image of a frozen bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon, SD
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Sometimes there’s water in the ditch in the foreground of this image that would have made a nice lead-in to the rest of the picture, but it still captures the quiet and calm feeling of a crisp autumn morning I was enjoying at the time.
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The steep terrain and heavy brush prevent access to this hidden world shot from the summit of Cement Ridge in the Black Hills of Wyoming on a cold and foggy late autumn morning.
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The light show in the morning sky was over, so I decided to process this image in black and white. A 30 second shutter speed smoothed out the ripples in the lake for a softer more tranquil reflection of earth and sky.
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Just before dawn, earth and sky wake to another day.
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Its a little sad to see the last of the colorful fall leaves washing down the creeks and streams of the Black Hills, but at least we had a nice run of good weather to be able to get out and enjoy them.
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I took a drive to the summit of Cement Ridge Lookout Tower in the Black Hills of Wyoming hoping to get a panoramic image of the fall colors in the valley below with the rising sun providing directional light. Well, heavy fog blew up that idea so I started searching for more intimate scenes and caught this small birch tree rising from the dense foliage instead. Since it had already lost its leaves, it stands in stark contrast to the surrounding brush and the fog in the background adds a little mystery.
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I hope this image conveys a feeling of a foggy, damp and dreary day, because it certainly was. Shot in Spearfish Canyon, SD in early October, I should have had hip-waders on because by the time I slogged through the wet brush, my jeans were soaked
Autumn colors are on full display in this image made on a cloudy day in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I went with a panoramic composition to capture as much of the brush in the foreground, and aspen trees in the background to provoke the feeling of a very vibrant color guard, making a formidable barrier to what lies beyond.
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