Now You See It, Now You Don't.

This month has been focusing on images from South Dakota, and the Badlands in particular. My wife and I enjoyed our time there. It is a place that offers many great photographic opportunities. But just as the road in this photo disappears, so does South Dakota as a theme.



1/1250 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 75 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

A Prickly Situation

These cactus leaves are about the size of your palm. The dry grasslands have them spread throughout. One would not want to run barefoot through one of these patches.

1/2000 f/5 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 160 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

I don't have any idea how tall this mountain really is. Ranked against the others in the world, it would not rank very high - it may not even class as a mountain. Nonetheless I love the textures and structures it has.

1/1600 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 75 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

The Edge

No, not that 'edge', music fans, but the edge of the plain. One thing the struck both my wife on I about the Badlands area was that the grasslands would suddenly drop of into a deep valley. I would have liked to gotten closer to this deer, but she was on the other side. A good use for longer glass.



1/800 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Badlands,South Dakota

Alien Landscape

Compared to the landscapes that I am used to, the Badlands can appear to be Alien. If it wasn't for the vegetation, it could pass for a moonscape? Vistas like this could be captured with a wide-angle, but in this case 82mm-e seem to fit my eye the best. Perhaps that is because I need more training with wide angles?


1/2000 f/7.1 ISO 400 18.0-55.0 mm @ 51 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Badlands,South Dakota

Sleepy Mountain

The brain has an amazing ability to take unrelated visual signals and interpret them as if they were something totally different. In this case, I see a person with a very big nose who is falling asleep.


1/1600 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Badlands,South Dakota

What's Up Doc?

There seems to be thousands of these critters living in the grasslands in large colonies. They appear to be playful and curious but still retain a degree of nervousness. They are of genus Cynomys, and commonly called Prairie Dogs. A long lens would allow you to pick up some of their intimate interactions without spooking them.

1/1250 f/8 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,Badlands,South Dakota

Green, Gold and Red

One of the things that impressed me with the badlands was the variety of colours to be found . Being there at the right time of day helps to take capture them.
1/500 f/7.1 ISO 200 18.0-55.0 mm @ 27 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

Life is a Highway

There is one main highway that loops around the Badlands. You can get a general feel for the place from the car. But just like life, to really experience this awesome place you have to pull over, grab your backpack and walk off the main road. That's when it gets interesting.
1/1250 f/7.1 ISO 200 18.0-55.0 mm @ 55 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

Ok, so there is only one buffalo and these are from South Dakota, and not Buffalo. But I still like the title. There were far more than three buffalo in the Badlands, and although I am not from Buffalo, I was still intimidated by them when then got close. It was a very bright afternoon, and their faces are pretty dark, so there was a bit of correction needed in Lightroom to deal with the large dynamic range. This was before I became a RAW shooter. RAW would have helped as well.

1/200 f/8 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBELBadlands,Badlands,South Dakota

Shaved White Chocolate?

Although it looks like it could be a close-up of a cake, it is actually a dried up water pool. The sun has baked it until it curled. The original was converted to Black and White and then a split-tone was applied using hues from white and dark chocolate.

1/2000 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Badlands,South Dakota

Doe a Deer

Although called the Badlands, there is a surprising quantity of wildlife. Ideally, I would have liked to have switched from my wide lens to my long to capture this deer, but she wasn't interested in waiting for her close-up.
1/320 f/7.1 ISO 200 18.0-55.0 mm @ 55 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Pallisades

In south-east South Dakota is a relatively small little part - "Palisades State Park". A nice place to stop of a picnic, or do some rock climbing. The cliffs that are now found there have been cut by the picturesque "Split Rock Creek". Be careful around this corner! Jesse James might be there!
1/200 f/11 ISO 100 18.0-55.0 mm @ 18 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

For your Eye Only

There are some pretty amazing structures found in nature. This is a hill where layers of white sediment have been laid down with alternating layers of red. and then worn away to form the hill - at least that is my theory. If I were to change anything I might consider finding a different angle that minimizes the greenery, but perhaps the plants provide some context to help the viewer figure it out. What do you think?
1/2000 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 250 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Long and Windy Road

A pretty good description for the road around the Badlands. I am pretty pleased with this picture. If I were to re-do it, a tripod and a smaller aperture.
1/1000 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 75 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Sunflowers in South Dakota

These wild sunflowers are found in various spots in the Badlands. I like them, and so do the bees! The light was a little harsh - a result of not getting up early enough and also being on vacation, rather than 'working' at photography. If I were to do it over again, perhaps I would try to bounce a little fill light into the flower. But I might have missed the bee.

1/160 f/18 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 300 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

Down in the valley

Down in the valley, valley so low
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.

1/1000 f/7.1 ISO 200 18.0-55.0 mm @ 35 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

What's your point?

A great image? Not particularly. It does have some redeeming qualities, and likely equal room for improvement. It has strong leading lines - that's good. I thinking it could have been better if the very point had touched the top of the clouds; a bit of Gestalt. The sign adds some foreground interest, but would have been better placed on the 1/3 intersection. The sky is good - nice blue with interesting clouds. But of course, sunrise or sunset might have been better. What do you think?
1/2000 f/6.3 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 75 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL

They come from another world!

"Look, you fools, you're in danger! Can't you see?! They're after you! They're after all of us! Our wives, our children, everyone! THEY'RE HERE, ALREADY! YOU'RE NEXT!"
- Dr. Miles Bennell, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Sorry for the breaking in postings. Real life has interfered. For the next while I will be selection images from our 2006 trip to the South Dakota Badlands. My biggest regrets from this trip was I had not switched to RAW at this point, so these were all jpg files. Consequentially I am now limited in what I can do to properly present the tonal ranges that would have been there then I would otherwise be.
My photo tip for the day - in two parts 1) shoot RAW, 2) process you images in a program like Lightroom or Aperture.

1/250 f/13 ISO 200 75.0-300.0 mm @ 120 mm Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL