Beaver Pond

I happened to glance out the passenger side window as I was driving by a Dances With Wolves film site and spotted this perfectly placid pond. Upon further inspection I discovered it is the result of a beaver dam, but really caught my eye was the vibrant green moss under and on the surface of the water. It was early spring when this image was made, so I don’t know if it looks like this all the time, but it sure is beautiful while it lasts.

-Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

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-Canon R5

-EF16-35 F2.8 lens @ 16mm

-F11, 1/8 sec, iso 100

-CPL filter to cut down on the reflection in the water

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

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Naked Trees

I’ve been experimenting with Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) for a while now with mixed results, but learning as I go. In this image the light bark of the aspen trees add definition that would have otherwise been an undefined and chaotic scene, and the dark shaded side of the canyon wall provides nice contrast. Also the leafless foliage tells the story of a late winter, early spring time of year due to just a hint of green in the lower right of the image.

-Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

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-Canon R5

-EF24-70 F2.8 lens @ 35mm

-F22, 1.0 sec, iso 100

Processed in Adobe Lightroom

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First Dawn

When I look east at sunrise across the northwestern South Dakota foothills, and there are no signs of human presence or activity, I often wonder if this is what the first dawn was like.

-Spearfish, South Dakota

-Canon R5

-EF24-70 F2.8 lens @ 50mm

-F8, 2 sec, iso 100

Processed and blended in Adobe Lightroom

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I Got Everything I Asked For (Almost)

-Orion in the southwestern sky; check

-Clear, moonless night; check

-Fresh snow; check

-Landscape and trees flocked with said snow; half check

Everything seemed to be coming together nicely for this image to be just what I imagined it would or could be, but the snow just wasn’t as heavy on the cliffs and trees as I had hoped. Never the less, I’m happy with it and look forward to improving on it in the future.

-Little Spearfish Creek, Black Hills, South Dakota

-Ground, Astro modified Canon 5D Mark II

-Sigma 20mm F1.4 Lens

-f2.8, 30 sec, iso 800

-Sky, Astro modified Canon 5D Mark III

-Sigma 35mm F1.4 Lens

-f2.8, 60 sec, iso 1600

Processed and blended in Adobe Lightroom and, Adobe Photoshop. Further enhancements in RC Astro and Topaz Photo AI for noise reduction.

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Finally a Taste of Winter

After several weeks of relatively mild winter weather, we finally got a blast of cold and snow, so I headed to a favorite location to check the conditions. The pines could have been a little more flocked with snow, but this wasn’t bad and the fog in the background gives the image depth. And by the way, that is a bald eagle perched on the end of the dead curving pine, but I didn’t have a lens long enough to bring it in closer. This isn’t just one of my favorite spots, the eagles like it too due to the good trout fishing.

-Savoy Pond, Black Hills, South Dakota

Canon R5

-EF 70-200mm f2.8 lens @ 200mm

-f11, 1/125th sec, iso 160

Processed in Adobe Lightroom

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A Little ICM

I looked out our bedroom window the other morning and saw there was the potential for a colorful sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and decided to do a little icm (intentional camera movement. The sky and horizon turned out pretty good, but I’m not so sure about the foreground. Hand holding the camera caused these squiggly lines, that are the various street lights, porch lights and car lights. It’s kind of bizarre and a little mysterious looking, but my wife really likes the image, so you be the judge.

The next time I try this however, I’m going to use a tripod and get a more fluid motion as I pan the camera, hopefully smoothing out the lines.

-Spearfish, South Dakota

Canon R5

-EF 16-35mm f2.8 lens @ 35mm

-f22, 2 sec, iso 160

-Camera panned from right to left during exposure

Processed in Adobe Lightroom

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The Color of Winter (This Year)

If you like brown, then this is the season for you. I realize this image would look better with the foliage flocked with snow and cool ice formations in the creek, but this is what we’ve got (so far) this winter.

-Location: Crow Creek, Spearfish, South Dakota

Canon R5

-EF 16-35mm f2.8 lens @ 16mm

-f11, 1/8 sec, iso 100

-Focused stacked

-Case CPL

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

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Cloudy Ice

I always thought the ice on Mirror Lake would be crystal clear just like the water; not so, at least not on the morning this image was shot. The western end wasn’t frozen at all, so maybe that’s where the clear ice would be???

-Location: Mirror Lake, Spearfish, South Dakota

Canon R5

-EF 24-70mm f2.8 lens @ 32mm

-f8, 1/15 sec, iso 100

-Focused stacked to get the front reads sharp

-Case CPL

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

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Black Glacier

I’ve been in a bit of creative slump lately, so I started going through some of the photos I took in Iceland last summer and came across this image of a very dirty glacier. Actually many of the glaciers in Iceland look this was because of all the volcanic debris they scrape up as they advance and retreat through the many mountain gorges.

All the lines, textures and patterns was what drew me to the image, but it was quite a challenge to get a composition that did justice to the scale and grandeur of this amazing place that has to be experienced in person to appreciate.

-Location: Solheimajokull Glacier, South Coast of Iceland

Canon R5

-EF 16-35mm lens @ 32mm

-f8, 1/90 sec, iso 100

Processed in Adobe Lightroom

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Frozen Oasis

Due to really dry conditions so far this winter, the landscape looks rather stark and barren. Except for this frozen little pond there is hardly anything remarkable about the image, but I’m drawn to it anyway. I like to imagine a group of high school kids gathering here for a spirited game of ice hockey on a Saturday afternoon. That would sure liven up the area!

-Location: Belle Fourche Reservoir, South Dakota

Canon R5

-EF 24-70mm lens @ 70mm

-f8, 1.0 sec, iso 100

Processed in Adobe Lightroom

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Orion Rising

I’ve photographed this area a couple of times in the day time and once at night to capture the milky way as it rose over the falls, but I never considered that the Orion constellation and nebula might be visible from the same spot. In January Orion is rising in the South, South East in the northern hemisphere and since that’s the way this image is looking, I figured it should work, and WOW did it ever!

The warm light on the pines is coming from a yard light shining from a house in the lower left of the image. It was a bit challenging trying to get low enough so that the house wouldn’t get in the shot, and at the same time making sure I captured enough of the sky.

-Location: Savoy Pond, Black Hills, South Dakota

Canon 5D Mark III, hydrogen / alpha modified

-Ground - Sigma 20mm, f1.4 DG Art lens (single shot)

30 sec, f2.5, ISO 4000

-Sky - Sigma 35mm, f1.4 DG Art lens

15 - 10 sec shots, f2.8 ISO 3200

Processed in Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Starry Landscape Stacker and RC-Astro

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On Thin Ice

I had to get a little further out on the ice than I was comfortable with in this shot, not that I was worried about my own safety but rather my camera equipment. The objective of my daring was to use the frozen bubbles as leading lines to draw the eye down the stream and into the trees and sky. I could hear ice cracking, so I didn’t linger for more than one photograph.

Canon R5

EF16-35 mm lens at 27mm

20 sec, f8, ISO 100

CPL filter to cut down on the glare in the ice

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Effects

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Cold January???

Well, it was January when this photography was made, but it wasn’t very cold; in fact it was quite mild. That’s why I was surprised to see the Belle Fourche reservoir completely frozen over, including this back-water inlet. What drew me to this image was the textures and patterns in the ice, the low sun angle, dramatic clouds and the bare trees and brush on the far shore.

Black and white rendering adds to the illusion of cold and emphasizes the stark winter beauty.

Canon R5

EF16-35 mm lens at 18mm

1/4 sec, f8, ISO 100

CPL filter to cut down on the glare in the ice

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Effects

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How Does This Image Make You Feel?

This image was captured on an overcast late autumn afternoon at a nearby reservoir. What emotions do you feel when looking at it? What story does it tell? Is it beautiful or ugly? Interesting or boring? Why do you think I processed it in black and white? What is the significance of the dead tree in the foreground? What part of the image most stands out? I like to think about these questions when I’m on scene and during post processing, and I’m always fascinated with how others might answer as well.

Canon R5

EF70-200mm, f2.8L lens at 175mm

1/10 sec, f11, ISO 100

Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Effects

If you don’t see this image for sale and would like to a buy a print, please contact me for ordering details. Many thanks!