One drawback to photography in the “energy corridor” of the great state of North Dakota is the ubiquitous power line in almost any landscape. Seriously, they’re tough to escape. No problems in this photo…just wander out in the backyard and snap away. I did manage to find the hidden rusty barbed wire in the grass, too…but thankfully my tetanus shot is up to date.
The rain let up briefly when I grabbed this shot of a rough-looking windmill. The valley in the background is still slightly obscured by the rain, and just after I snapped this shot it picked up again. Thankfully I have lens hoods to keep the front element dry when I poke it out the window of the truck! Yes, I did get out and hoof it in the rain a bit as well.
I love creative little stuff like this along rural roads, so I stopped to take a photo. I’d just finished stowing my camera back in its bag while standing next to my motorcycle when the owner drove by in his tractor, turning into his driveway. In good ol’ North Dakota fashion, he made a hand signal from the cab to ask, “is everything ok?” I made a gesture with my hands to illustrate that I’d just got done snapping a photo, he nodded and smiled, and we parted with a wave. I love North Dakotans.
For me, photography is a storytelling tool. I thought it very interesting that this guy had utilized the very shallow water over a sandbar to set up shop, complete with a chair and a pair of rodholders, to enjoy a little fishing. While in the middle of the Big Muddy, and technically still in the water, he’d used the sandbar to find a nice parking spot out in the middle of it all. But there was more to the story:
When I went back to camp with my camera, I thought I’d made the bare minimum of one interesting photo. What I found was, although I only shot one setting, I had captured details which only made themselves apparent later when I had the opportunity to look at them full-size. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my photo trip had been far more successful than I could have known simply looking through the viewfinder.
There’s so much color in the sky around sunrise and sunset, adding a special touch to an otherwise unremarkable scene. Everything takes on such a unique vibrance during that Golden Hour light, and it’s great when that happens with something photogenic nearby…and a great friend to share the experience.
This was a special private event, but the U does put on a monthly public show (I believe on the third Saturday of each month) that you can attend. Click here for the planetarium’s web page to get more details.
*crivet: v. To creep and pivot simultaneously. (Origin: Cf)
I had to chuckle when I spotted this sign in an extremely remote location. In fact, after two weeks my truck is still dropping mud from the section line road adjacent to this property. I don’t even recall whether or not there was some old dilapidated farmstead or other intriguing subject beyond this sign…I simply remember finding the annotation quite amusing. I don’t think I’d want to test the landowner’s resolve, either!
Winter didn’t exactly go as planned, but my little guys did eventually get to build a couple of little snowmen this week. They’re both old enough to ride little bikes now, and are expressing a desire to go stargazing so I anticipate big things this summer! I can’t wait to get started.
You know the Democrat Party has really screwed things up when normally reserved North Dakotans are putting up displays like these and attending protest rallies in the hundreds. Normally we just go about our business and want to be left alone, so for a political party to elicit these kinds of reactions speaks volumes.
I love roaming the back roads and this past weekend’s trip was exceptional. I found a few nice photos, got to roam as a guy is wont to do, and even found a location I’d been seeking for quite some time. These bridge footings were a particularly pleasant surprise and, since the water surrounding them was completely frozen, I was able to try several angles over the course of a half hour until I found something that I liked. I was even able to position my flash and trigger it remotely to fill in some light where needed. After all, as my photographic mentor taught me, “lighting is simply controlling the shadows.”
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