Category Archives: Photography

Gotta love those pink sunsets

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The past few gloomy days and some time spent working in soggy conditions took the wind out of my sails, so I came home from work early to sleep off a headache and head off a cold before it could get the better of me. When I woke up my little boys were excited to show me that the skies were looking bright red and pink on the western horizon!

I was in no position to get the shot, but it gave me the idea of going back into the archives to grab one of my favorite pink sunsets along Highway 25. Much like the fallen farms which only exist for a while, this tree has been whittled down a lot since I took this series of photos. Most of the branches are gone, making this a photo I can never really duplicate.

One of the greatest appeals of photography to me is that it’s about capturing a specific fleeting moment in time, one that may never come around again. The merging of proper technique and simply being in the right place at the right time is thrilling and addicting, just like nailing a corner just right while leaning over on my knee at triple-digit speed. The nice thing about the photo is that it lasts longer!

Couple of capitol closeups

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I didn’t get to take part in the Bismarck-Mandan part of the Worldwide Photo Walk event last weekend due to an emergency, but I was able to head over there a few days earlier for a “Photo a Day” project in which I’m taking part sporadically. The theme was “something close-up”, which explains the alliterative title of this post.

The shot above is actually quite pleasing because it was unattainable by the general public all summer long; the scaffolding and surrounding safety fence were only removed from the capitol over the first weekend in October. This is my first close-up shot of the capitol with its newly scrubbed limestone exterior.

This is Becky (I had to give her a name), the statue near the veterans’ memorial south of the state library and heritage center. I tried a close-up of the dude, but his ear was full of spider webs. Creepy.

My friend Jo got a shot at the capitol that really baked my noodle, so i had to drive to the capitol today and poke around trying to figure out how she got it. I finally figured it out, but not until AFTER leaving the capitol grounds and the possibility of trying it to see if I was correct. I drove there over my lunch hour so perhaps I’ll have to take another crack at it before the weather goes completely medieval on us.

Fox Island Friday. Feedback?

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y gracious wife didn’t mind if I took “the scenic route” home from work last night, which was a real blessing. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve been able to do my trademark “just drive around and find stuff to photograph” thing that I love so much, and every little bit helps. I took a couple of interesting shots for the subject “close up” as part of a “Photo a Day” activity that I’m doing, then found myself at Fox Island.

The combination of dramatic clouds overhead and a perfectly calm Missouri River made for ample photographic opportunity. The river, smooth as glass on this rare occasion, made for a great reflection of the clouds overhead. But I’m a stickler for an interesting foreground object, so I worked the scene a little more.

The little dock near the boat ramp served as an interesting feature, jutting into the shot from the left. Its location was pretty good for my purposes but I still couldn’t find a good way to compose my shot with it where I wanted it while still getting the clouds and their atery reflection.

My solution for this was my solution for a lot of things in the 80s and 90s: go vertical. Since I couldn’t get close enough to the dock to keep it more prominent, it loses a little…but that’s why we take multiple exposures I guess.

I started out with my favorite shot being the vertical because I was able to fit in everything I wanted, especially the reflection. Arranging them for this post, however, I actually began liking the second one the best. Again, it comes down to an interesting foreground object. The dock just isn’t prominent enough in the vertical shot since I couldn’t get closer to it. Maybe if I cropped it differently to retain more of the reflections instead of the clouds:

You know, this just doesn’t do it for me either. There’s something about the propertions that just doesn’t seem harmonious to me. I think I’m going to have to focus less on the reflections, regardless of how great a catch they were, and stick by my choice of photo number two. As always, I welcome any feedback. Have a good weekend!

Get ’em before they drop, and bring your polarizer

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Autumn seems to be the shortest of all seasons in North Dakota, at least the portion of it in which the foliage turns color. For instance: a few days ago I was up at Fort Lincoln taking sunset photos and eyeballing the colors of the leaves on the drive up the hill to the blockhouses. Tonight, as my little four year old and I drove up that same road, the trees were already quite barren. Some areas still thick leaves, but be warned: they won’t hang around long.

The above shot is an example of why you want to take a polarizer with on a sunny day of foliage photography. The shot on the left and the right are taken with identical settings mere seconds apart. The photo on the right, however, is with a circular polarizer. It’s obvious that, given the right angle, a photographer can really deepen the sky and make those fall colors pop! Once again, I advise doing so quickly. It won’t be long before the only place one can photograph those leaves will be on the ground.

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The colloquialism in the title of this post is the racetrack equivalent of “Go to war with the army you’ve got.” I didn’t have a photographic equivalent, so I’ll have to write one someday and utilize the racing version for now. I had finished watching a niece’s volleyball game at Fort Lincoln Elementary and saw a nice sunset developing, so I did what I had to: bolt to the nearest known photo subject. In this case, and given the letter “E” adjacent to my truck’s gas gauge needle, Fort Abraham Lincoln was the most logical choice.

I started with the above shot. Stereotypical. Unremarkable. I really prefer the blockhouses with the railings on top. Okay…time to work the area a little bit…

The clouds were changing quickly and it looked like the horizon was about to be obscured, but I did have time to try something else. Taking a position far away from the blockhouses had proven uninspiring, so I decided to get close and still try to capture some of the wispy clouds while they remained overhead. I figured the blockhouses had little else to offer tonight given the sky conditions, so I did a 180.

Now that’s what I’m talking about. The full size version of this photo is much more pleasing due to its detail in the fall colors, but I don’t want to post a photo that big here. It was the shot I was looking for, however, in order to satisfy my criteria for a successful photo trip: come home with at least one photo I really like…even if it’s the only one from the trip that turned out well.

About that time I noticed the National Guard guys practicing autorotations with a Blackhawk over at the Mandan Airport, so I hung out to watch the frivolity and snap a couple more last minute blockhouse shots. The clouds had changed yet again and were providing a dash of color and light in the sky overhead, and I wanted to milk this trip for all it was worth. Success. Then it was time for home and little relaxation to go with my satisfaction.

A light unto my path

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The colors, they are a-changing. If you are into the fall foliage, I suggest walking the Lewis & Clark recreational trail in Mandan. I ventured out after work last Thursday and walked most of the trail before running out of daylight, and the colors are in full effect. I noticed last night that River Road is becoming quite the spectacle, too.

One thing about fall in North Dakota is that it doesn’t last long – get out and enjoy those fall colors while they last! Before long they’ll be gone for the year.

Pilings-on and a double-barreled Sunset Song of the Day

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After work today I took off with my camera to walk much of the Lewis & Clark trail along the Missouri River in Mandan, starting from the northwest trailhead. While I took a lot of photos of the changing leaves and meandering dirt path, some of which I may post later, I really had a goal of taking a photo of the old wooden pilings near the trailhead itself. Someone was about to begin a senior session down there, so I decided to walk a few miles first. I’m glad I did.

I returned to the truck right around sunset, with only the last bits of pink and purple remaining in the western sky. I got into position and eyeballed the shot, unsure whether I’d actually get an angle I liked. I did, as you can see, but I hadn’t brought my camera down to the rocky shore with me in case I didn’t like what I saw. I dashed back up before the light went away from me, returned for a quick setup and series of shots trying different things with fill flash and long exposures, then it was time to come home for some homemade chili.

Due to the amount of time spent walking, I had plenty of opportunity to select two songs for tonight’s Sunset Song of the Day. The first one is “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand” by the Primitive Radio Gods (iTunes link) and the second is “Black Chow” by Big Spider’s Back (iTunes link). Both have a good tempo suitable for walking back to your truck at the end of a nice, long hike. They also set the mood for a relaxing purple-and-blue end to the evening, down by the river as it laps against the rocks.

I didn’t think this was going to turn out but I snapped it anyway…

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Saturday morning, while working on something else that I’ll likely post in the next day or two, I noticed that the sky behind me was doing something really cool. Yes, I was out at sunrise and pointing my camera the other way – more on that later. The clouds had obscured the rising sun for the most part, but once it began to poke through I took notice. Sadly, there were power lines in the way of an otherwise nice sunrise landscape shot.

I went ahead and maneuvered closer to the power lines to include them, since I certainly wasn’t in a good position to avoid them. In this case I they actually provide a nice bit of geometry to the shot. While not ideal, they do lead the eye toward the horizon and the rising sun.

Certainly not ideal, but not a total throwaway shot, either. Since I do freelance industrial photography and an advocate for North Dakota’s energy industry, I’m somewhat sympathetic to lines like these anyway. Now, about the photographic subject that had me facing away from the dramatic sunrise…well, that’ll have to wait a day or two.

Bridge sunset with my lil’ photogs

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I love sharing my hobbies with my little boys. They’re now at the ages where we can start doing “guy stuff” together, and I’m reveling in it. I’ve been waiting for this since the time I blurted out, “You’re WHAT?” The time for “three dudes” activities is upon us, and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m especially happy that they like cameras, some days more than others. I think they’ve actually outgrown the picture quality of their little Fisher Price and V-tech cameras, but unfortunately they aren’t ready to handle something more fragile on a regular basis. That’s okay, there are lots of things we do together; photography is just one of them. The most important thing is that we three dudes stick together!

What you don’t know can hurt you (Public Service Announcement)

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For years I, like many others, have taken sunset photos from this lovely vantage point: the fence post at the northern edge of the Double Ditch historic site. It’s just off the corner of the road as you enter the site area, it has a great view, and its elevation affords a wonderful view of the river, the sunset, and the Square Buttes to the northwest. I’ve taken photos from here as recently as Sunday night, as shown above. What I didn’t know was how risky that’s become.

Last night I wanted to take a sunset photo from a more unique perspective so I hiked down to the river at the south end of the Double Ditch road and worked my way up the shore to the north end again. I didn’t quite get the angle I wanted – the sun sets further south now than it does midsummer – but I did make an amazing discovery. As you can see above, there isn’t much left beneath that familiar fence post!

Walking along the shore I found several places where huge chunks of the cliff had let go and are now piled at the bottom along the river shore. I hiked over them on the way to the north end, and even near the pole I could see where the cliff had recently tumbled down. Now it seems that post’s days are numbered, and I would not want to be hanging out up there with my cameras when it lets go.

I’ve had a great relationship with that spot; I’ve captured sunrises, sunsets, storms, International Space Station flyovers, and more while standing next to it. Sadly, I won’t be going back. That type of soil is too unpredictable, and it looks like the erosion is now threatening to swallow up one of my all time favorite photo spots.

Please be careful when you’re out at Double Ditch! There’s more to those picturesque cliffs than meets the eye.