Re-discovery

You know what's fun about days when the weather or climate isn't doing anything interesting? Digging through old folders of photos and finding fun stuff you might have missed from the past.

This is from a shoot on the Circle View Guest Ranch near Interior, South Dakota in 2009. I remember a great evening with good models and awesome scenery and light.


Full information on Circle View Guest Ranch can be found at their website.

Variations on a frosty theme

I doubt there were too many people in Pierre last night that were as disappointed as I was when the large snowflakes falling at 5 pm dwindled away before they amounted to much. I was hoping to get some pretty winter pictures just as twilight fell and streetlights came on.

Instead I found wet, dripping tree branches everywhere. So I did the best I could in capturing something. This isn't exactly the beautiful shot I was looking for, but it's interesting to see wet pine needles with the South Dakota capitol building in the background.

As temperatures dropped overnight I was hoping for a frosty morning. There was frost, but not as thick as some days. I found a version of the previous night's drops frozen to a branch near the railroad bridge over the Missouri River between Pierre and Fort Pierre.

The railroad bridge tends to be one of those iconic items like the capitol that draws photographers in the area. Instead of concentrating on the bridge itself I used it as a backdrop for the frost, much like I used the capitol for the water drops.


So even though the weather conditions didn't fully cooperate with my vision, Mother Nature did provide something to shoot. I'm still hoping for more fog and frost this week.

Join the "Battle At F-Stop Ridge"

I realize this camera store is in Calgary, Alberta, but I'm loving their video promos. Check out the "Battle At F-Stop Ridge 2."



The original "Battle At F-Stop Ridge" is here and the landscape in "The Desert: A Cautionary Tale" looks very much like South Dakota's Badlands.

Reflections

Last night while helping clean up after the Governor's Conference on Tourism I noticed these fun reflections and sparkles in shiny decorations. Had to stop and shoot.

Governor Janklow's memorial service

William J. Janklow 1939-2012

Caption contest

No real reason for this photo other than I stumbled across it in my files today. I took the picture of the squirrel a few years ago and thought it would be fun to put a camera in his hands. So feel free to add your own caption.

See the view from the top of Mount Rushmore

Ever wish you could visit the top of the heads on Mount Rushmore? I've been lucky enough to be there a few times, but post-9/11 restrictions have made it much less likely for any of us to get there. However, thanks to technology, we can now all see the view that the presidents see.

A new website shows the results of laser scanning on the monument, 3-D models, etc. Much of this intensive study of the granite carvings will be used by the National Park Service to monitor cracks and shifts in the rock, etc.

For me the best part of the project is several 360-degree rotatable tours of the top of the mountain and the Hall of Records. Follow this link and click on "Virtual Tour" near the bottom of the page. As you click on views of the mountain, look for green arrows within each image that will lead you to more views.

Mount Rushmore 3-D laser scanned

I've now finally been able to stand under Teddy Roosevelt's chin, even if it's only "virtual." Here's one of my shots from the top of his head.