Cottonwood Tree in Chadron, Nebraska

 

Trail toward a cottonwood, Chadron, Nebraska, October 2003. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Farm Ruins, Dixon County, July 22, 2003

Farm ruins in Dixon County, Nebraska, July 2003. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I was invited to photograph an old farm, and spent a couple days photographing in and out of the buildings. There was plenty of variety in the levels of decay throughout. This scene shows some interior and exterior, with wonderful diffused light. I was shooting on C-41 monochrome film, so focused only on texture and tonality. I like the organic shapes of the strings contrasting with the straight lines of the wooden structure.

Pipeline Anchor at Ponca State Park, January 6, 2003

A long-gone relic at Ponca State Park, January 2003. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A long-gone relic from the quarter-mile circle at Ponca State Park. The pipeline crossed the river into South Dakota, with an A anchor on the Nebraska hill, and an inverted Y anchor on the lower South Dakota shore. This particular composition was only possible without a tall support for a short time. When I tried to recreate it even a few years later, the cliffside had eroded too much to get the same vantage point. This is a study in linear counterpoints. My original treatment was in color, showcasing the strong orange-on-white colors of the A. I later decided to reduce it to black and white. This helps draw the eye to the textures in the fence post. This photo was also the basis for a stained glass piece, which was a fun project in reducing what is already a simple geometric arrangement even further.