Bushes and Trees at Ponca State Park, November 25, 2004

Bushes and trees along the Missouri River Backwater Trail in Ponca State Park, November 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This is a photo I initially overlooked until several years after I took it. There was something about the balance between the busy foreground foliage and the separately busy background branches. The black and white treatment also felt fitting, to keep focus on the textures and lines of the scene. It's a fairly simple arrangement, but I like it.

Tire Marks and a Tree, November 23, 2004

A lone tree near the entrance to Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area on Highway 20 near Merriman, Nebraska, November 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Seems like a dreary day passing by the long-lost tree near the road to Cottonwood Lake. This is a scene I should revisit, preferably with a busy sky. Again we have a selection of geometric shapes to contrast the fractal branches of the tree. Continuing the idea of contrast and balance is the bit of foreground dirt as another element against the tree. I like the tire mark curves against the harder straight line on the road.

Sunset over the Buttes, Fort Robinson, November 6, 2004

Sunset over Red Cloud Buttes at Fort Robinson State Park, November 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

On one of my first trips hiking in Fort Robinson State Park, I found this shot of one of the buttes at sunset to be a keeper. I have pushed the color contrast a bit beyond reality, but there is a sense of light and shadow I want to convey with this treatment. I'm normally not a fan of the whole orange-teal look. There is some delicate texture in the sandstone of the butte, and I like the tree on the left as a bit of punctuation for the scene.

Seesaw at Cottonwood Lake, October 19, 2004

Seesaw at Cottonwood Lake State Recreation Area, October 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

When I first visited Cottonwood Lake in 2004, it was during the fall, and there was still plenty of color to be found on the trees and ground. I liked the near-middle-far arrangement of the seesaw with this tree, and the clouds provided a nice backdrop. The seesaw is gone now. I should probably erase the trash can at the base of the tree, but it's not a bad punctuating element. Hand of man, and all.

Pipeline Vultures at Ponca State Park, July 18, 2004

Vultures on the pipeline over the Missouri River at Ponca State Park, July 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The petroleum pipeline spanning the Missouri River at Ponca State Park is a favorite spot of these vultures, who look a little ominous as they relax and share vulture gossip. I find vultures fascinating. They are well-evolved and good at what they do. It may be disgusting, but it also keeps a lot of the nasty diseases from spreading more than they do.

Missouri River Shoreline at Ponca State Park, July 11, 2004

Missouri River shoreline at Ponca State Park, July 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This is a spot I’ve photographed before, this time featuring a boat as the counterpoint punctuation to go with the driftwood and rocks in the foreground. The last rays of the sun on this stretch of the river highlight the concrete structure out on the water, and some of the driftwood, and some of the shoreline brush.

Shoring up the Shore at Ponca State Park, July 7, 2004

Missouri River shoreline at Ponca State Park, July 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

These rocks are erosion control along the Ponca State Park Missouri River shore. There are some nice curves along this expanded shoreline, and the river even provided some driftwood for my composition. Yes, it was specifically there for me. And off there in the background is the inverted Y support of the petroleum pipeline that spans the river.

Camping on a Spit, Ponca State Park, July 1, 2004

Campers on a Missouri River spit at Ponca State Park, July 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Down at the Ponca State Park dock, I saw a group of campers out on a spit. The post-sunset lighting was monochromatic, except for some fires reflecting on the water. I like the lineup of trees in the distance, so a narrow crop was appropriate. The largest light on the water creates an anchor for the scene.

Dredging the Missouri River, June 7, 2004

Dredging along the Missouri River shoreline at Ponca State Park, working to create the backwater channel, June 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The Overlook Trail at Ponca State Park has a few cliffside spots where you can look out over the Missouri River. This is a bit of a different perspective compared to the overlook platform, and can be helpful in arranging foreground and background objects that are both distant to the photographer. Here in 2004, there is a project going to dredge a backwater channel along the Nebraska shoreline, which will create a habitat for birds, fish, and the ecosystem that goes with them. I don’t know the specifics of the dredging process, but it’s interesting to see the machinery involved. I like the arc of the floats in the foreground, which point back toward the boats and other equipment, and beyond toward the shore.

The Mountains from Black Elk Peak, April 17, 2004

View from Black Elk Peak, April 2004. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

My first hike up Black Elk Peak, and here is a compressed telephoto scene with some fore-middle-background elements. The middle is the weakest part, but I do like the zig-zag feeling I get from the rocks in that portion. The foreground gets some edge lighting to showcase the jagged rocks, while the background fades into softly rolling hills. Pretty simple arrangement, but I'll take it.

Ponca State Park, October 17, 2004