Custer County Aerial, June 20, 2008

Aerial view over Custer County, South Dakota, June 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I was excited to have an opportunity to photograph from a helicopter, and took a few interesting photos in spite of the high angle of the sun, which reduces shadows on the ground that might reveal the texture and character of the terrain more effectively. In this light, you have to look for more elements with more obvious contrast. I like the combination of straight lines and curves created by the Cheyenne River, and repeated in a less organic way by the cleanly divided field.

Sunset over Cherry County, July 3, 2008

Sunset over Highway 20 in Cherry County, Nebraska, July 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While driving on Highway 20, I was taken by an irresistible impulse to photograph the sunset. There was enough haze in the air to dim the sun at its low angle. I adjusted the tones to open up the shadows. This is a single-point perspective arrangement, and I always like being able to throw in some power lines marching into the distance. The water tower and radio tower on the right create the balancing elements. I like the yellow-orange gradient across the sun.