Reflections at Chadron State Park, September 23, 2012

Reflections at the lagoon in Chadron State Park, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Around the time of the 2012 wildfire near Chadron, the usual fall colors were coming in, too. On this Sunday morning, I headed out to Chadron State Park to see what I could find. The lagoon near the park entrance is a popular fishing and paddle boating site surrounded by trees. On this morning, the water was nearly still, and I found a nice location on the shore to arrange a near-middle-far composition. A little pareidolia in the foreground log gives me the impression of a horse head. I like the touch of gold from the near leaves, repeated of course in the far trees. The sky is a collection of soft clouds, adding a bit of subtle detail in the water reflection. Finally, I like the double diagonal and curve created by the center-left and -right trees on the far shore.

The Needles with Glowing Trees, September 3, 2012

The Needles in Custer State Park, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I’m not a big fan of mid-day landscape photography, but there are trinkets to be found. Silhouettes are a possibility. I found this scene intriguing because of the glowing leaves on the trees that were in just the right spot to fit with this spire. From there, I need to make sure my exposure is dark enough to hold detail in those bright areas. In the end, I just might get an interesting study in contrast and negative space.

Moonrise and Powerlines, September 1, 2012

The moon, in waning gibbous phase, rises over Dunlap Road near Box Butte Reservoir State Recreation Area, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While I was driving back from Box Butte Reservoir, the moon made its appearance in glowing color against the darkening backdrop of the road and powerlines. Though as I think about it, the idea of a backdrop in this case isn’t quite accurate. It’s a compositional shorthand. The moon is warmer and brighter than the rest of the elements, so it appears to take the foreground. I was pushing the old D2x and 80-200 pretty far for this, because I need to pull in plenty of light for the earthbound elements, plus I needed depth of field to keep those elements sharp along with the moon, plus I needed a short enough shutter speed to keep the moon from blurring as it moved, plus I needed a short enough shutter speed to keep the moon from appearing too bright. All that and the camera’s sensor falls apart with underexposure and ISOs higher than 400. It’s a little softer than I’d like, but holds up well enough in a moderate-sized print. The more I look at this, I need to see what it looks like when I remove the tree on the far right, which should further simplify the composition and enhance the lines pointing to the moon. N.B. The moon rose between the power lines, and I shot the photo with that composition. As I reviewed the photo processed it, there was a clear choice: move that sucker where it appears now.