The Moon Near Jupiter, November 2012

The moon rises with Jupiter nearby, relatively speaking, November 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

With the last vestiges of sunset lighting the clouds, the moon shows through. My intent was to show a clean view of the moon, clouds and planet. This is a composite of two photos, one to show detail in the moon and one to show detail in the clouds. Editing includes hue and tone adjustments to show the detail in the clouds and moon.

Sand Scenes in Sioux City, November 21, 2012

A stretch of sand in Larsen Park deposited during the 2011 Missouri River flood near Veterans Memorial Bridge, Sioux City, Iowa, November 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sand blows across a small dune near the Missouri River at Larsen Park in Sioux City, Iowa, November 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sand detail at Larsen Park in Sioux City, Iowa, November 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A varied selection today, all from Larsen Park on the Sioux City shore of the Missouri River. The sand levels were high on the shore shortly after the record high-water levels in the area. This selection shows a progression from far to near and some of the variety to be found in this small park. The first photo finds a bit of inspiration from "Lawrence of Arabia," with the bridge floating on a sea of sand, and me happily breaking the rule of thirds. You may have heard me say that the idea should be called the guideline of thirds to keep people from mindlessly sticking to it. It's all about balance. The other two photos are studies in counterbalancing elements. Light and dark, shadow and light, solid blocks and skeletal detail. And finally, a monumental set of two-inch forms (inspired in this case by Andreas Feininger's close up work).

Fire Aftermath, Chadron State Park, November 3, 2012

Late afternoon sun highlights a tree trunk amid blackened ground and shed needles. Crews prescriptively burned a large amount of potential fuel in Chadron State Park in response to wildfires throughout the area in 2012.

The 2012 wildfire that went through Dawes County made its presence felt at Chadron State Park, where workers did a fair amount of preventive burning to save structures within the park. The Black Hills Overlook in the Nebraska National Forest on the northwest end of the park experienced a massive change in appearance. Here in November 2012, several months after the wildfire, there are yellowing dead needles and blackened ground. Throw a little symbolism in there with the greenery in the distance to show that the land will recover. That's a little trite for me. This is a simple arrangement, with the tree trunk making for a strong presence in the foreground, and some nice texture revealed by the side light.