Weathered rocks at Toadstool Geologic Park, December 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
13 December 2014
Toadstool Park, December 13, 2014
18 October 2014
Train passing, October 18, 2014
A train passes through Dawes County, Nebraska, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Labels:
Crawford,
Nebraska,
Nebraska Panhandle,
Pine Ridge,
track
Location:
Crawford, NE 69339, USA
12 October 2014
Snowfall Along Needles Highway, October 12, 2014
Grace Coolidge Creek in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Labels:
Black Hills,
chaos,
Custer,
Custer State Park,
fog,
minimalist,
snow,
South Dakota
11 October 2014
Clouds over Box Butte Reservoir, October 11, 2014
Road along the dam at Box Butte Reservoir, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
14 September 2014
Trees along the trail, Nebraska National Forest, September 14, 2014
Burned trees along the Black Hills Overlook trail in the Nebraska National Forest, September 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
The 2012 wildfire that swept through the region around Chadron State Park and the Nebraska National Forest continued to show its effects two years later. There are few trees left on the Black Hills Overlook ridge line, but a few stragglers remain standing, blackened and leafless. I included the trail to add to the sense of depth created by the trees leading into the distance.
Thistle, Nebraska National Forest, September 14, 2014
Thistle at the Black Hills Overlook in the Nebraska National Forest, September 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
The road from Chadron State Park to the Black Hills Overlook in the Nebraska National Forest includes grass, sunflowers, pine trees, and some thornier plants. The harsh afternoon sunlight provided a strong outline for the thistle prickles. I used a long lens to keep a tight composition on the plant itself, and tried to find a good balance for the plane of focus. This is a fun composition to explore, and I like the delicate character of the soft background compared to the sharp foreground.
13 September 2014
Smiley Canyon, Fort Robinson, September 13, 2014
Sunset on a fallen tree at Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park, September 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
There are a number of rocky outcroppings at the high end of Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park. With the variety of yucca, small flowers, grass, fallen trees, and live trees to work with against the rocks, I find plenty of opportunities to play with near-middle-far compositions.
On this September evening in 2014, I continued to see what I could do with the rough patterns of rock and weathered wood, plus the dots of color from the flowers. The sunset gave everything a warm glow to match the flowers, and I ended up with a top-down view of the tree with the flower next to it. There is a bit of depth at the top, showing the ground somewhere below the small cliff created by this particular outcropping. I pushed the saturation and contrast up to showcase the range of tones in the scene.
01 August 2014
Sunlit Discs, August 1, 2014
Sunlight reflected off compact discs, August 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
I noticed sunlight reflecting off some discs onto a blank section of wall. The prismatic effect and amorphous shapes are intriguing, and I like them surrounded by the unlit section of wall, which frames the scene.
Labels:
Chadron,
Dawes County,
minimalist,
Nebraska,
Nebraska Panhandle,
Pine Ridge,
Studio
Location:
Chadron, NE 69337, USA
22 June 2014
Bridge Supports, Cherry County, June 22, 2014
Multiple exposure of bridge supports at the Niobrara River in Cherry County, Nebraska, June 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
This rail bridge over the Niobrara River has been converted to a long walking trail and has many fun views, whether toward the water, the vegetation, the occasional wildlife, and the bridge structure itself. This composite is made of three handheld frames, each focused at a different point. I wanted to maintain deeper focus without resorting to a tiny diaphragm opening (which might not have covered things anyway). In stacking the frames, I decided not to crop the result and keep the ragged edges. Then I turned up the contrast.
Labels:
bridge,
Cherry County,
composite,
focus-stack,
Great Plains,
Nebraska,
track
Location:
Cherry County, NE, USA
04 May 2014
Rock Formations at Toadstool Park, May 4, 2014
Rock formations at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Rocky Scenes at Toadstool Geological Park, May 4, 2014
Hoodoos at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Cactus at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Sandstone layers at Toadstool Geological Park and Sugarloaf Butte, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Cliffside at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Rock formations at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Rock formations at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Horseshoe bend on the Big Cottonwood Creek at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
27 April 2014
Rain Lines in Chadron, Nebraska, April 27, 2014
An early spring rainstorm turns to sleet in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Labels:
Chadron,
Dawes County,
minimalist,
motion,
Nebraska,
Nebraska Panhandle,
night,
Pine Ridge,
snow,
streetlight
Location:
Chadron, NE 69337, USA
05 April 2014
Clouds Over Chadron, April 5, 2014
Clouds over a hillside in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Labels:
C-Hill,
Chadron,
cloud,
Dawes County,
hill,
Nebraska,
Nebraska Panhandle,
Pine Ridge,
plant,
tree
Location:
Chadron, NE 69337, USA
Hillside Scenes in Chadron, Nebraska, April 5, 2014
Clouds over a hillside in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Clouds over a hillside in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Foliage closeup in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Flowers and bricks in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Clouds over a hillside in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Padlock closeup in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard) |
Labels:
bush,
C-Hill,
Chadron,
cloud,
Dawes County,
flower,
hill,
Nebraska,
Nebraska Panhandle,
Pine Ridge,
plant,
ruin,
tree
Location:
Chadron, NE 69337, USA
18 March 2014
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