Comet Neowise, July 16, 2020

Stargazers watch Comet NEOWISE in Sioux County, Nebraska, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I wanted to see what I could get for photos of Comet NEOWISE, so I went to a spot near Fort Robinson State Park. With lightning in the distance and clouds gathering as the sky darkened, it was questionable if I would be able to see the comet. Several other people stopped at the same place, and we all lucked out. I took several photos of the comet against the stars, then used some of the stargazers as a foreground element. I should have brought a faster, shorter lens, because I was running a six second exposure at f/5.6 and ISO 6400. That also meant I had to keep shooting and hoping the folks in the foreground held still enough. This is the last frame, and I like their positions, along with the last bit of sunset color in the sky. Shooting at f/2.8 would have been great; I could have cut the time in half and still gotten a cleaner exposure. Oh well, it will work well enough despite being noisier than I'd like.

Looking Down Black Elk Peak, September 17, 2017

View from the lookout tower on Black Elk Peak, September 2017. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A woman looks over a cliff edge on Black Elk Peak. My first hike to the top was in early 2004, when the mountain was called Harney Peak. I was looking forward to another hike up 13 short years later. At the top, I was naturally drawn to the mountain shapes going into the distance, but there were also interesting sights closer to where I stood.
This is a long-lens version of the useful near-middle-far composition arrangement. The woman provides a human element in the foreground, and a bit of dramatic tension as she leans forward to peer over the edge. The prayer flags in the middle provide a bit of color, and the mountains in the background provide a sense of depth.

Falls Park in the Snow, December 30, 2015

Snow at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, December 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I'm usually looking for water photos at Falls Park, but it's good to look at the surroundings from time to time. They've got decorations on the light poles, footprints in the snow, and people on the observation platform kind enough to point for me. I appreciate the help. Next edit needed for this composition will be to tame the tree branches intruding on the upper right.

Cyclists at the Black Hills Overlook, November 30, 2013

A pair of cyclists pause along a trail at the Black Hills Overlook in the Nebraska National Forest, November 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While out hiking the Black Hills Overlook trail, I noticed a pair of cyclists making their way on one of the spurs that jut out from the main trail. The afternoon light gave the hill a lovely outline, and defined the trees and hills in the background. The dot of red from one of the bikers makes for a nice punctuation, along with the scale provided by the people themselves. I like the shapes and details that make up this scene from front to back.

Las Vegas Scenes, April 8, 2013

 

Sunset at Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Evening sidewalk, Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Lit tree and buildings in Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Car lights in Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Hot waterfalls direct to you in Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, April 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Grand Canyon Sightseers, December 23, 2012

Two people look over the Grand Canyon, December 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Even in the middle of winter you'll find plenty of people at the Grand Canyon. While walking along a trail, I noticed these two visible through a gap in the trees, with a good backdrop. If I remember right, there are a lot more people if you move a pace or to to the left and right. But this keeps the scene more intimate, amid the grandiose surroundings. I don't like the scraggly branches in the upper-right corner. Better see about cropping or spotting them out.

The Lagoon, October 22, 2011

Tree on the lagoon shoreline at Chadron State Park, October 2011. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I borrowed a twin-lens reflex camera and shot a roll of TMAX-400, developed in some witch's brew or another, and repro-photographed the negatives. Plenty of dirty sky here, but that's partly my post-processing. The lagoon at Chadron State Park has been drained and refilled in the intervening years, and we've lost some of the trees. I like this tranquil scene, which includes a bit of father-son fishing day. Fun reflections, too. I kept one of my other shots from the day for the gallery, this time a closeup of the dock.

Dock on the lagoon at Chadron State Park, October 2011. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Runner at Ponca State Park, August 13, 2011

A runner heads north through Ponca State Park in August 2011. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While heading toward the Missouri River, which is a hundred meters down the road from here, I saw a runner. She was heading in this direction, and I thought I’d get a fun balancing act between her and the tree trunk. A contrast study in a variety of ways: color, motion, size, time… The trick with running forms is to get the timing just right with the legs, heels, and arms conveying just the right form and sense of forward movement. Her right leg is too straight—a split-second earlier and it probably would have been bent enough to match the similar angle of the left leg. The motion blur helps to convey motion, so I’ll go with it. No, I’m not going to use the motor drive and try to grab it at five frames per second (in this case). That’s a crutch better not relied on. I like the subtle warm and cold light on the tree, especially how the texture comes out on the warm side.

Silhouette at Ponca State Park, October 16, 2010

A fisherman sits on the Missouri River shoreline at Ponca State Park on an October morning, 2010. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

While I was out doing the usual thing at Ponca State Park in October (Colors. Colors.), I found a fisherman framed by some trees. This treatment is a bit more golden that you'd expect in reality, but I think it fits the morning light theme. I think I took a shot with the figure in focus, but the amount of detail in the branches is delightful, and the background bokeh makes a nice backdrop.

Night Scenes in Chadron, Nebraska, March 16, 2009

 

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Two Stops on Highway 20, March 1, 2008

 

Ice fishing at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Swingset at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Shoreline at Cottonwood Lake, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Bridge along the Cowboy Trail in Cherry County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Bridge panorama along the Cowboy Trail in Cherry County, Nebraska, March 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset Music, October 30, 2005

Sierra in Chadron, Nebraska, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sierra needed some photos for a project, and I thought it would be fun to take some musical-type photos. This was some good timing for us, with the sun setting and an excellent arrangement of path, grass, and clouds. I like the sun, but I'd better get rid of that tiny little pole that's cutting into the sun. Maybe the tiny bit of tree near her arm, too. That should clean things up nicely.

Hiker on the Edge at Fort Robinson, September 10, 2005

A hiker rests on the edge of a bluff in Fort Robinson, September 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

There is immense scale in the bluffs at Fort Robinson, and this is one way to show the height and especially the distance of the landscape out here. The evening sun brings out the details of the land below.

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.

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.