Sunset at C-Hill in Chadron, Nebraska, May 13, 2021

 

Flowers on C-Hill in Chadron, Nebraska, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Flowers above the labyrinth in Chadron, Nebraska, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Yucca and clouds at sunset on C-Hill in Chadron, Nebraska, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Infrared Sunset at Chadron State Park, May 12, 2021

 

Infrared clouds over Chadron State Park, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Infrared clouds over Chadron State Park, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Infrared sunset at Chadron State Park, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Infrared sunset on the hills near Chadron State Park, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Infrared clouds over Chadron State Park, May 2021. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Final Round 2020

Focus-shifted double exposure in the Nebraska National Forest, December 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Tree and hills in the Nebraska National Forest, December 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset in Chadron State Park, December 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset in Chadron State Park, December 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset in Chadron State Park, December 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall Colors in Chadron, October 14, 2005

 

Fall colors on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall colors in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Moon over Chadron, Nebraska, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset from C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall colors on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall colors on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall colors and the moon over Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Cistern on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fenceline sign on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fall colors on C-Hill in Chadron, October 2005. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Wildfire South of Chadron, Nebraska, August 28, 2020

A firefighting helicopter passes over the Aristocrat Fire as a crew watches from below, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A couple years late, but here is the next wildfire in the near-Chadron series. After the Dawes and Sioux County Complex in 2006 and the Region 23 Complex in 2012, I figured we were on a six-year cycle, and wondered how crazy 2018 would be. Turns out the weather was biding its time, and here we are in 2020 with dry conditions and lightning. The Aristocrat Fire (I will fix incorrect information as I find correct information), named for Aristocrat Peak in the Nebraska National Forest, apparently got started from one of the many lightning strikes from the evening of August 27. On August 28, we were treated to smoke over C-Hill, but so far not as much smoke as in 2006. The wind was more from the north and west on August 28, keeping the fire away from Chadron, but threatening any number of homes and structures that are dotted through the national forest.

Sunset and dust over Dawes County, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smoke from the Aristocrat Fire south of Chadron, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Clouds pass by the moon, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Crow Butte, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A firefighting plane, part of the response to the Aristocrat Fire south of Chadron, Nebraska, passes by the moon and Jupiter, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Small fires and burnt areas dot a portion of the hills south of Chadron, Nebraska. This is part of the area affected by the Aristocrat Fire, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Chadron, Nebraska, just after sunset, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smoke from the Wildfires

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The wildfires in the western part of the United States are sending a haze of smoke across the country. These photos are from the Nebraska National Forest and Fort Robinson State Park. The sun sets as a far dimmer disc than normal in these situations.

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset Series Over Chadron, Nebraska, May 7, 2020

 

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. Roundtop is on the center horizon, with Wright Peak to the left. This series shows cloud and lighting changes over the course of the sunset. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, March 20, 2020

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, March 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

From a Chadron hilltop, I had a great view of clouds lit by the setting sun. I like this kind of busy, puffy clouds, especially the row along the bottom of the scene. This is an HDR composite, three exposures to cover most of the brightness range. The sun is still overexposed, but it feels appropriate for the sun.

Branch on the Water, October 13, 2019

A tree branch rests on the water at the Chadron Reservoir, October 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A quiet evening down at the reservoir. I got the tripod way down toward the water, trying to avoid too much mud, to get this branch in the foreground. Otherwise, there wasn't too much on this part of the shore to work with. The fall colors were muted this year, but I got a few from the trees on the far shore to help me out. Plenty of color contrast from the blue sky to balance the warm tones on the shore. The silhouette and reflection of the branch creates the most interest for me, with some negative space to go with the reflection.