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.

Landmarks and Moths in Western Nebraska, May 31, 2020

 

Yucca near the base of Chimney Rock, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Clouds above Courthouse and Jail Rocks, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View toward Chimney Rock from Courthouse and Jail Rocks, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Moth at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Moth at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Fossil Hills Trail at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Storms over Fort Robinson State Park, May 16, 2020

Storm clearing over Smiley Canyon, Fort Robinson State Park, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Midday at Fort Robinson with a chance of rain. It blew through three times while I was in the area, once at Soldier Creek and twice here at the top of Smiley Canyon. For this round, I kept my back to the wind, getting my backside soaked but keeping the camera mostly dry, and looked for quick shots of the changing scenery. Most of them didn't quite work, but a few were more promising. This is from after most of the rain and shows a bit of the storm's western edge. Each of these storms were small, fast moving cells, and I could see far enough to watch them come and go.

Thunderheads over Smiley Canyon, Fort Robinson State Park, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Looking in the opposite direction at other potential showers moving toward my location.

Storm clearing over Smiley Canyon, Fort Robinson State Park, May 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

One more shot of the storm passing over the landscape.

Gnarled Trees at Fort Robinson, September 8, 2019

Smiley Canyon, Fort Robinson State Park, September 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This spot intrigues me because it has a variety of rocky outcroppings and dead trees in stages of decay. I just hope a wildfire doesn’t blow through here, because it would be a shame to lose the wonderfully weathered branches that are building up as prime kindling. It becomes a test of arranging the branches against the right background, watching out for too much and not enough contrast. I’m still working at it.

Rattlesnake at Toadstool Park, August 18, 2019

A prairie rattlesnake tests the air for danger at Toadstool Geological Park in August 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I went from 2005 to 2018 without seeing any rattlesnakes at Toadstool Park. Then I saw just a hint of one slithering away and rattling in 2018. Here in 2019, this is rattlesnake number three, the second for just this visit! Fortunately, I had a long lens and was able to take some photos from a safe distance. Probably irritated the snake to no end. It just wanted to relax and think about digesting its last meal.

Evening at Fort Robinson State Park, July 8, 2019

Ridge lines at Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park, July 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

I have been drawn to the hills around Smiley Canyon at Fort Robinson. When the sun gets low they show up as a lovely set of lines. This is a simple composition anchored by the single tree in the foreground. I like the on-off pattern of tree to hills to trees to … more hills! Capped by another set of lines in the clouds. It’s nothing but lines all the way down. Here’s something else I want to see more—the tiny line of trees on the distant horizon. I need to set up an Andreas Feininger New York skyline from 20 miles away kind of long lens. A 500mm with a double extender on a small sensor. In the end it will be a blurry heat haze mess that’s just a line of tree silhouettes, but it’ll be MY blurry hazy mess.

Fort Robinson State Park, February 1, 2019

 

Contrail past a butte at Fort Robinson State Park, February 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Contrail over Fort Robinson State Park, February 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Trees and arch at Fort Robinson State Park, February 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Trees and arch at Fort Robinson State Park, February 2019. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Grass on the Niobrara River Shore, August 16, 2016

Grass along the banks of the Niobrara River at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in August 2016. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

When I’m out walking around looking for a little fun, I’ll often play with grass. Sometimes I get a fun little composition out of it. The mid-afternoon sun lights up the curved blades as they march off the plane of focus. The stream of the Niobrara River provides some grounding for the scene.

Sunflowers at Fort Robinson, August 2, 2015

Sunflowers at Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park, August 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The Jeep trail at Smiley Canyon has wonderful views of Fort Robinson, including Johnson Lake to the north. At this time of year, the sunflowers are out in force and provide natural foreground and framing objects. Some are more weathered than others. I like the variety of trees throughout the scene, leading from the near hill off to the lake in the distance.

Sunset at Toadstool Geological Park, July 24, 2015

Sunset over Toadstool Geologic Park, July 2015. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Too often I find myself at Toadstool Park at midday, with harsh shadows and a cloudless sky. But if I come early or stay late, I am often treated to a lovely sunset and softening light on the hoodoos. The striations in the rock stand out, and the sky can have its own lovely detail to complement the curves and jagged edges of the rocks.

Rock Formations at Toadstool Park, May 4, 2014

Rock formations at Toadstool Geologic Park, May 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Toadstool Park is a great place to study near-far relationships. There are plenty of high and low areas, so it's easier to get the camera close to the ground without crawling on your belly like a snake and possibly catching a snake doing the same thing. The foreground element is a set of small layers, providing a bit of a mirror to the overall layered scene. The middle element is a great wrinkly buttocks, pointing toward the hills in the background.

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)

Sunset over Fort Robinson State Park, July 23, 2013

Sunset at Smiley Canyon in Fort Robinson State Park, July 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

This scene at the top of the Smiley Canyon jeep trail at Fort Robinson has plenty of detail to explore. That’s also a weakness, but in the intricacies there is beauty. Note the little cactus in the foreground and the trail snaking through the background. The triangle formed by the two near trees and the setting sun. There’s a little too much going on, but I’m still drawn to it.

Jeep Trail Scenes at Fort Robinson State Park, May 26, 2013

 

Yucca along a Smiley Canyon trail at Fort Robinson State Park, May 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smiley Canyon jeep trail at Fort Robinson State Park, May 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Blufftop view at Fort Robinson State Park, May 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Windmill at Fort Robinson State Park with Crow Butte behind, May 2013. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Red Leaf at Fort Robinson, August 25, 2012

Red leaf detail at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

At the shore of the Johnson Reservoir at Fort Robinson, I found this twig that had seen better days. Its last leaf is a brilliant red, shown here contrasting with a green background. I like the glow of light in the veins of the leaf, with a counterpoint made in the dark veins of the dried leaf above.

Aerial Views Around the Oglala National Grassland, March 25, 2012

 

Farmland in Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aerial view of Roundtop in the Oglala National Grassland, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Badlands near Toadstool Geological Park, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Cliffs near Roundtop in the Oglala National Grassland, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sand Creek in the Oglala National Grassland, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Afternoon sunlight shows the Oglala National Grassland landscape in strong relief, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Badlands near Toadstool Geological Park, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aerial view of Toadstool Geological Park, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Ridgeline including Crow Butte and Little Crow Butte, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aerial view of Crown Butte in the Nebraska National Forest, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Barrel Butte, Crow Butte, Little Crow Butte, and distant Red Cloud Buttes, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

East Ash Creek in Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Farmland contours in Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

“I couldn’t swear to every detail but it’s certainly true that it is a story.”

Afternoon sunlight shows the Oglala National Grassland landscape in strong relief, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sand Creek tributary in the Oglala National Grassland, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Oglala Grassland Badlands, March 25, 2012

Afternoon sunlight shows the Oglala National Grassland landscape in harsh relief, March 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

An evening flight over the Oglala National Grassland and Toadstool Geologic Park badlands. This is film, I think Tri-X pushed to EI 800 and developed in Diafine. The lighting and striations in the rocks create a beautiful graphite look. I pushed the contrast a bit more in post processing to heighten the impact of the blacks and whites. There is plenty of detail in a scene like this, and it holds up pretty well close up, considering it's film and push-processed.