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)

Rain Lines in Chadron, Nebraska, April 27, 2014

An early spring rainstorm turns to sleet in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sleet lit by a streetlight and turned to lines with a long exposure. Without the tree in the corner, the composition becomes truly minimal. With the tree, we gain an organic counterpoint to the straight lines and man-made fixture. There is a bit of lens flare from the light in the tree branches. I should fix that.

Clouds Over Chadron, April 5, 2014

Clouds over a hillside in Chadron, Nebraska, April 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Spring clouds can be strong and plentiful over the western Nebraska landscape as it slowly greens up. I am keeping a hint of the hillside visible so the tree has something to stand on. Otherwise, it's about what's floating over the tree, and the tree provides some intricate contrast against the poofy shapes.

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)

Ponderosa State Wildlife Area, October 18, 2014

 

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.