By Scott Shephard

We are under our first "winter storm warning" today with snow predicted to start falling seriously later today. The forecast is for strong winds and 8 to 10 inches of snow. And so it begins. . . .

As winter makes a serious move into our part of the world, I went looking for a photo that might warm my spirit and this photo jumped out at me. It was taken in July, 2014 and I remember almost everything about it. I drove in darkness 30 miles from the marina I keep my boat moored at so that I could be present for the sunrise at this location, where I'd been many times before. Like so many other photographic outings of mine, it didn't really matter if the conditions were right for a good photo. Just being on this bluff and seeing the sunrise smile me  and this special part of the world in central South Dakota was enough.

But conditions were good - especially the sky. I could go to this spot on 50 mornings and not find the right clouds. On this day, I was lucky. And I was blessed.

Canon 5DIII f/8.0 ISO400 19mm