Black Hills
I was done taking pictures on this particular morning and was heading back to our cabin. As I drove down the road along a small lake, I noticed a single deer along a path that paralleled the road. I thought, "I may have my next 'Picture of the Day.'" My concern was that if I got out of the car and started taking photos, the deer would run off. Instead, he/she struck a pose.
1/60s f/5.6 ISO320 105mm
To honor Independence Day. . . (Though if you look closely, there is a little snow under Teddy's chin.)
By Scott Shephard
Here's one of the 75,000 photos that I can distinctly remember taking. And it is, like many of my photos, a bit of an accident. I had been taking photos along Iron Creek in the Black Hills and was walking back to my truck. There had been a brief rain shower, which left the vegetation wet and shiny. And then the sun came out and almost as an afterthought I took a picture or two of the trail looking back towards the sun.
Without the sun, there would be no bright highlight on the trail and the little pine trees and the birch trees wouldn't be rimmed by back lighting. In the viewfinder, I didn't see this - it was only when I viewed the photo on the computer screen that I saw how interesting the lighting made this picture.
Discolosure: this photo is enhanced with a Photoshop filter called "Midnight." Altered reality? This isn't photojournalism - it's an art form and I guess you'd called "Midnight" "artistic license."
Canon 5D 1/30s f/6.3 ISO125 60mm
This was a marginal day for "fun" photography because it was raining an cold. But I had felt obligated to get a few more fall shots before driving back to the warmth of our cabin. Heading home, I passed this almost barren oak tree with a misty backdrop and stopped to take a few pictures through the half-opened window of my truck.
Canon 5D 1/200s f/2.8 ISO400 160mm (Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS)
One oak leaf back lit by the morning sun - it doesn't get much simpler than this. Since I was shooting into the sun, the challenge was to find shade for the lens to avoid lens flare. From the sunny side, this leaf looked dull. But with the sun shining through it, the leaf came to life - which is a bit of an irony for a leaf about to fall.
Canon 1D II f/5.6 1/250 lens unknown 240mm ISO 100
By Scott Shephard
This photo was taken on Battle Creek at what is called "the Hippy Hole" or "Big Falls," near Rockerville, SD. My friend, Scott, and I were staying at our family's Black Hills cabin for a few days and decided to try to find this spot. Though it was somewhat difficult to get to, it was worth the effort. Initially, we had the place to ourselves but eventually several teens showed up to enjoy the amazing natural pool.
This photo is lucky, given the composition of the two jumpers - both are frozen in their jumps and in fair focus. The main figure in the green suit was doing a back flip and the one on the left looks like he's headed for a belly flop (though he lands feet first). The fall from the ledge to the water, incidentally, is about 15 feet.
Canon 5D f7.1 1/500 Canon 24-105mm 4.0L (24mm) iso500
By Scott Shephard
Iron Creek is only a few miles from our cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This small pool has been the subject of my attention many times and this photo was taken in April of 2007. It had rained the night before, which increased the volume of water running through the creek. The rain also gave a wet look to the rocks, which helps create the atmosphere in this photo.
For this picture I put my camera on a tripod, which is standing in the water. I'm balancing precariously on rocks, trying not to let my feet slip into the icy stream. The secret to getting the milky look of the water in a photo like this is a timed exposure - in this case the shutter was open for 4 seconds. If I get a good photo when I come to this place, I'm happy. But just spending time in this serene place is enough for me. Can you hear the sound of the creek, the breeze in the branches of the trees and the birdsong?
Canon 5D f22 4s Canon 24-105mm 4.0L (35mm) iso100
