05-02-09 Starfish Cactus - Hawaii

This photo was taken with a macro lens, which allows the camera to get within inches of the subject. The actual cactus is hard to see in this photo and the flower itself is less than 1" across. When my son, Jon, who lives in Hawaii, saw the photo, he said I was lucky to get this photo since they don't bloom very often. I wish I hadn't cut the tips off the ends of the star - I need to go back to Hawaii to get it right!

Canon 5D 1/30s f/10.0 ISO250 100mm

;

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

05-01-09 Japanese Garden

This serene lake is part of a beautiful garden outside of Kyoto, Japan. We visited Japan in 2004 and as I browsed through photos I had taken, I had the reaction I often have when viewing older digital photos: I want to go back and re-photograph the areas we visited. But this desire isn't because I have a better camera or a better lens, but because I think I have a little better eye and also because I'm sure I missed some great shots.

I have many strong memories of Japan but one of the oddest involves the camera I was traveling with - a Canon 1D Mark II, which was considered a state-of-the-art dslr in 2004. The Japanese are gracious and friendly people but many were especially friendly when they saw my camera. They would walk up to me and, though they couldn't speak my language, would point to my camera, smile and shake their head in an affirmative way. The Japanese love quality electronics - especially electronics made in Japan.

Canon 1DII 1/160s f/6.3 ISO400 115mm

04-28-09 Mysterious Path

By Scott Shephard

IMG_5323 POTD

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

04-26-09 Fog and Tree

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)

04-25-09 Lakeside Path - Croatia

One of the more photogenic places I have been in Europe is a national park in Croatia called Plitvice Lakes. This park consists of 16 lakes of various sizes connected by cascading waterfalls. Because of the high calcium content of the water in the lakes, the lake bottoms are milky white and the water is a milky blue-green.

In this photo one of the many winding paths leads through a tunnel of trees along the shoreline of one of the lakes . My friend and I started our park tour very early and we almost had the park to ourselves. Two hours later, the paths were crawling with tourists and, as I've thought before, I felt that Europe would be a lot more pleasant if it weren't for the tourists. But wait! I'm a tourist, too, aren't I?

Canon 5D 1/50s f/4.0 ISO500 105mm

04-23-09 Snow Melt

It has been a wet winter in the Black Hills, which has left the reservoirs full and the creeks running high. I normally take a few photos at Iron Creek near our cabin when I am staying in the Hills. But when I drove to my favorite photo location on Iron Creek, I found that the creek was really too high for me to find a good vantage point from which to photograph. So instead I went looking for another creek.

This photo was taken at the Grizzly Bear camp ground near Mt. Rushmore. In summer this creek is usually just a gurgling brook. The day I visited warm weather and the ensuing snow melt left it running full. If you wonder how the water is made to look white, the answer is: a slow shutter speed. In this case the shutter was left open for 8 seconds.

Canon 5DII 8s f/22.0 ISO100 60mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L)

04-21-09 Missouri River Sunrise

The other day, I posted a somewhat rhetorical question on facebook which asked for ideas for photos that I might post. I actually got several suggestions. The most intriguing suggestion came from a former student of mine who said that she missed seeing the South Dakota sky.

Being a South Dakotan, I've always been impressed with the sky in wide open places but was struck by the reality that there are people who live in places where it's hard to see the horizon and maybe even hard to see the actual sky due to haze or smog.

Thus, I offer yet another photo of the Missouri River. In this photo I am looking more or less north. This photo was taken a couple miles away from another photo posted in this blog called "Lake Oahe Sunset."

Canon 5D 1/160s f/8.0 ISO400 105mm (Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L)

04-20-09 Foggy Morning

This photo was taken in the Little Bend area of the Missouri River. I wasn't looking for a photograph on the morning I took this. I was actually making an ice run to the Little Bend Bait Shop, which was a few miles away from where I had docked my sailboat.

While humid weather is normal for South Dakota summers, fog isn't. Thus, I needed to stop to take a few pictures.

Canon 5D 1/13s f/10.0 ISO400 300mm

04-19-06 Hens & Chicks

These are California hens and chicks. They live just north of LA at the J. Paul Getty Center. Do they look more relaxed and sun kissed than the hens and chicks in your garden?

Canon 5D 1/100s f/4.0 ISO100 105mm (Canon 24-105mm f.4.0L)

04-18-09 Things Grow On Rocks There

In my home state, we have difficulty growing things in dirt sometimes. But in the Waipio Valley on the Big Island even the rocks are fertile nesting places. My son Jon guided us down into this valley. The road down is one of those that made my wife close her eyes. We had a similar experience driving to the top of the Big Island. Both drives, of course, were worth it, though as we drove I was worried about our rental cars and the contracts I had signed. Would they know we went where we weren't supposed to?

Canon 1D 1/30s f/4.5 ISO800 60mm Lens unknown

04-16-09 Golden Folds

Sometimes I don't have much to say. Today is an example. I hope the soft yellow tones sooth you (should you need soothing :-) )

Canon 1D Mark II 1/200s f/4.0 ISO400 100mm (Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro)

04-15-09 First Flower

Finally, flowers have appeared in my wife's garden! And, as is normal, the crocus arrive first. Delicate, softly hued and more emphemeral than other flowers that grow, the crocus rquires a macro lens and a tripod because they are also the smallest. My back hurts from bending over for so long. I guess it's time to get in shape.

Canon 5DII 1/20s f/9.0 ISO400 100mm (Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro)