Iron Creek

I'm back at Iron Creek again, but this time with my cell phone camera and Instapaper.I made a short video of this place, which you can view here. The video was made with my iPhone and then edited and published (via ATT 3G) with my iPad 2. The movie needs more editing but it is testament to how fairly simple tools allow for creation and publication in the field (or in this case, in the woods).

The Old, Rugged Tree

While visiting California recently, I wandered over to a cemetery near my aunt's house. It was a cemetery unlike anything in my home state - large mausoleums with drawers for the remains of loved ones. And there were no above-ground tomb stones.The most striking feature was the landscape and trees, most of which were kinds I didn't recognize. I'm guessing this tree, which is framed by the colored class walls of mausoleum vestibule, is older than the cemetery. Is is a banyan tree? I don't know.

Where I Work

Just in case some of you are lounging in tropical climes and were missing the experience of a South Dakota winter, this may help. This is one of the west doors at Watertown High School a month ago on a day that wasn't exactly a "Chamber of Commerce" day.The good news is that most of that snow is gone now, though we did experience a mini-blizzard earlier this week. Years ago our state tourism department used "Be glad you live in South Dakota" as their slogan. But they dropped it for some reason.But, still, I do like South Dakota. I just don't like winter. Anywhere.

Quit Your Carping!

These aren't carp, of course. They're koi, the prettier cousins of carp. This photo originally appeared on my companion web experiment, scottshephard.posterous.com.Want to watch a very short video filmed, edited and posted with my iPhone? Click here.

A Beautiful Place

In light of current events in Japan, I went back to my collection of photos. I hadn't really looked closely at this one before but I like it because the place conveys the kind of beauty and peace I found in many locations while visiting Japan. The images of destruction in Japan are wrenching. We might find comfort in the beauty of the Japanese landscape and character, but where do the Japanese go? Memory and photos will hardly suffice in the days and weeks to come.

Order and Chaos?

There is so much that seems random in nature. And then there are birds flying in formation. . . In this picture, grabbed on the fly, notice how the angles of the birds' wings fit into each other.But then notice the clouds: are they the antithesis of these birds in flight?

Orchids on the iPhone

This is the third in the series, once again captured at the Como Park Conservatory. This photo is a bit blurry, but it beats the blurry blizzard photo I considered posting today.iPhone 4 1/15s f/2.8 ISO100 3.85mm

Big Green Leaf on the iPhone

One of the problems with the iPhone is that you need to touch a spot on the back screen to take a photo. Thus, you can only really use one hand to hold the camera. In the case of the "Big Green Leaf," found in the Como Park Conservatory, the camera used a pretty slow shutter speed, and it was hard not to have a shaky camera. I'll figure this out, I'm sure.The lines on the leaf are what begged me to take this photo. Do I really hear things talk to me when I'm out taking photos? Yes. In fact some times they shout.iPhone 4 1/15s f/2.8 ISO160 3.85mm

A Summer Morning

I wasn't really looking for a photo like this to post but when I came across it, I was so powerfully reminded of what it feels like to stand in this place on a promising summer morning that I had to publish it. I can feel the humid breeze, I can sense the growing warmth of the sun and I can smell the wild prairie grasses. I also know that as I took this photo I was thinking about the kind of day of sailing I would have.This is all a sort of rapture for me and it is risky, given that summer is still 3 months away. But I can dream.

Hidden Blessing

As much as I dislike winter, I must say that there are some things I like about it. In this case I stepped out our front door with my camera to look for something photogenic in the aftermath of our last major snow storm (14" and wind). And I found a plant left over from last summer which had been dusted with fine snow.But I'd still rather be photographing green things. . .

It's Getting Old!

You say "winter wonderland" and I say "I've had enough!" Yesterday the high temperature was -8 F.I say bring on the green grass and the daffodils. . .

Carlos

This is what South Dakotans do in their spare time - shovel snow from roofs. This is a shot of our acquaintance, Carlos, who seemed to be a little more enthusiastic than I was when he took shovel to snow on top of our house.Carlos is from California and he told me that where he used to live, he could drive a short distance to the beach. But he also told me that he could see snow on the mountains and that's how he preferred snow. For most of the winter, I've been able to look up and see snow on my roof but with all of the stories of roofs collapsing under heavy snow, I decided I needed to do something.I shoveled some of the snow but hiring Carlos was a better plan. Here's another photo that shows that in some places on our roof, we have at least 3' of snow!