South Dakota

08-05-09 A Perfect Place, Two

By Scott Shephard

This photo was taken very close to the location where my other "A Perfect Place" photo was taken. And I'm sorry if I repeat myself but I couldn't resist the amazing early morning cloud formation reflected in the nearly mirror smooth water. Charlie Brown says in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" that there are 3 things people will sit and stare at: fire, water and a Zamboni machine. No fire or Zambonis here; but plenty of water.

View on Panoramio to see its geographic location from space.

Canon 5DII 1/160s f/8.0 ISO100 24mm

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08-03-09 Flocking Behavior 01

FlyingGeese011 I went to the Redlin Art Center in Watertown to get some exterior shots and instead I got geese. Everyone probably knows that when geese fly together in their "V" formation, they get better mileage. In NASCAR terms, it is called "drafting."

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08-02-09 Winter Wonderland

08-02-09 Winter Wonderland.jpg I have juxtaposed a winter scene today with yesterday's photo of late July lilies - primarily because I wanted to use the word "juxtapose" in a sentence. Mrs. Connor, one of my high school English teachers, would be proud. So here's an obscure (and perhaps rhetorical) question: How is the porter scene in Shakespeare's Macbeth a good example of juxtaposition? Public praise to the first person who answers correctly.

Canon 5D 1/1000s f/4.5 ISO160 105mm

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07-27-09 The First Mate

When she's on the boat, I get to order her around and she listens. Brilliant! When we are on land, she tries to order me around but it rarely works. That's brilliant, too. This was taken on a recent outing on Lake Oahe. Good wind, a nice summer evening and a willing subject.

Canon 5DII 1/250s f/11.0 ISO400 24mm

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07-14-09 Yellow Fields

Here's another photo of sun-ripened crops - this time a seemingly endless field of sunflowers. Sunflowers are a bit of a paradox in that I don't know if there is a crop in South Dakota that is more beautiful when it is in its prime or more ugly when it is ready to be harvested.

Here's a close-up of one of the flowers. (Click here)

1/320s f/6.3 ISO400 300mm Canon 1DII

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07-12-09 Golden Fields

The wheat is a not yet ready to harvest in our state but I noticed that it is getting close. This photo was taken a few years ago north of Watertown on a dewy morning just as the sun was coming up.

Canon 1DII 1/125s f/5.0 ISO400 70mm

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07-08-09 Morning Reflection

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

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07-04-09 Yet Another Mt. Rushmore Photo!

To honor Independence Day. . . (Though if you look closely, there is a little snow under Teddy's chin.)

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06-25-09 The Calm Before the Storm

This photo was taken from the back of my sailboat as it was moored at Spring Creek Marina north of Pierre, SD. I was fascinated by the texture and the color of the clouds. Instead of taking the photo, I should have been checking the mooring lines of my boat because a few minutes later winds reaching 50 to 60 mph hit the marina. Many of the boats suffered minor damage including mine. (Click here to see a few more photos.)

The black line visible on the water is an artificial breakwater made of giant truck tires. Unfortunately, a large section broke loose, allowing wind-driven waves reaching 4 or 5 feet high to roll through the marina. It was a hell of a ride!

I love sailing on Lake Oahe. But for 30 minutes, I was wishing that I and my "new" boat Wandering Star were anywhere but there.

Here are a few "Photos of the Day" that feature the Missouri River: The Perfect Place Incipience 3 Lake Oahe Sunset 212 Bridge Over the Missouri River Wandering Star

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05-30-09 Incipience 3

By Scott Shephard

This time it's the incipient dawn that looms over the Missouri River in South Dakota.

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05-14-09 Mellette House - Watertown, SD

The Mellette House was the residence of Arthur Mellette and his family. It was built around 1885. Mellette was appointed Governor of Dakota Territory in March, 1889, and in October, 1889, he became the first governor of South Dakota.

So ends the history lesson. Mellette House web site

This photo is a film scan. What's film?

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05-11-09 A Blurry Band

By Scott Shephard

I did a series of photos with this effect for the WHS yearbook a few years ago. There are two special techniques being used. One is called "dragging the shutter." What happens is that if you turn your flash on but manually adjust the shutter speed to a fairly slow speed, you can sometimes get some interest ghosting in the image. You can see that in the green t-shirt in the center of the photo. The other technique is to zoom in on some central subject while you push the exposure button. This creates a natural radial blur in the photo. I took 8 or 10 pictures before I got the effect I wanted.

Canon 5D 1/15s f/3.2 ISO100 75mm

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