Sailing Magazine - October, 2011

Welcome to those who might have arrived at "A Photo A Day" because A)you were looking for photos of sailing on Lake Oahe in South Dakota or B)you read Heather Steinberger's article on her excellent site. Here are a few links. Thanks for visiting!Heather Steinberger's web site and the "Inland Love" profile in the October, 2011, issue of Sailing Magazine.Sailing Photos (mostly from Lake Oahe but as far away as the Swiss Alps)Missouri River Photos (you may find some redundancy here since many of my photos are tagged "Sailing" and "Missouri")Lake Oahe Photos (same warning about redundancy)

Black Hills Gold

I was waiting for for a traffic light to change at a road construction site on the road between Hill City and Keystone. I rolled down the window and snapped this photo just as the light turned green. I'm a nature paparazzi.

The Same Old Stream

Yes, it's Iron Creek again, which I call "the same old stream" in this post, though this capture tends to feature the same old rocks more than the stream.Frankly, I was surprised to see so much water flowing through the creek this late in the season (October 9). But even though there was pretty good flow, it took an 8 second exposure the get the smooth, fluid look that the water has.I love this place and will probably never stop photographing it, though I suspect I don't need to post any more photos of the place on this blog.And I should say that sometimes my photography has less to do with the result than it does with the act.(Watch the screencast on how I "made" this photo here.)

From Another Era

We happened to be driving from the Hill City, SD, back to our cabin and we encountered the second to last run of the Hill City to Keystone 1880 train. It wasn't a great day for photos as it was raining pretty hard but It was a good chance to try to get a photo of what might be the only passenger train in South Dakota.We intercepted the train four times as the tracks meandered through the Hills. My idea of a good shot involved curving tracks and billowing steam and this photo was the best I could do.

10-11-11 Moonset Over Iowa Corn Field

It was the perfect summer morning to be out north of Lake Okoboji in Iowa hunting for photos. This is one of the three captures I like for the hour I spent looking. I especially like the strong green color of the corn contrasting with the soft, muted color of the pre-sunrise sky.

Leafscape I

This leaf, born sometime in May, is beautiful in its old age.

The Mighty Acorn

Of course, the saying is, "From tiny acorns mighty oaks do grow." Or something like that.But when you get down on your belly and point a macro lens at them, they seem plenty big.

Misty Sunrise

This is another shot taken a little north and west of Lake Okoboji this past August. This photo has a look that reminds me of the famous painting by Millet called "The Shepherdess."

Mysterious

This photo was taken on a foggy summer morning north of Lake Okoboji in Iowa. And, yes, it's been enhanced with Photoshop.

Through the Bus Window

I went to Sica Hollow, west of Sisseton, SD, with several of my photo students. Sica Hollow is a state park that I thought would provide unique photo opportunities for photographers. We were closing in on the park when I thought I should take a photo. What struck me about this this scene, of course, is the color and the landscape.When I took the photo, I was hoping to get the driver, Ronnie, and a well exposed landscape. The camera was a Canon SX230 HS and I was impressed with the range that this camera was able to capture in this photo - from the bright, blue sky to the subdued tones of Ronnie.This may be one of those photos I like more because of what it helps me remember about this trip than because I think it is a good photograph.For a little insight into the creative process that went into this video, watch this three minute screen cast.

On Location

Here are a few of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. The place: the old Redlin farmstead 15 miles north of Watertown. The people: Kendra, Sara, Ashley, McKenzie, Kelly, Holly and Alli (sitting). These are 6 of my second year Photo/Media students at LATI and one of my first year students (Alli). The occasion was an on-location portrait shoot.When I was doing senior portraits, I used to bring my subjects out to this old farm all the time. I liked the many looks that the buildings could give a portrait but I also liked how I could find spots with good light that were also protected from the wind. Wind is rarely an outdoor portrait artist's friend, especially with females. And in South Dakota, windy days are more common than calm ones.I had a good time on the day I took this photo but I think most of my students got better results than I did, which is what I would hope for.

Ready For Harvest