Road Trip! Badlands National Park is calling me

 If there was a shorter, straighter way through Nebraska to South Dakota, I never found it. What I experienced was a dog-legged journey through cut fields just beginnng to sprout, views of silos and the fleeting back-ends of pronghorn. 

Roadside gas stations were overflowing with people paying CASH for bits and bobs... slowly.  I was being transported back in time to when life was simpler. The universe reminded me that this was literally what I had been asking for!

Along the way, I came upon 'Car-Henge' quite randomly and surprisingly. I stopped of course. It's weird, wonderful and definitely falls under the category of art installation. My final thought was not "why?" as my initial thought had been; It was "why not?!"

There is still the occasional (giant by any standards) Trump 2024 sign around. I do wonder if there had been more and if the recent political climate has changed things for some in middle Nebraska. 

As I drive, Neil Young and his harmonica is belting out ".. because I'm still in love with you I want to see you on dance again. Because Im still in love with you on this harvest moon". I kind of wish there was a harvest moon now. Nonetheless, I am singing along with great joy and enthusiasm in my atrocious voice. Life is good. I crossed into South Dakota just before 4 PM. There were beautiful cumulous clouds, the ground was now green and rolling, trees sprout here unlike most of the Nebraska leg - which was also beautiful in its own way. However, I have to believe that someone in SD was in charge of where to draw the state line and Nebraska paid the price!

Through White Clay I drove. Turns out there was a Pow Wow going on there this weekend! Super fun energy abounds and it appeared to be an amazing gathering place, making me a little sad to pass through so quickly. BIA 27 (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Rd 27) took me closer and closer.

Through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands where the earth was bursting with wildflowers and bison. 

Reaching Badlands National Park just around 7pm. Timed perfect for late afternoon color at Yellow Mounds and a sunset picnic dinner at Pinnacles Overlook.

Tonight I found my spot boon-docking just outside the entrance of the Park with a couple of dozen other vehicles. We are perched on a dirt road, looking over the Badlands. Cows and with newborn calves graze idly nearby.  I have all of 6 hours before the alarm will wake me! Night, night!

Pelican Smiles

Finding new-to-me, old places around here to spot wildlife in, is easier than I thought it would be.

Is this a cautionary tale about taking the area close to home for granted? Or should I just lean into the gratitude I have for living in this most precious environment and sharing it with some delightful critters - whether I see them (or look for them) on a daily basis or not?

Today I woke to sunshine - honest to goodness, warm and wonderful, bright and shiny rays of light not punctuated by loud drops or grey drizzle! I celebrated it by jumping up and heading outside to find out who else might be soaking it up.

Dodd Reservoir is a bit like a large pond sandwiched between someone's house and a moderately trafficked intersection. Yet, everytime I have driven by here, I have seen some kinda wonderful bird poking around in the reeds, balancing on the frozen top in winter, overflying with friends...  And while I didn't expect to see the eagle I spotted 2 weeks ago, I was ok sitting and waiting to see who did show up.

Pelicans did!!!!

(Yes, strangely we have pelicans in land-locked Colorado. They are our biggest bird with their 9' wingspan.)

Some of my favorites from this weekend:

I am BOLDER!

Having turned 50 last year, I had a few "things" on my list to prove I could still do or was brave enough to try. One of them was running a 10K. 

So in February this year I downloaded a training app and set about learning how to jog again. I started by struggling to run 90 seconds and ended my training just 3 days before the Bolder Boulder with a 6.1 mile run... that left my ankles feeling tweaked for the next 3 days!

Cara and I were signed up for the NM wave. Suitable for walk-joggers who mostly jogged. And we did. IN A RAINBOW TUTU! 

The only stops we really made were for photos, marshmallows, a bit of water and the dreaded potty break around mile 4. 

Fun times! 

We dug deep and finished strong. (Cara darn near caused me to sprint over the finish line and even if that was uncomfortable in the moment, I'm really glad she did!)

I did NOT have sore feet the next day - in case you were asking.  :-)

Better than a Smart Phone... IMHO

 2025 is the year I finally feel my "real camera" photography has improved to a point where I'm regularly taking better pictures than my AI-supported, fully automatic cell phone. This is BIG. AI is a moving target. Somewhere out there is a young person in their mom's basement quietly and continuously improving my Samsung smart phone and it's hard to compete with that!

I have been a Canon girl for almost 30 years. Film and digital... and one day, maybe I'll jump to mirrorless. I've never used expensive lenses, rarely paid the price for Canon lenses and haven't tried prime lenses at all. I'm a regular person on a regular budget - but with ample enthusiasm and a willingness to trade more entertaining YouTube matter for more educational YouTube matter. 

And I am definitely a work in progress, still enjoying the journey and constantly comparing myself unfavorably to the likes of Nigel Danson, Simon d'Entremont, Andy Parkinson, Steve Perry and Will Goodlet. But, the truth is these guys and many more like them are motivating, teaching and inspiring me. I couldn't be more grateful for their virtual presence in my life and their generosity of spirit in sharing lessons, tips, tricks and sometimes philosophy (I'm particularly drawn to Will Goodlet's gentle connection to the natural world ... poetry...)

If you find yourself reading this, then you should know this post is nothing more than a reminder to self and not a tutorial. I'm jotting down some things that are helpful for me so I can refer back to them. :-)

On my list of vital lessons:

1. Exposure Triangle

For wildlife best to set ISO auto (cap it where you are comfortable after figuring that out) and Manual Mode for time and aperture.

Set camera up before you start driving so it's easy to grab and shoot.

2. Sharpness/Depth of Field

Using a long focal length on a subject fairly close, you need to increase the depth of field (F8+) so the whole face/animal is in focus. If the subject is further way, go for a small DOF and it will be fine. (F5.6)

Fast shutter speed for moving animals.  1/2500 flying birds. 1/1600 mammals. 

Aperture wide open = blurred background, separation between subject and background. And lets in more valuable light!

Steve Perry on Sharpness

3. Composition 

At each shoot/location/situation have P I E!

P Potrait

I Interaction 

E Environment 

4. Noise 

Camera setting to be explored. 

Static subjects can handle low shutter speeds to reduce ISO and therefore noise.

Low light issues can be helped if I choose light background to assist and increase shutter speed as needed. Post processing and plugins like Topaz or DXO can also help later. ISO lower is better... experiment with camera to find the range that works best for you. Consider different type of picture if the light is too low to avoid noise.

Will Goodlet's Noise Advice

5. Stability 

Bean bag for setting camera on or weighting down tripod in windy conditions.

Monopod has more flexibility for tracking a fast subject than a tripod but still gives support for weighty lens.

Hand on top of lens to decrease movement/shake.

Use car mount or top of car, consider noodle on the window when you cant get out or use tripod. Turn car off. 

6. Burst shots 

Wildlife and movement shots by the dozen (high speed, continuous) to try and capture some without "ugly mouth", blinking or just less movement in that split second so the photo is sharper.

AIServo to track animal while finger remains pressed on back button focus. If the small spot focus is not good enough, use a group focus or bigger area to see if that works better.

7. Putting myself out there 

Creating opportunities in places, with animals, at times of day and types of weather. 

Practice what you are trying to master before you arrive, learn the animals behavior, get familiar with the location. Check the weather - crumby weather is often the best photos!

Andy Parkinson's Animal Portrait tips

8. Being creative 

It's good to try new things and try the same subjects in different ways, different angles, different light. Once you get the "insurance shot" try for something less conventional or riskier. Over or under expose, compose uniquely, zoom and out quickly while shooting slowly, move closer to subject, lower camera out of car, filters, etc

Understand what speaks to you and shoot your own style. Seek to capture energy, essence and emotion rather than focusing on a technically proficient image. It doesn't even have to be identifiable to be a beautiful image. Have some fun!

Creative Captures by Sabine Stols

Minimal Aesthetic Portraits by Donal Boyd

9. Learn from failures 

Use info attached to files to learn what worked and what didn't. Understand patterns in YOUR behavior, book learn or experiment with ways to improve, make notes and repeat the shoot but do it slightly differently next time! Failure is really important and not a negative thing. Sometimes our failures become our creative shots.

Hey hey... its OK (read: smart,  quicker and less heartbreaking) to learn from the failures others are generous and humble enough to share. 

Tin Man Lee on Metering for Highlights 

10. Post processing 

So MUCH to learn... spend time on this with YouTube teachers and at Udemy. What are other people doing in their workflow to improve results or get creative?