Tag Archives: water

05-10-13 Flow

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2013 05-10 Iron Creek Redux by Scott Shephard

Yes, I’m stuck on streams. And, once again, I didn’t go looking for this photo, which was buried in my 2008 collection. What fascinates me about this shot is that it is of the same place in the stream as the photo you see below. The camera position is different, but if you compare the two, you’ll see the same old rocks. And they haven’t changed.

This photo was “adjusted” with Nik Color Efex 4 and OnOne Perfect Effects 4. (I’m in a filtering phase and I need to get over it because years from now these filters won’t seem so cool to me.)

By the way, I still have 5 spots left for the July “Black Hills Photo Adventure.” You should join me and I’ll teach you everything I know (or can teach in two days) about photography similar to the kind you see here. And we will visit all of my secret spots along Iron Creek.

Canon 5D I 5s f/22.0 ISO100 40mm

2013 04-23 After the Snow 2

01-08-13 Nature’s Artistry (HDR)

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2012 01-08 Nature's Artistry (HDR)

Nature provides the canvas, the subject and the paint. The photographer furnishes the frame. And the technological medium applied by the photographer sometimes enhances what nature provides and often diminishes it.

You’ll make your own judgements about this particular photo. All I can say is that this place is one of my favorite places on earth and my feelings affect what I see and do here. Every time.

08-18-12 An Uncommon Place

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I have been sailing Lake Oahe on the Missouri River in South Dakota for over 20 years. I have seen all kinds of weather and wind. And so you might think I would be jaded, wouldn’t you? But I will tell you that I doubt that I will ever got bored by the amazing scenery and experience this place affords.

Recently, Deb and I were enjoying our last full day of the season on Lake Oahe. We set sail shortly after sunrise and made it upriver to my favorite place, Mission Creek. By afternoon the wind had slackened and though we enjoy the serentity that this place offers when there is little wind, we decided to go motoring.

At one point the wind died completely and I stopped the boat in the middle of the reservoir to enjoy the beautiful clouds, sky and water. The silence was absolute and I was reminded of the simple magic of that keeps drawing me back to Oahe: on this day we weren’t looking at a mirror; we were in the mirror.

Wandering Star is back in our driveway and will be put into storage soon. I put over 800 miles under her keel this summer, which is equivalent to going east to west across South Dakota and then back again. At about 5 miles an hour. A waste of time? An expensive hobby?

“Yes” is a simple answer to those questions. But for me sailing Oahe is an important part of who I am and how I live. For me (and many others I know) it is a truly uncommon place.

Mercurial II

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I’ve compared water drops to mercury before in this blog. But for those who have seen beads of mercury, you’d have to admit that these water drops, photographed from the inside of my pickup’s front window, look more like silvery mercury than beads of water.

A good photo? You’ll make that judgement. A different view of reality? As a photographer, I try to offer that from time to time.

Incidentally, this photo was taken with a Canon SX230 HS, a palm-sized point-and-shoot camera. I’m impressed with its ability to blur the background. And provide a little bokeh! Notice, incidentally, that the tree in the background is blurred but that each water drop acts as a lens and offers a somewhat focused view of the same tree.

CanonSX230 HS 1/30s f/3.1 ISO640 5mm

Sunset Cruise

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This photo was no accident, though I had no idea what I’d get when I starting taking photos of the water contrail behind my brother-in-law Scott’s boat last night on Lake Okoboji in Iowa. I like the glow of the sunset still visible in the background but I especially like the creamy, dark blue look of the water rushing under the boat.

Everything is blurred in this photo but I knew it would be since I was shooting with a pretty slow shutter speed and the boat was bouncing a bit.

I’m not sure I would have tried taking this photo a year ago because sharpness and a solidly held camera are part of my photographic process. But lately I’ve decided that it’s worth trying to take photos even if you meet with failure. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Canon 5DII 1/6s f/4.0 ISO1250 24mm

Elemental

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The Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers spent considerable time pondering the nature of the universe. One, whose name was Empedocles, said simply that everything can be reduced to four elements: air, earth, fire and water.

Of all of these, my camera is most often drawn to the latter. Maybe that’s why I return again and again to Iron Creek when I am in the Black Hills. I was just out walking along the creek when I found this photo. I figured I had enough of Iron Creek, though it’s not often that the rocks are wet and the creek is running high so late in June.

Canon 5DII 2.5s f/11.0 ISO200 32mm