06-22-16 Abandoned

My old friend is long gone . . . (read more)

By Scott Shephard

A few days I wrote about on old farm north of Miller, SD. Today, I am posting a photo taken several years ago of another old farm house, this one north of Watertown. This farm house was kind of like an old friend in that I visited many times and always felt comfortable in the presence of this place. I even took portrait subjects there. And on one perfect fall day, I took my one of my photography classes out here.

Sadly, the farmhouse and the out buildings were bulldozed and burned to make room for more crops a few years ago. I still feel sad about this but I do understand the economics of farming that would have led to the destruction of a place that had little more than sentimental value.

Fortunately, I have a few photos of the farmstead. Though I wish I had more . . . . 

Canon 5DII 1/40s f/5.6 ISO250 47mm

Here are a few more photos, the first of which is one of my favorite photography groups. The others are before and after aerial photos. The last aerial photo shows the pile of rubble that remained after the farm was bulldozed. But even the rubble is gone now.

06-20-16 Connections

How many friends are in this photo? (read more)

By Scott Shephard

Some people of my generation and earlier (pre-1955) might look at this photo and find it disturbing. “Four people who are no doubt acquaintances sharing a park bench and they can’t even talk to each other? ‘Smart’ devices be damned! It’s the end of civilization as we know it!”

Though it hasn’t always been the case, I see it differently. These folks no doubt talk to each other but at the moment I took this photo, I’m guessing they are engaged with other friends. And who knows? Some of these friends may be on the other side of the world.

So when I ask “How many friends are in this photo?” I’d answer, “Probably way more than 4.” People of my generation who haven’t come to terms with this are living in the past and have perhaps forgotten that every new social/entertainment technology has likely been threatening to someone:

  • Written books threatened memorized story telling (cf. The Iliad and the Odyssey)
  • radio threatened written books
  • motion pictures threatened radio
  • television threatened movies
  • Netflix, YouTube, podcasts, etc. threatens everything else.

But maybe instead of saying “threatened,” I should say “enhanced.” After all, storytelling, which predates writing, is still with us. In fact so are radio, movies and television now that I think of it.

Canon 5DIII 1/750s f/4.5 ISO400 100mm

06-19-16 New Life

These leaves turn sunlight into acorns. (read more)

By Scott Shephard

I decided that after posting three black and white photos, I needed to add a splash of color to my blog. And, after yesterday’s fairly heavy subject, I decided to offer something “fresh.” So here are oak leaves aglow in the morning sun in the Black Hills. I took this photo two weeks ago and I would guess that the leaves are about a month old. And they are hard at work.

The word that springs to mind when I look at this picture is “photosynthesis,” which has always intrigued me. In the case of these leaves, they ultimately turn sunlight into acorns, which, when they aren’t feeding squirrels and chipmunks, are making new oak trees. A leaf may be nice to look at but don’t forget that it’s also a machine.

Ponder that for a while, my friendly reader. . . . 

Canon 5DIII 1/125s f/4.5 ISO200 100mm

06-18-16 Shouting Out in Whispers

Some houses have more to say to me than others. Do they talk to you? (see the photo essay by following the link to my blog)

By Scott Shephard

When you turn south off of US 212 and head towards Miller, SD, you will pass an old farm house that sits on the crest of a hill in a part of my state that otherwise seems flat and limitless. The two story structure faces east and seems to want to bend down on one knee. But it is still stands and breathes. And it always talks to me.

I figure I’ve been by this place over 200 times. And every time as I pass it, it quietly calls out. “Look at me,” is what I usually hear. But sometimes in the morning or evening darkness, without seeing it, I only hear it say, “I’m here.” For, you see, even in the dark, when I drive on highway 45, I know the country road it lives on.

Yesterday morning, as I approached on my way home, it said in an pleasantly insistent tone, “Let’s talk.” And so I slowed and turned. It was sunny and warm and when I got out of my truck, camera in hand, all I heard was birdsong, distant cattle and the sound of other vehicles speeding towards their destinations. Their drivers hadn’t answered the house’s call.

Photographing a place like this is a reverential act for me. I feel like I have been asked to take a portrait of someone who may not be around much longer. And I have many questions. “What is your name?” “How long have you been here?” “What can you tell me about the craftsmen who build you?” “What’s it like to spend a winter here?” And, ultimately, I ask, “What joys, what sorrows and what triumphs have you witnessed in your long life?”

When I asked these questions yesterday, I was met with a friendly, and perhaps stoic, silence. We might expect that from an aged South Dakota Flatlander. But even in its silence it had much to say to me.

I listened as I walked around and took a few photos. When I left I said, “I’ll be back. Will you wait for me?” All I heard in response was the pleasant birdsong and the silence of the beautiful South Dakota prairie.

Canon 5DIII 1/250s f/11.0 ISO250 24mm

06-14-16 Inside Looking Out

Glenny enjoys the view from her tiny, tiny house. . . . (read more)

By Scott Shephard

For her third birthday, Glenyce Jane S. got a new house complete with sink, stove, cordless phone. The house is somewhere in size between an oversized doll’s house and a downsized tiny house of the kind you see on TV these days.

She likes her new house, of course, and has no trouble sharing the space with family members, me included. Though I have found it is easier to get in to the house than out.

Canon 5DIII 1/250s f/6.7 ISO320 67mm

A few more. . . (photos by Katie Shephard and Deb Shephard)

06-13-16 Ibby

Here’s looking at you, kid. . . (read more)

By Scott Shephard

My wife, Deb, asked me yesterday if I remembered that I had a photo blog that I used to post to once a day. And, yes, I did remember. She pointed out that I had plenty of good photos to share. And, I guess she’s right. So I’m back! At least for a day. . . . 

It seems appropriate that I should return after close to a six week absence with a picture of the youngest member of the extended Shephard family. We know her these days as “Ibby,” though her full name is Irene Bernice.

And what can I say except that I think she’s beautiful. But what grandparent wouldn’t say that about one of their grandchildren?

Canon 5DIII 1/180s f/4.0 ISO640 102mm

05-01-16 No Worry

By Scott Shephard

Deb told me that if I posted this, I couldn’t post another of us the two of us for the rest of the trip “because,” she said, “people can post too many selfies.” So be it. Tomorrow, if I have an Internet connection, it’s back to animals, places and things.

Canon 5DIII

04-30-16 Life’s A Beach

By Scott Shephard

“A dog’s life” on the beach at Cane Garden Bay in the BVI isn’t all that tough. I had seen these two roaming the beach and working the crowd the day before. On this day, they seemed exhausted. No towel and beach chair for them – the cool, white sand is enough creature comfort. Life is good!

iPhone 6s 1/1150s f/2.2 ISO25 4.15mm (35mm eq:29mm)

04-29-16 Free Range Rooster

By Scott Shephard

It is 5am as I sit here writing this and there are at least three roosters crowing. They have been doing this all night long. The idea that roosters make good alarm clocks because they crow at dawn is a “city-folk” concept. Certainly, on the island of Tortola is isn’t true. They seem to call out out 24/7.

This particular rooster was part of a band of chickens we encountered on our explorations yesterday morning. There were other roosters in this group so I can’t say if this one ruled the roost. Since chickens like this are free range and appear to belong to no one, I don’t know what the island culture is about turning them into food. Deb had chicken on her salad yesterday and it makes me wonder. . . . 

Canon 5DIII 1/350s f/2.8 ISO400 100mm

04-27-16 A View from Our Porch

By Scott Shephard

Deb and I have re-located for a few days and our first stop is a small house above Cane Garden Bay on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. It gets up to 85 degrees pretty regularly here and at night it dips down to 83. Pretty boring, I guess.

I hear that snow is forecast for parts of our home state. Unless climate change takes a bizarre turn, we won’t see any snow here. 🙂

Canon 5DIII 1/10s f/8.0 ISO200 27mm (3 frame HDR)