What I see when I say goodbye. . . (read more)
By Scott Shephard
We had a great weekend helping son Brian take care of his two girls while wife and mother Katie was away for a short family trip. I have suggested that both kids tend to be moving targets but I’ve found that there are some places where they will stand still for a while. The front door is one of those places.
The window already had a few hand prints before we started taking photos but there were quite a few more when we were done.
Canon 5DIII 1/180s f/5.6 ISO400 84mm
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.
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
It’s no secret that I like the look of bare trees. . .
By Scott Shephard
I guess I can’t help it. I like to photograph bare trees – whether dying, dead or, as in the case of this massive oak in Maryland, about to leaf out. It’s that brachiation that enthralls me. ( I just used two fancy words to pay homage to all of the English teachers that helped shape me. 🙂 )
Canon 5DIII 1/60s f/8.0 ISO200 35mm
Two bare oak trees at Lakota Lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota endure a March snow storm and wait patiently for spring.
by Scott Shephard
Children of the 70s may recognize my title’s allusion to the Doors’ song “Waiting for the Sun.” In the first stanza, Jim Morrison sings
“At first flash of Eden, we race down to the sea.
Standing there on Freedom’s Shore.
Waiting for the Sun Waiting for the Sun Waiting for the Sun
Can you feel it now that spring has come.
And it’s time to live in the scattered sun.”
I’ve never really understood this song. In fact, there are a lot of Doors songs I don’t get. “Esoteric” might be a good word to describe them. Perhaps I need some kind of reality altering substance to truly appreciate the Doors? (I remember reading that the group’s name comes from a concept known as the “doors of perception,” which has something to do with LSD.)
Speaking of altering reality, no drugs are needed to understand this scene, though I have altered your reality a bit for you. I turned the scene to black and white (though it was pretty much gray as I originally photographed it). And I’ve cleaned up a few unnecessary distractions from the scene. So I hope you don’t mind that I cropped, flattened, adjusted and colored your view of reality today.
And, yes, I think these trees are “waiting for the sun.”
Canon 5DIII 1/3200s f/2.8 ISO400 170mm
A man walks his dog on the dock in the bay (on the Greek island of Crete).
by Scott Shephard
I have decided that Sunday’s are going to be my “Flashback Day,” which means that I will post something from either my recent or ancient digital or film photography past. You’ll have to come back next Sunday to see if I remember saying this or if I am true to my word.
This photo was taken in 2004 from the observation deck of a cruise boat that had just docked on the island of Crete. Deb and I were on a Greek island cruise with a group of great Watertown High School students.
This is really more of a snap shot than anything, though I like the look and feel of the photo. I also like the composition, though I will admit that I knew nothing of the “rule of thirds” or of leading lines or of texture or of light and shadow, etc., etc. I must have had some subliminal grasp of these things because they are all present. Or, I just got lucky.
Canon 1DII 1/800s f/10.0 ISO320 300mm
Tiny cattle inhabit a bucolic western South Dakota river valley.
So 15 minutes after capturing “Knee Deep,” and roughly 30 minutes after “Beyond Wasta,” I came across this vista, which is looking northeast over the Belle Fourche River valley. The size of the cattle gives a bit of scale to this scene. It was windy and a bit cool when I got out of my truck to set up my tripod (this is an HDR sequence). But when I look at this photo, I feel a sense of silence and peacefulness. And if cattle can feel contentedness, I’d guess they’d feel it here
“Why black and white?” you ask. I didn’t like the quality of the color in the scene and I also felt it distracted from seeing all of the shapes, lines and contours. Finally, I like the way black and white makes the cattle and their shadows stand out from the pasture land that they have chosen to picnic on.
Canon 5DIII 1/60s f/14.0 ISO100 182mm
