Badlands National Park--June 2010

I was first exposed to the Badlands of South Dakota in 1984 while on a cross-county vacation with my family.  Even at my young age and the cramped quarters of the rear seat of a Chrysler K-car, I was struck by my first glimpses of the contoured, carved, eroded landscape.  It was so different from the coastal landscapes of Oregon and Washington in which I had spent my childhood years to that point. 

Interestingly enough, I revisited the Badlands National Park in 2007 and once again marveled at a landscape more fitting of the surface of the moon then a location within driving distance of my home in Wyoming.  I captured a few good images during that trip, especially during the sunrise hours and knew I would return again.

That premonition came true this past Monday-Thursday as I once again found myself composing scenes of the rugged spires and deeply carved valleys in the magical morning and evening light.  This ever changing environment presents a new canvas every day, shaped by the frequent thunderstorms and the accompanying rain and wind.  For me, sitting on a rocky outcropping positioned behind my camera watching the shadows race across the ground as the rising sun bathes what is before me in orange, red and magenta tones gives reason to pause and worship my God who created it all.  Watching such a scene, it seems irrational to believe that all of the subtle intricacies of life and nature could have taken place by chance.   In fact, it takes a lot more faith to believe that than in a powerful, loving Creator.

I am especially happy with the results from this trip as I captured some stunning imagery.  The light, clouds, vegetation, wildlife and timing all came together in a series of images filled with depth, color, and life.

I shot many of these photographs in a series of images using automatic exposure bracketing.  I then combined the exposures in HDR format.  I do not like otherworldly representations that are capable with HDR as seems to be the current craze.  I only use HDR to help me best capture the landscape in the way in which I saw it while there.  My use of HDR is as accurate to the original scene as is possible.

Any questions or comments are welcomed.

The last image is perhaps my favorite because of the great clouds.  Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as I'll be spending a week in Yellowstone and then nearly 10 days in Glacier National Park.  Obviously, I'll be carrying my camera wherever I am when home as well.