Multiple images combined of the stars above the Badlands show star trails as they move around Polaris (The North Star) in the northern sky.

A first attempt with the oil filter used on an image of a red barn found along the Brookings and Deuel County line.

I was happy with how the clouds turned out here, as I have seen clouds like these in my uncle’s paintings. Original image taken in rural Lincoln County in late April.

Winter solstice scene in Spearfish Canyon.

The State Capitol with autumn accents.

Midsummer grass with the Eminija Tree south of Brandon.

Sun dogs and snow drifts at the Eminija Tree.

Pasqueflowers in rural McPherson County.

A frosted fence line with a floating mule deer taken near Lowry.

Deers Ears Buttes just before sunrise in rural Butte County.

The falls of the Big Sioux River.

A barn reflected in rural Moody County.

A field of sunflowers almost looks like a field of fire beneath an August sun. The original photo was taken near Miller.

Autumn strokes based on an image taken of sumac and fall colors found at Hartford Beach State Park along Big Stone Lake in Roberts County.

Aspen fire in Lawrence County.

A fall scene from the Cave Hills of Harding County.

Grass, trees, shadow and water in this piece based on an image taken at first light in the Missouri River hills of Campbell County.

Autumn at the falls of the Big Sioux in downtown Sioux Falls.

The old courthouse museum on a perfect fall day. I did switch out the sky on this one to a bluer version with happy little clouds added. (That’s for you, Bob Ross.)

Dignity based on an image taken in early November when the last light of the day struck the statue overlooking the Chamberlain area.

This image reminds me of Eliza Blue’s lyric in her song “South Dakota First of May” that likens the sound of the wind to “oceans overhead.” If you look closely at the storm sky above Calvary Lutheran of rural Clark County, it looks like waves of water.

This image was created from a photo of the first snow of the year falling at the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls.

An early winter scene along the Big Sioux near Brandon.

An homage to Van Gogh’s "The Starry Night." Created from an image originally photographed near Sheep Mountain Table in the Badlands in late June.

Crossing Over

Nov 18, 2020

By Christian Begeman

I’m not much with paint. I struggle to draw a stick figure. I don’t consider myself an artist. I realize some may make the argument that photography is an art form, but I’m not easily persuaded. My uncle Jack was an artist. He was born without the use of his arms and learned to draw and paint holding a pencil or brush in his mouth. I once watched him draw to near perfection a vase holding a bouquet of flowers in the matter of 10 to 15 minutes. Shading, shadows, perspective … it was all there. He also had the gift of seeing things in nature and combining them on the canvas of his oil paintings. When I got into photography, he used to take me on drives around the countryside. We’d stop and shoot photos of any scene that inspired him. Sometimes it was evening light on a far butte or a lone tree on a hill. Because of his influence, I am certain I see the world differently now.

Earlier this spring I discovered a filter in Photoshop that added an “oil paint” look to an image. I was immediately drawn into trying it on various photos to see if I could imitate the style I’d seen on my uncle’s canvases. I immediately fell in love with what the filter does with grass and trees. I applied it to an image of ponderosa pine adorned with a white winter blanket taken on a winter solstice day in Spearfish Canyon a few years ago. The result totally changed the image. I saw faces and shapes in the trees. I looked at it for a long time. Maybe I’d crossed over into the realm of art?

Over the years, there has been a lot of argument, discussion and outright disagreement with digitally enhanced photos. I strongly believe there is a time and place for it. Journalism must be ultra-judicious with touching up photos and must always err on the side of letting the viewer see what the camera saw. On the other side of the spectrum, I’m perfectly OK with fine art photographers using digital tools to their utmost, with one caveat: Be honest and upfront about it. If you changed out the sky, made the moon bigger or combined two or more images, simply be honest about it. Tell your viewers what you did. Not doing so is dishonest. This is why I had to explain to a certain loved one that no, the full blue moon we had in October was not actually blue in color, even though shared photos online tried to show a different story.

All of that is to say I wanted to share some of my digital art creations this month, partially in honor of my uncle’s memory and also to encourage anyone reading this to explore the arts during this weird and uncertain time. I got lost in the creation of the last image in the set for nearly three hours on a recent, blustery Saturday afternoon, and it was a heavenly experience. The image pays homage to Van Gogh so I can’t take credit for the original idea, but that’s OK. I still learned and I still enjoyed the process. And I still wanted to share it with friends and family as soon as it was done. There is joy in the doing, as I like to say, and if occasionally the final piece brings a smile or a spark of inspiration, then all the better.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.