The 60th annual Governor’s Easter Egg Hunt will be held this Sunday in Pierre at 1 p.m. It’s the oldest and largest family event in South Dakota. Bob Grandpre of Pierre shared these photos from last year’s event.
Jeremiah M. Murphy is a contract lobbyist from Rapid City (and occasional contributor of pictures to South Dakota Magazine). At the end of this 2012 legislative session, when his lobbying projects were complete, Murphy picked up his camera and made pictures of some of the folks who are involved in the legislative process in Pierre. Legislators, lobbyists, even a Sergeant-at-Arms made their way in front of Murphy’s lens. View more of Murphy’s photos at Tumblr.
South Dakota’s state capitol grounds in Pierre include the five-acre Capitol Lake, which becomes a winter haven for thousands of Canada geese each year. For photographers visiting the Capitol, they are a welcome bonus.
Most often photographed from the southeast side of the lake, the geese sitting on the water make a nice foreground for morning pictures of the Capitol building. It’s also fairly easy to shoot them isolated without modern intrusions giving a natural”wild” look. A short walk around the lake and onto the peninsula in the middle will give you an idea which angles you like for shooting.
While geese and ducks may be found on Capitol Lake at any time of the day, they are most prevalent in the morning and evening. They sleep overnight on the lake and often head out of town during the day for feeding in nearby fields or on the Missouri River. They also gather on the front lawn of the Capitol and in Hilger’s Gulch to the north of the building.
These urban geese get very used to pedestrian and vehicle traffic and at times don’t really want to move for either. For photographers that means a chance for up-close images of the flock.
Standard to wide-angle lenses can be used to capture the spectacle of birds crowding the small lake. Telephoto lenses, fast shutter speeds and quick reflexes can capture flying action.
Watching for varying weather patterns can give clues to great photography on Capitol Lake. Very cold mornings usually mean the warm water in the lake will be shrouded in a thick fog. With sunrise streaming through it, the steam can look magical. On days when it’s snowing the birds sometimes hunker down and become coated with white.
I like to observe the flock and watch for behavior patterns that give me clues to when a group may fly or dip some water on their backs and then shake it off in a wing-spreading display.
If you like photographing birds you also won’t want to miss a trip through the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area below Oahe Dam where dozens of eagles tend to hang out, watching for an easy meal of goose or duck. Many species of birds can be found along the Missouri River and in the grasslands to the south and west of Fort Pierre.
As spring approaches, the geese will leave central South Dakota, but you can expect them back each fall, just as regular as lawmakers on the Capitol grounds.
Chad Coppess is the senior photographer at the South Dakota Department of Tourism. He lives in Pierre with his wife, Lisa. To view more of his work, visit www.dakotagraph.com.
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| Hunting for the blue tiles in our state capitol’s floor is a popular pastime for visitors. Photo by Chad Coppess of S.D. Tourism. |
Visitors often wander the state capitol halls in Pierre as if deep in thought. Their heads may be down, a look of concentration on their faces. Are they pondering all the significant legislation that’s been debated and pased within these walls? Saying a prayer for the good legislators who toil here every winter, guiding our state gently into the future? Probably not. Most likely they’re searching for the blue tiles in the terrazzo floor.
Italian craftsmen came to South Dakota to help build the capitol, and at the end of the project they laid tiny marble tiles in 30,000 square feet of floor. Legend says each worker was given one bright blue tile to place wherever he wished as a signature stone. Finding them has become a favorite pastime for capitol-goers.
Editor’s Note: This is taken from the story “25 Things Every South Dakotan Should Try to Do”, which appeared in the May/June 2010 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117.
Christmas at the Capitol began November 22nd and will run through December 26th. This year’s theme is “Starlit Wonderland.” These photos of the 2010 display were taken by South Dakota Magazine editor Bernie Hunhoff. A gallery of the 2008 display can be viewed here.
These photos of the Fort Pierre Rodeo and fireworks at the State Capitol building were taken by Jenna Nagel, photography intern at the South Dakota Department of Tourism and Development.
A group of state legislators inspected the seldom-seen halls and winding stairways that lead to the capitol dome in Pierre. Photos by Bernie Hunhoff.
Our state capitol is always a welcoming place, but never more so than in the holiday season when South Dakotans come from afar to enjoy the Christmas spirit in the marbled halls and rotunda. Photos by Bernie Hunhoff.
