Tag: photo tips

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Winter is for the Birds

By Christian Begeman

A friend of mine recently shared a link to a bird photographer’s exquisite work capturing small songbirds in flight. The message was accompanied by a good-natured challenge to start producing similar images of my own. I’m always up for a challenge. The problem, I soon discovered, is that getting a good photo of wild birds in nature is extremely hard … not to mention predicting where and when said bird will take flight. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve failed miserably in this particular challenge … so far.

With that confession on the table, I figured I’d share some tips (and photos, both good and bad) that I picked up along the way. Now I’m not much more than a greenhorn birder myself, but I do have a starting suggestion. Find the nearest winter bird feeder and camp out nearby. Last year I had good luck at the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus during a steady morning snowfall. This year I tried the bird feeders at Farm Island State Park near Pierre and at the entrance to Good Earth State Park southeast of Sioux Falls. These feeders allow you to get fairly close as long as you stay still and are willing to wait for the birds to return after initially disturbing them. This wait can take anywhere from five to 15 minutes. At Good Earth, I chose to sit cross-legged on the ground next to an evergreen as I waited. Soon I had juncos hopping a few feet away and a downy woodpecker nearly ran into my head. I sat so still for so long that my leg fell asleep. Good thing no one was around. Standing up was accompanied by numerous mutterings and murmurs.

I read that Farm Island is home to northern saw-whet owls, so after spending some time at the feeder missing shots of flying finches (those things can move!), I searched for a couple of known saw-whet roosts reported on a birding website. I failed to find them as well. My guess is that the high water a few years back may have re-arranged a lot of things on the island (but in reality, being a rookie birder didn’t help much either). I did, however, have a fun game of hide and seek with a noisy northern cardinal male for about a half hour along the trail. I must have been near its nest when I saw a flash of red and heard the telltale metallic chirp. Long story short, he let me get the closest I’ve ever been to a cardinal, with one stipulation: he put as many branches and twigs of his favorite tree between the two of us at all times.

I really like owls, and earlier in the month I accidentally scared a great horned out of an abandoned church. He flew to the tree windbreak nearby and, like the cardinal, kept the densest part of the tree between him and me. I saw a long-eared owl for the first time in my life while checking out the swans of LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge in Bennett County. He was sunning himself in the early morning light and I happened to notice his outline from at least a quarter mile away. I didn’t get a great shot of him from that distance, but it made the day worthwhile.

The last tip I have is to use your ears. The best tool for locating a bird while out and about is hearing them. I’ve still got work to do on this one. Just last weekend, as I sat quietly along Sergeant Creek at Newton Hills State Park, I could pick out cardinal, chickadee and at least two other unknown songs amongst the steady drumming of woodpeckers and the brazen calls of blue jays. The only birds I could actually see were two bald eagles soaring high above the distant Big Sioux River. Experiences like this make birding addicting. I know they are out there, I know they make great photos, and I know it is a challenge to put it all together and get the unique shot. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Photography in Long Underwear Season

By Christian Begeman

The hustle and bustle of early winter can make it tough to find time to go out and find things to photograph. Cold weather, short days and the plain busyness of the holidays is enough to fill most folks day to the brim. That said, I’ve learned over the last few years to carve out time to seek interesting photos this time of year. Those same holiday festivities that crowd the December calendar can offer numerous fun photo ops and the short daylight means colorful dawns and dusks happen at a more reasonable time. I’m not a morning person whatsoever, but even I can roll out of bed in time to see what the early winter sunrises will bring.

Shooting in bad or extreme weather can also offer wonderful opportunities for unique photography. This December has had some pretty extreme cold already and I hadn’t really been able to take advantage of it until the Monday before Christmas. While on my way to Isabel for the family gathering I decided to go through the Pierre area in order to see if I could see any bald eagles below the Oahe Dam. The temperature was hovering around –15 degrees but thankfully there was very little wind. The water both above and below the dam was not frozen over and much to my delight large steaming clouds of water vapor hung over the water in the frigid air. All the trees and vegetation along the banks of the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area were covered in thick hoarfrost and I couldn’t resist getting out in it with my camera. When frost falls from whatever it clings to and hovers in the air it is called”diamond dust.” I was able to capture a bit of this phenomena, which made wading in the knee-deep snow actually quite fun.

South Dakota boasts some of the best sunset and sunrise scenes in the country any time of the year. Wintertime can provide even more drama to these scenes as snow cover provides an added interest. Lately I’ve been seeking out old barns, schools and country churches to add to my sunset and sunrise shots. Adding structures like these not only anchor the scene with an easy to recognize element but also has the potential to add a layer of feeling or emotion to the photo. After sharing a recent sunrise shot containing a lone prairie windmill, my cousin told me she was reminded of our grandparents’ farm and all the good times shared there.

Seeking out and shooting these types of scenes has an extra benefit — the chance to see and photograph some of South Dakota’s most interesting and hardy wildlife as well. Just this week I accidentally spooked two different great horned owls from old schoolhouses. I also saw nearly every sort of raptor that resides in our state, from hawks to bald eagles. Pheasant and grouse are also usually easily seen in the winter near roadsides as they peck at the gravel to aid in their digestion.

When I was growing up, I used to hate long underwear season. We milked cows and my assigned station was the farthest part of the barn from the Nibco heater. One winter it was so cold, the drain froze in our barn and we didn’t get it totally unfrozen and running free until almost June. Nowadays, I love long underwear. Being able to wade into knee-deep snow to get an interesting shot and not really feel the cold is wonderful. Dressing in layers is a must when venturing out for winter photography. This year I discovered that having a full beard is helpful as well.

If you are someone who enjoys getting out and taking a photo from time to time, don’t discount the winter and harsh weather. You may be surprised with the sheer beauty and wonder that is out there waiting to be captured… just don’t forget to put on the long underwear!

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.


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Black Hills Photo Shootout

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is a regional photography event offering workshops in landscapes, lightpainting, portraits and more. The fourth annual event will be held September 27 – 29 and it’s open to both amateurs and professionals. Jay Grammond shared these photos from last year’s event. View more of his photos at jgrammondphotography.smugmug.com.

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Capturing the Old and Weathered

By Christian Begeman

A couple weekends ago, I fell victim to another case of cabin fever … What am I talking about? It happens every weekend nowadays. There is always mail to be read and bills to pay, but it doesn’t matter. There is cleaning to do and usually dirty laundry waiting, but that certainly won’t keep me inside when the fever hits. In fact, there are no amounts of classic movies or great new television shows recorded on the DVR that will stop me. When the sun begins to make its decent in the lower western sky on a Saturday or Sunday evening I’m gone. The same holds true when certain weather events make conditions ripe for a great photo. Phenomena like fog, frost and thunderstorms usually get my engine racing as well.

Weather conditions only make half the photo though. I believe a good weather photographic has to have a scene or place to anchor our ever-changing South Dakota climate patterns. Over the last few years I’ve found myself drawn to symbolic structures of our past like country churches, old weathered barns, homes and schoolhouses to do this. Typically I like to find these buildings out in the open and away from tree belts in order to get an unbroken view of the horizon. However, interesting structures in and around trees are not discarded on my map. I make a mental note of these for the foggy winter days that produce hoarfrost. Those few still, frosty mornings where Jack Frost made magic provide photographic gold if you happen upon the right scene. It’s good to have these places mapped out ahead of time as I’ve found the best time to shoot frost rarely lingers. When the sun gets high enough in the sky to lift the fog, it usually doesn’t take long for the wind to pick up and start undressing the flocked landscape.

Back in the middle part of the ’90s, when I took my first photography class in college. I learned to process black and white film in the dark room and how to dodge and burn prints. The following summer I always had my dad’s Argus film camera nearby while out on the farm. Just a quarter mile from our farmhouse stood the one room schoolhouse that my mother attended as a child. One hot July day we had a good old-fashioned thunder boomer roll in from the west. As soon as it passed over, I grabbed the Argus and jumped into our old Ford work truck and headed for the schoolhouse. I shot a whole roll that evening. Out of it came maybe three usable shots. One of them I’ve included here. The schoolhouse was since burned down. I’m glad I had the shutterbug fever back then otherwise I wouldn’t have anything but a memory of that old building.

Maybe that is why I’m still drawn to such structures when looking for great South Dakota photos and maybe that is why images of old barns and buildings still resonate with people today. There is a sense of history and a feeling of”remembering our roots” that these images can evoke. It is yet another reason that I like photography. An image made is an image saved and stored forever. That old schoolhouse was a play land for me when I was young and a place of work as I got older. It was a place of learning for my mom and now it is gone and lives only in our memories … and in a couple photos I took under a dark and stormy sky one summer long ago.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.

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Celebrating South Dakota’s Favorite Shutterbug

One of our favorite photographers, Chad Coppess, received a real honor last week at the State Tourism Conference. Chad was given the 2013 A.H. Pankow Award, which honors those who have made a contribution to South Dakota’s tourist indusry.

Coppess is the senior photographer for South Dakota Tourism. He’s traveled all over our state with his camera, taking shots that capture our state’s beauty and fun. He co-founded the Black Hills Photo Shootout with Scott Howard, created South Dakota-themed backdrops for an online racing game, and writes three blogs celebrating South Dakota in music, film and photography. You’ve seen his photos in the pages of South Dakota Magazine and on this website many times.

Let’s celebrate this honor with a few of our favorite Coppess photos. Congratulations, Chad, and keep up the great work!

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Shooting the Great Wide Open

By Christian Begeman

Recently on National Geographic’s website photo section I ran across a tip that got me thinking. It went something like this: when shooting a landscape, try to think of a word or phrase that describes the scene in front of you and then concentrate on shooting a photo that obviously states that description. Seems easy enough…maybe. Then I thought to myself, how would I describe South Dakota scenery? The chorus of a Tom Petty song immediately began playing in my head.”Into the great wide open, under them skies of blue.” Seems like a pretty accurate description of our countryside to me. So, how does one shoot a photograph that says”wide open spaces”?

I hadn’t really thought of shooting landscapes like that before. My technique was to simply find a scene that looked vast and start shooting. So I started looking through some of my photos over the last couple years to see what I had that showed the big and open feel of our state. I ended up finding a few to share. In doing so, I think I stumbled upon three ways to help convey the feeling of the great wide open.

A prairie morning in Corson County.

The first thing to think about is scale. I like to find things that are relatively large (when compared to me) and place them in my photos to show how vast the area is around them. The Sage Creek Wilderness Area in the Badlands provides good opportunities to practice this technique with its buffalo herd often spread out amongst the rolling hills and creeks. Another trick is making use of a telephoto lens to pull in a distant background behind a subject that is much closer to you. Recently I photographed a white tail buck on the ridge above Lake Vermillion Recreation Area. By chance, my long lens showed cows grazing on the distant hill on the other size of the lake. This gave the photo a sense of bigness and scale that I really like.

The second thing to be aware of is spacing. It is natural to place your subject directly in the center of your photograph. I would recommend playing around with placing your object of interest in a corner and see how that changes the feel of your composition. If your subject is running or faced in a direction perpendicular to your camera, try giving them leading space to emphasize where they are going or what they may be looking at.

The third and most important thing to be aware of is the sky. This actually is very similar to the spacing point above, only emphasizing using the sky to gain that spacing. Whether it is a deep blue sky, a colorful sunset or a heavy sky laden with thunderheads, each skyscape can be used with great effect to emphasize the size of our landscapes. One word of warning, however, is a typical sunny or partly cloudy sky will be at least a couple stops brighter than the ground. So unless the sun is at your back when shooting you may be dealing with silhouettes of the objects you are shooting on the ground. There are a couple of ways to deal with this: a graduated neutral density filter or bracketing your exposures of the scene and using photo software to combine the shots later.

Now that I’ve written this, I’ve decided that this weekend I’m grabbing my iPod, cueing up some Tom Petty and heading out into the great wide open of South Dakota to practice what I preached above. We’ll see what more I can stumble upon in the journey”out under them skies of blue, into the great wide open, a rebel without a clue.”

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.



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No Two the Same

By Christian Begeman

Early last week I had to work later than usual. I happened to catch a glimpse of a particularly beautiful sunset out our westward-facing window and began lamenting the fact that I wasn’t out shooting photographs. A co-worker patted my shoulder and said sardonically,”You know there will be more of those, right?”

In a sense, he was very right. Our South Dakota skies are often painted brilliantly by the rising and setting sun. And yet, he was also very wrong. Of all the sunsets I have chased, I have never seen any two the same. This fact is probably the number one reason I enjoy shooting sunsets. When the conditions are right, it is nearly impossible to find a better view in nature than a northern plains sunset. In fact, when I see higher altitude clouds scattered in the western sky in the early evening, I start to get twitchy and anxious. I begin to run through nearby locations in my mind that might offer a new and interesting silhouette and/or foreground to shoot. I then lose focus on whatever it was I was doing and grab my gear and hit the road. This probably isn’t normal, but it’s the truth.

The really ironic thing is that I chase sunsets more for the joy in the moment than actually”getting” the photograph. The hour around dawn and dusk is a truly magical time of day. Not only is the light lovely, but this is also the time of the day when chances of seeing (or hearing) wildlife are the greatest.

Love them or hate them, there’s nothing that quite compares to hearing choruses of coyotes call and answer from hilltop to hilltop in pre-dawn light. Just a few evenings ago I was shooting a particularly colorful and spectacular sunset southwest of Ft. Pierre along the Bad River Road while being serenaded by a Great Horned Owl. I couldn’t help myself from playfully hooting back a time or two. Later as I was loading my gear, I noticed the owl flutter to the top of a nearby tree. I couldn’t help but hoot at him again. I’m sure it was quite a comical scene to anyone who may have witnessed it. (Luckily there was no one around.) Anyway, the owl stayed perched there another five minutes or more. This was long enough for me to change lenses, set up my tripod and snap a few portraits of him in the dimming light. He even stayed still enough during the long exposures so as not to blur in the photo. Wow, a beautiful sunset and an interesting wildlife image all within 15 minutes of each other? It doesn’t get much better than that.

Here are a couple quick tips on shooting sunsets that I’ve learned over the years. Use a tripod. This will help reduce camera shake due to opening the shutter long enough to let adequate light in. If you don’t have a remote cord, use your timer function when shooting to further eliminate camera movement. Bracket your photos. If you don’t know what that means, I’d recommend looking it up and/or checking your owner’s manual on how your camera does it. Basically it is shooting multiple images of the same scene at different exposure settings. This betters your chance of getting the correct exposure and it also affords you the opportunity to play in the realm of HDR editing if you so choose. The biggest tip is to simply go out and try. Experience is the best teacher. At least it is for me anyway, and who knows, you might get serenaded by a lonely old hoot owl. You won’t know until you try.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.



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The Pleasure’s in the Details

By Christian Begeman

OK, I’ll admit it. I’ve gotten a little road weary this summer. I’ve crisscrossed the state a couple different times exploring our parks. As much as I love getting out on the road, I really needed a break. But what to do? I’m winding up this summer-long series on our state parks and now I don’t want to drive? Aren’t all the good parks miles and miles away from Sioux Falls? Thankfully the answer to that question is no.

Just a few miles southeast of Sioux Falls is Lake Alvin Recreation Area. According to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks website, Lake Alvin is named for Alvin Dempewolf, the only World War I soldier from Harrisburg to die overseas. The lake has a popular beach and swimming area and is known for good fishing. The entire body of water is a”no-wake” zone, so on any given weekend you may see kayakers and canoes out for an enjoyable paddle.

Before last weekend, I had driven by the area occasionally but never really stopped to check out the place. So I decided to investigate a little more. The lake is nestled into the lower valley of Nine Mile Creek not far from the Big Sioux River. The hills and ample trees along the shore provide smooth water surfaces most of the time by keeping the wind at bay. For a camera buff, this means excellent shooting conditions at sunset. On those evenings when the clouds are colored yellow, orange and pink, the still waters mirror the evening sky for a double shot of color.

The hiking trail on the north side snakes along the top of the prairie hills and then back through the heavily wooded valley near the lake’s shores. I walked the trail just after lunch on a day where it had rained lightly in the morning. The sky was still overcast, which made for very even light. It was as if there was a giant soft box in the sky, and contrary to the popular belief that sunny days are the best times to shoot, this soft box effect makes for really nice shooting conditions. The colors of the grass and flowers are more saturated and deep, harsh shadows are also eliminated.

Walking the trail, I was constantly amazed by nature’s palette of color. The stately yellows of goldenrod and the deep reds and purples of flowering thistles contrast well with the green and tan hillside grass of late summer. Once you start looking, you notice other things like texture and patterns as well. From the ripple of a fishing lure hitting the water at sunset to the contrast of old bark and vibrant moss and lichen on the tree limbs, these patterns and design of nature often engage my attention (and my camera) for hours. Since it had rained in the morning, there were still droplets clinging to flower buds and leaves that remained out of the wind. It is in times like these when I locate and attach my macro lens to get in as close as possible. I really like how the drops of water look like smoothed jewels on the veined leaves and slender grass stems. Once in that close, things like unnoticed insect life fill the viewfinder and can make for some very interesting photos. From busy bees to majestic Monarchs, life abounds in the undergrowth and amongst the flower buds.

It is funny how one can miss a treasure simply from being too close or familiar with it. I think I was guilty of that with Lake Alvin Recreation Area as well as the nearby Blood Run Nature Area along the hills of the Big Sioux River. I’m confessing that error now and hope to take the short drive again out there this fall to see what color autumn will bring and what other jewels I can find so close to home. My camera is almost excited as I am.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog. To view Christian’s columns on other South Dakota state parks and recreation areas, visit his state parks page.

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Grand River Grasslands

By Christian Begeman

One of the greatest legends of the early American West was born somewhere near the convergence of the north and south forks of South Dakota’s Grand River. Frontiersman Hugh Glass was mauled by a female grizzly bear with cubs while he was out hunting alone in August of 1823. His companions left him for dead. Yet somehow he survived the ordeal and proceeded to crawl and float some 200 miles to the nearest fort on the Missouri near present day Chamberlain. The story is amazing if not epic. Those two adjectives could also describe the region of land that surrounds those same forks of the Grand River today.

The Bureau of Reclamation created the Shadehill Dam and Reservoir in 1951 at the joining of the forks. The reservoir and much of the adjacent land is part of the state park system and comprised of three different units (including one named after Hugh Glass). The Grand River National Grasslands is just beyond the parkland. For a wandering photographer like myself, it doesn’t get much better than spending a late May weekend drinking in the fresh air and wide open spaces these protected lands and waters have to offer.

I grew up about an hour east and a little south of the area. Occasionally my friends would make their way to Shadehill for waterskiing and general fun. The waters haven’t quite warmed up for that kind of recreation yet, but cold waters won’t stop dedicated anglers. On my first afternoon at Shadehill I met some fishermen who traveled from the Black Hills area for the weekend. They proudly showed me a stringer full of a variety of fish. Later that night, I set my alarm for three a.m. in order to capture the Milky Way above the waters. One of the first things I saw as I rubbed my blurry eyes in the darkness was a blazing falling star lasting almost two seconds. I was wide awake after that. If you’ve never experienced the night sky where there is very little light pollution, you are missing out. There is simply a sense of wonder in western South Dakota’s dark night skies.

Later on, I positioned myself above the bluffs of the dam to get some sunrise shots. It was a chilly morning — 37 degrees with an accompanying stiff breeze. I noticed mists coming off the waters of the Grand River below the dam as the light bloomed in the horizon. The water from the reservoir’s release tube was much warmer than the brisk air above it and the result was a foggy steam that hung low on the river. This kind of scene is photographic gold. I took a few shots from the bluffs and made my way down to the river to shoot the steam against the rising sun. At this point I was in the zone, focused and intent on the scene in front of me. I walked briskly along the tall grass and sage on the riverbank when something happened I don’t think I will ever forget. I suddenly felt the ground, or at least what I thought was the ground, start to move under my right foot. A squawk erupted from under that foot, followed by a loud rustling commotion. A bellowing war whoop erupted from my deep inside my chest and my heart rose to my throat. I had stepped on a slumbering hen pheasant and she scared me half to death in her haste to get away. The good news is she was in flight before my full weight came down, so nothing but my pride was hurt. I’m glad no one saw or heard the ruckus as I’m sure”war whoop” is a very generous description of what actually came out of my mouth.

Later that morning I hiked five or six miles along the Blacktail trail in the Grand River Grasslands, enjoying prairie flowers, wildlife and bird sightings. Like I said before, the whole area is a photographer’s dream — at least this photographer’s dream. But don’t take my word for it. Why not take a weekend to check the area out yourself? My only caution is to simply watch where you step.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog. To view Christian’s columns on other South Dakota state parks and recreation areas, visit his state parks page.

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Following the Star Trail

By Christian Begeman

Patience is a virtue. We’ve all heard the phrase. I’m not sure our”need it now” culture is very good at practicing it, however. I know I struggle with it. Just ask my co-workers how well I wait for the latest project to get done. I guess they just don’t understand how much I need to get the work off my plate. I need to move on to the next project. Unfortunately a hurried project usually ends up needing to be redone. Thus creating more work, which means I really could relearn a lesson or two in patience. Once again, my photography hobby has an answer: a lesson in patience involving”star trail” photography.

During the night, the stars above seem to move across our sky due to our planet’s rotation. All stars do this except Polaris, the north star. Astronomy tells us that Polaris is positioned as close to straight above our planet as any other visible star. So when our planet rotates, the star seems to be fixed, much like how the point of a spinning top stays centered. A Paiute legend tells of a mountain sheep who was an excellent and sure footed climber. He found the tallest and steepest mountain and began to climb. It was nearly impossible to reach the summit and at one point he had to go through a long vertical cave in order to reach the highest point. After going through the cave, a rockslide closed up the entrance and the climber was stuck at the highest point of the peak with barely any room to even turn around. His father then turned him into a star. This star became the north star and the stars of the constellations around him were other sheep trying in vain to find the path up the peak, and that is why they circle the north star.

I’ve always been impressed by photos that capture this phenomenon and resolved to learn how to do it myself. I’ve found a couple different methods. One is to get a tripod and a remote cord and set your camera on”bulb” and open up the exposure for a long period of time. The trick is to figure out just how long to keep the exposure open in order to get the length of trails desired as well as adjusting for any ambient light that may spill in from a nearby city or the rising moon. It is not an easy balance to find and my patience has been tested at almost every attempt. For every one good image I get, I wreck about three or four exposures. Imagine waiting for an hour to see what was supposed to be an amazing star trail photograph totally overexposed and ruined. That’ll try anyone’s patience. Once you get it right, however, it makes the photo all the more meaningful and fun to look at.

The other method to make a star trail image is to take multiple exposures of a star scene and layer these images together in an image editing software program, adjust the layer modes to”lighten” and magically all the stars show up together to make star trails. I just discovered this process and applied it to some image sequences I made at Palisades State Park in February of 2010. I was pleasantly surprised by the final star trail images that I didn’t even know I had hidden in my files. Whatever way you choose to go about shooting star trails, it is a very rewarding and fun way to capture some of our unique South Dakota scenes. I particularly like to shoot old and/or historical buildings in order to symbolize time passing and the relative short time we have here on earth. Added to that, the whole process is a huge patience builder. Which is good for me as I’m told patience is a virtue I could use a lot more of… and the sooner the better.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog.