WILDFLOWERS IN ABUNDANCE AND MEETING A LEGEND

Wildflowers at Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

It was a lovely spring weekend and if you like wildflowers, it was the perfect time to see, photograph, or just enjoy them. It was Joan’s weekend off from work and we decided to pack the tent and go camping again. It had to be somewhere near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Why? I will talk about this in a few seconds. We stayed two nights at Palisades-Kepler State Park, an 840-acre mostly wooded area with river bluffs, big trees, and a large variety of wildflowers. The bluffs overlook the beautiful Cedar River. We have quite a few wildflower species here on our bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River, but we can’t compete with the variety we have seen last weekend in the state park. I’m not much into flower photography but a few clicks were made anyway…😉

Moose Peterson

Well, the big reason I wanted to be near Cedar Rapids was a photography seminar on Saturday, which I had booked already several weeks ago. It was organized by the Linn Area Photo Club. I couldn’t be more excited because one of my favorite photographers presented ideas, shared his knowledge, and answered many questions from the audience. Moose Peterson, acclaimed wildlife, landscape, and aviation photographer, Nikon ambassador, and great educator had probably the most influence to my own style of photography during the last 8-9 years. The seminar was supported by many of his photos and seeing them projected on a big screen was a feast for the eyes. Although I don’t make a living from my photography, but I like his ideas, concepts, and workflow and have many applied to my own work. Moose Peterson shares his incredible knowledge and his passion for photography on his websites, on YouTube, or in his own publication, the BT Journal. http://www.moosepeterson.com/blog/ . Check it out, they are all great sources for inspiration and learning photography.

Early morning in Palisades-Kepler State Park, Iowa

Spending almost a whole weekend day with such beautiful warm weather inside a building is not normal behavior for me but I didn’t regret any minute and time flew by very fast.

Back in the camp Joan talked me into a hike and showed me some of the best spots in the park she and our dog Cooper had discovered during the day. Well, and we still had the Sunday for chasing the light… 😊

SUBTLE APPROACH

I really believe that sharing locations is one of the best things photographers, nature lovers, or anybody who goes out into nature, can do to their fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Much of my photography in the Black Hills, and in particular in Custer State Park, has benefit from articles in the BT Journal, the digital magazine about photography, published by famous photographer Moose Peterson an his wife Sharon. In addition many posts in his blog fueled my desire to visit the Black Hills again. http://www.moosepeterson.com/

The photo was made on the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, just east of the Custer State Park landing strip. I have seen amazing photos from Moose Peterson with breathtaking skies from almost the same location. As mentioned before in earlier blog posts, we were beaten with almost blue skies the whole time in the Black Hills but it didn’t stop us to get up before sunrise and stay late until after the sun had set. The trees in the background are a perfect set for any try to capture the light and the sky. The subtle painting of the light on the prairie in front of the trees makes this image special for me. It really tells the story how we have seen Custer State Park in South Dakota for several days during the time between night and day…

COMMUNICATING MOTION

Our next campsite was in the Little Spearfish Creek Valley, which is located in the northern part of the Black Hills. The forest is denser than in Custer State Park and we were higher up in the mountains.

This arm of the creek was running not far from our small camp site and it was the right subject for trying out a new technique I recently learned from an article by Moose Peterson. It is about creating a long exposure look for moving water in order to communicate its motion. Without attaching a neutral density filter or very long exposure times we can achieve this look even in daylight under relative bright light conditions. The trick is to use the multiple-exposure function that is built into some cameras. If this triggers your interest, click on the link for the whole article. http://www.imagechaser.com/creating-long-exposure-look-without-wait-nd-filter/

The interesting thing is that not two pictures look alike and at home, in front of our computer screens, we can choose the pattern of blur that we like the best. After reading Moose Peterson’s article, about a month before our trip, I really was eager to try this new technique and finally along the Little Spearfish Creek, with its waterfalls and cascades, I found the perfect “testing ground”…

NEXT BASECAMP - THE BLACK HILLS

Sylvan Lake, Black Hills, South Dakota

We really enjoyed our time in the Badlands, South Dakota but after a few days it was time to move on. The mountains and wildlife of the Black Hills were waiting for us and the Game Lodge campsite in Custer State Park became our next base camp. The Black Hills have a big variety of landscapes to offer, from mixed grass prairies to granite outcroppings, like at Sylvan Lake. Ponderosa pine forests are a big part of it but othervaried forest communities can be found as well.

My desire to spend time in Custer State Park was triggered by an older issue of the BT Journal, a quarterly magazine, produced by famous wildlife, landscape, and aviation photographer Moose Peterson and his wife. The subtitle says, “the journal for taking your photography to new heights!” Hands down, the BT Journal is one of the best sources for exact that. Moose Peterson’s profound knowledge about locations, the wildlife, and sharing his photography skills with us is invaluable. I have studied the October 2012 issue of the magazine, The Black Hills - A Photographer’s Paradise, many times before and it bought us a lot of time, because we knew already where to look for critters and locations.

Grace Coolidge Creek ran right in front of our tent but there was only a very small time window in the morning when a shot like this was possible. For the rest of the day the creek was in the shade.

The campsite is just a stone throw away from Wildlife Loop Road and being out there before sunrise or coming back after sunset isn’t difficult to manage. Other destinations in the Black Hills are also not too far and this makes the State Game Lodge area a great base camp. If camping is not your cup of tea you can stay at the State Game Lodge or some other ones nearby.