This is a continuation of my sunrise shoot on day 5 of my time in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, September 2022.
Light Arc, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
As I was about to wrap up my morning shoot, I decided to experiment with compositional variations using the wide area of grass in the area where I had been shooting as a foreground with Badlands features in the background.
Grassland and Badlands 1, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
I changed my distance from the Badlands and modified the zoom to include more or less of the background and more or less of the foreground.
Grasslands and Badlands 2, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMGrasslands and Badlands, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
I like all of the images that I shot in this manner,
Badlands Emerge, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
however, I think this final image, shot by going down a slope and shooting up at the background feature is the most dramatic. This gives the impression of a vast sea of grass with the Badlands emerging from the grassland.
I arose early on the last day I had to spend in Badlands National Park, once again driving that slow, washboarded gravel road from Interior to SD 240.
I went back to an area from which I had shot a couple of morning already, when the sky were cloudy. Today the early morning sky was mostly clear and I anticipated a good sunrise golden hour.
Badland MorningSunrise CurveBadland NotchRabbit Bush MorningRegression and ProgressionRidgy Morning, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRidgy Morning 2, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRed Sky Morning, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMLiving on the Edge, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMBreak Out, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AMRidgy Morning 3, Badlands NP, South Dakota, September 19, 2022, AM
As the sun sank lower into the western sky, I walked back into the grassland area to the east of the gravel road connecting Interior, SD to SD 240 in Badlands NP. I had pulled over maybe a half mile before the intersection with SD 240 and scouted this area a little earlier.
Diversity
I always try to begin shooting a little before golden hour, since one can never predict what will happen with the light and today I have a large area from which to shoot, so I want to have time to get a number of compositions and hopefully have sufficient time to move around and vary my compositions as golden hour advances.
What happened to all those big fluffy clouds that had been so prevalent in the sky as I was scouting here? They’ve all disappeared, leaving a blank, bland sky.
Red Grass Sunset
For the image above, I stood in the shadow of a ridge to avoid having my shadow in image.
Badlands National Park, South DakotaGrassy RidgeGrass, Rock, SkyGrass DivisionGrass, Rock, Sky 2Red Grass Valley
There is a gravel road from Interior, SD that goes into the Badlands NP, connecting to SD 240. I took this road, intending to go all the way to SD 240 and shoot sunset images in the same grassland area from which I had shot earlier this morning, when the sky was completely overcast.
Gravel Road into Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
This gravel roadway was very washboarded over long intervals, when I drove it, requiring slow driving. As I got nearer SD 240, I began to realize that it might be better to shoot from a grassy area to the east of the gravel roadway, rather than going back to my morning location.
I had plenty of time prior to sunset, so I pulled over to scout nearby.
Change of Plans, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoScouting Photo Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoScouting Photo, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
The big clouds are still hanging around, which bodes well for sunset shooting today.
Scouting Photo, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
After walking around this grassy area and shooting a few scouting images, I decided that this would definitely be a better area from which to shoot than where I had planned to go.
Stay tuned for the results of todays sunset shoot,
I continued traveling along SD240 checking out views at numerous pullouts and/or viewpoints along the drive through the park. Checking the park area map, I noted other sections of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands on the south side of the park. So I exited the park on the south side, drove SD 377 through the tiny community of Interior, SD, then along SD 44 West along the southern side of Badlands NP.
I topped off my fuel tank at an old convenience store/fuel station in Interior. The diesel pump was separate from the gasoline pumps and an old fashion type that is not commonly seen at more modern stations. The lady running the store/station was friendly. I purchased a copy of a paper back book, “Cactus Needles” that I spotted on display that was only $8. It is a book of hand drawn cartoons, cowboy poems and ranch stories by John F. Solon of Weta, SD, which is a little east of Interior.
About 6 miles west of Interior, I found an entrance into an area of Buffalo Gap National Grasslands that is set aside primarily for off-road vehicle use. The information sign near the entrance noted that rock hounding is permitted. Indeed, the area was strewn with rocks of many kinds and I saw one person walking around picking up rocks.
Camping is permitted here and I decided to make this my home base for at least one night, since it is conveniently located near an area that I planned to shoot at sunset.
Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
I drove along a dirt route parallel to a fence line along the east boundary of this area and parked at a secluded location, which I planned to make my campsite tonight.
All Alone, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
I had this area completely to myself today. I had plenty of time prior to going back to the park for a sunset shoot, so I killed some time by reading the book that I had purchased in Interior and walking along a cow trail parallel to the fence line and shooting a few iPhone photos.
One Sided, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
I’m hoping that those big fluffy clouds hang around for my sunset shoot.
Cow Trail, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoCow Trail, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
Apparently, cows like to walk the same path repeatedly, since they have created such distinct and deep trails here.
Two Lanes, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone PhotoBuffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
Looking back along the fence line towards my campsite. My Sportsmobile is hidden behind the trees. Although, if one enlarges this image, the Sportsmobile is partially visible.
This is a continuation of my morning shoot on the fourth full day of this visit to Badlands NP.
Grassland and Badland
I parked at a small pullout along SD240, where I noted a path through the grassland. I took that path into the grasslands to see what opportunities I might find for photographing a large badlands feature in the distance.
Prickly Edge
The sky was still heavily overcast, which at this time of the morning was better for photography than having a clear sky and overly brightly lit landscape.
Prickly Edge – Wide View
Normally, I would not put the horizon at or near the center of an image, but here the sky was as interesting, perhaps more so, than the foreground. So I’ve ignored that general rule about horizon placement in a number of my compositions here.
This is the WayDarkland
This concludes my morning shooting in Badlands NP today. Time to explore more of the park.
It was another heavily overcast morning in Badlands National Park with sporadic light rain.
Traffic Stop, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo through the windshield
These female Bighorns and lambs were in no hurry and did not care that they were holding me up in my quest for early morning photos.
Bighorn, Badlands NP, September 18, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
Shooting under the heavy overcast, most of my images were dark. I brightened them, but did not want to overdo that and ruin the reality. These images look better on a large screen with proper brightness for viewing images, but may look very dark in this blog post, especially if viewed on a small screen. Some of these images have embedded links to the images on Flickr, where these usually look much better than in this blog.
I shot all of these image at a number of different viewpoints along SD240, the main road through the park. I met a young lady from Michigan, who was also shooting images. We seemed to be stopping at the same places for awhile. She observed that the color in the badlands rocks were more saturated when wet. I told her that she had discovered the reason geologists like to view wet rocks, rather than dry ones.
I returned to the Yellow Mounds area of Badlands National Park for sunset golden hour photography on my third full day in this area.
Yellow Mounds, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
I had to watch closely to keep my shadow out of a number of my late day images. Looking closely, one can see the shadow of that foreground Rabbit Bush on the far side of the ravine.
Yellow Mounds 2, Badlands National Park, South DakotaYellow Mounds 3, Badlands Np, South DakotaYellow Mounds 4, Badlands NPBadlands and Grasslands, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, I did not get out early for morning photos on the third full day in the Badlands NP area. Instead, I drove through more of the park in the morning hours, scouting more potential shooting locations.
Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 1Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 2Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 3Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 4Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 5Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 6Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, AM, iPhone Photo 7Cloud Tracks, Badlands NP, September 17, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo
I checked out many locations along SD Route 240 this morning, shooting many iPhone photos, most of which were uninspiring. The few posted here are the ones I found most interesting and showing potential for golden hour photography.
As I backtracked out of the park, I spotted a couple of Bighorn sheep high up on a ridge. I stopped, put my big zoom lens on my camera and shot a few images.
Bighorns, Badlands NPBighorn blending into the background, Badlands NP
After my morning excursion into Badlands National Park, I returned to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands Campground Area, picked another campsite, had lunch and waited until it was time to go out again for sunset photography.
Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 16, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo 1Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, September 16, 2022, PM, iPhone Photo 2
As the afternoon progressed, like yesterday, storm clouds began gathering.
Visitors, Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, South DakotaPraire StormBuffalo Gap National Grasslands, Campsite 2
Rain soon began to fall with gusty winds. It was apparent that the storm was too fierce for me to venture back out for a late day shoot. Now I have to look forward to another morning shoot.
