by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Apr 7, 2017 | Badlands, Badlands National Park, Landscape Photography, Nature Photography, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, Scenic Photography, South Dakota, Wildlife Photography
South Dakota Badlands
Badlands National Park
Article on Outdoor Photographer website by Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
Site of June Photo Workshop with Sandy Zelasko & Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
Hikers at Sunset
Badlands National Park is a terrific destination for landscape and wildlife photographers. It is the location of my June 2017 photo workshop, co-lead by Sandy Zelasko. The park is a convenient hour drive east from Rapid City on Interstate 90. North of the Pinnacles Entrance lies the town of Wall where you can find accommodations and other amenities. Near Cedar Pass, at the eastern end of the park, there are campgrounds, cabins, and a few other places to overnight.
Banded sandstone formations
Badlands National Park Geology
Once the site of an ancient sea, the South Dakota Badlands have been transformed over thousands of years by wind and rain into the land you see today. Layers of sediment and ash eroded away leaving behind a rugged landscape with red and tan banded buttes, jagged escarpments with narrow gorges, and brightly colored yellow mounds. In the north unit of the park, there is a thirty-mile scenic loop road that meanders past unique geological formations. Along the way, there are convenient vehicle pull-offs, overlooks, and trails to explore.
Bighorn Sheep Ram.
Wildlife
At first glance, the land seems sterile, dry and wind-swept. Yet close examination reveals a variety of creatures including 39 mammal species. Bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule and white-tailed deer, bison, prairie dogs, coyotes, badger, jack-rabbits, cottontails, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, chipmunks, and fox squirrels make this park their home. If lucky, you might even spot the rare black-footed ferret, a species reintroduced into the area. Birds include hawks, eagles, magpies, meadowlarks, northern flickers, sharp-tailed grouse, turkey, and pheasant, just to name a few. Wildlife can be easily spotted from the road and are not as timid as elsewhere, due protection by the park service. Search picnic areas and campgrounds for photo opportunities including local free-loaders, such as magpies, squirrels and other foraging animals looking for food scraps and handouts.
Badlands Loop Road
Photo Opportunities
From the town of Wall, it is only a short drive to Pinnacles Overlook, a favorite of visitors for sunrise and sunset photography. Watch as the light slowly creeps across the landscape, illuminating and darkening sandstone formations in the distance. As you head east from Pinnacles Overlook towards Dillion Pass, the loop road travels through some of the most dramatic landscapes revealing yellow mounds in the foreground and jagged peaks behind. At Dillon Pass, you can take the Conata Road south through Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, a tiny remnant of the prairie that once covered huge expanses of land in North America and Mexico. If you climb east on Badlands Loop Road, you will reach Rainbow and other overlooks for great opportunities to photograph the “wall” that separates the lower and upper prairies. At every turn along the road, the topography changes, offering even more photo ops. Storm clouds can add drama to your photos filling up an empty sky and casting shadows across the landscape resulting in alternating patterns of light and dark.
Moving Shadows
Black-tailed prairie
dog
Black-tailed prairie dog towns can be found throughout the park and their occupants are among my favorite subjects to photograph. During our recent scouting trip, we determined one of the best colonies for photography was along Quinn Rd, a dirt road running north off of the loop road where traffic was sparse and there was little disturbance. Here the prairie dogs were more tolerant and allowed us to photograph them at eye level from outside of our vehicle. It was nearly impossible to predict which animal was going to pop out of its burrow and “bark” an alarm call. For the best chance of capturing one barking, carefully observe the colony looking for individuals that seemed more vigilant and concentrate your attention on them. Since the alarm call suggests the presence of danger, be on the lookout for coyote or other predators nearby.
There are a number of trails that you can explore throughout the park for unique photo opportunities. They vary from easy to strenuous in difficulty. Always carry plenty of water. Take time to stop in at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center to learn more about the park, check weather forecasts and ask rangers for up-to-date information on recent wildlife sightings.
Bighorn sheep along Sage Creek Rim Road
Don’t skip Sage Creek Rim Road, a well-maintained dirt road heading southwest and accessed just after the Pinnacles Entrance to the park. Beautiful vistas abound as you glance left (south) near the roads entrance. Rust-colored mounds with deeply furrowed patterns dominate the foreground. In the setting sun, they almost glow red with the reflected warm light. Check out the areas with prairie grasses and browse for bison, antelope and bighorn sheep. At dawn, you may be able to silhouette one of these animals on a ridge against the rising sun. Roberts Prairie Dog Town is a popular stop to see prairie dogs. Often an abundance of visitors fright them back into their burrows making this location not ideal for photography. I suggest looking farther down the road for better opportunities. On the fringes of the colonies, look for coyote and badger which sometimes hunt as a pair.
Stalking Coyote
Also check out woody draws where there is enough moisture to support shrubs, trees, and other plants. These sheltered areas are often havens for fox, deer, rabbits, squirrels and other wildlife. In autumn, these groves of trees add a splash of color to the dry landscape with leaves of yellow and gold. Be careful when stepping off trails. Burrows and prairie rattlesnakes might be concealed beneath the grass. Wear sturdy boots to negotiate uneven terrain and protection against cactus spines.
Fall color
Approaching & Photographing Wildlife
Make note of where you commonly see animals and check these locations on subsequent trips past the area. Photographing wildlife often relies on the animal accepting your presence as non-threatening. That means patience is important. Stalking tips: Move slowly, emulate their behavior, stop periodically, take an indirect route to close the distance, assume a low profile, and avoid direct eye contact. Minimize loud noises, perfumes, or anything not typically found in their environment. Camouflage clothing can help you merge with the surroundings and avoid curious human on-lookers from approaching you.
Pronghorn at rest
When photographing, make sure you do not disturb the animal’s behavior. If it reacts, stop and wait before resuming your approach. Curiosity may even bring them closer to you. Never block an animal’s means of escape or stand in their path. Just because they are in a national park, wildlife is unpredictable and can be dangerous particularly if traveling with young. Obey park regulations. Don’t feed wildlife.
Bison Scratching
Suggested equipment:
- DLSR camera with good response in low light at high ISOs
- Lenses from wide angle to telephoto. (My 200 – 500 mm Nikon zoom lens was handy when I needed to react quickly to wildlife subjects.)
- A matching tele-converter
- A macro lens if you enjoy close-up photography
- Large bean bag to support your camera when photographing from a vehicle
- Sturdy tripod mounted with a ball or gimbal head.
Yellow Mounds Near Dillon Pass
Check out the upcoming Photo Workshop 4-9 June, 2017 with Irene Hinke-Sacilotto & Sandy Zelasko. www.ospreyphoto.com
Meadow Lark Singing
Eroded Landscape
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Mar 4, 2017 | Digital Photography, Nature Photography, Photo classes, Photo instruction, Photo Tour, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, South Dakota, Travel, Wildlife Photography
Badlands National Park Spring Escape
June 4 – 9, 2017
With trip leaders – Sandy Zelasko & Irene Hinke-Sacilotto
SOUTH DAKOTA – Photography Tour
sponsored by
in conjunction with
“Eat more flowers”
INTRODUCTION
During this South Dakota photo tour, we will explore Badlands National Park and locations in the vicinity. On most days, we will be in the field at dawn to take advantage of the early morning light. Likewise, we will end each day’s activities at sunset. When the sun is low in the sky, the light accentuates the relief and texture of the land. Colors are warm and the contrast soft, so details are not hidden by the dark shadows present at noon-time. At dusk and dawn, animals are more active and easily located. We will reserve mid-days for rest, reflection, image transfer, and travel between locations. There will be a variety of photo opportunities, including both scenery and wildlife.
Badlands Formations
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH DAKOTA
Once the site of an ancient sea, the South Dakota Badlands have been transformed over thousands of years into the land you see today. Layers of sediment and ash were eroded away leaving behind multi-colored rocks and boulders balanced on pedestals of stone. Eroded canyons and isolated buttes stand as testament to the power of the wind and rain. At first glance, the land seems sterile, yet close examination reveals a variety of creatures. Agile bighorn scale steep canyon walls. Pronghorn and buffalo graze on the succulent prairie grasses while hawks circle overhead. A loop road travels through the northern portion of the park providing easy access to unusual geologic formations and favorite wildlife haunts.
An active prairie dog town lies along Sage Creek Rim Road. The colony’s occupants are enjoyable to watch and photograph as they groom, nibble on grasses, and romp playfully with their siblings. Now and then a shrill alarm call ripples across the colony warning of a potential intruder — perhaps a badger or coyote in search of a meal.
South of the Sage Creek area in the second unit of the park is Sheep Mountain Table. At the base of the plateau are formations with rocks balanced on limestone pedestals. A rough dirt road climbs to this high, flat plateau which is isolated from the surrounding terrain by deeply cut canyons. On top, the views are spectacular. Dirt roads extend like fingers to a variety of vantage points on the rim of the table. (access is dependent on road conditions at the time)
Wild Turkey
Bighorn Ram
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Nov 6, 2016 | Autumn photography, Fall photography, Nature Photography, North Dakota, Photo Tour, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, South Dakota, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA BADLANDS, Trip Report, September 2016.
While scouting locations with Sandy Zelasko and preparing for our spring workshop, we visited both the Badlands in North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt NP) and the Badlands and Black Hills in South Dakota.
Badlands in North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt NP.
The Badlands of THEODORE ROOSEVELT National Park (NP) in North Dakota were impressive but not as colorful as those in South Dakota. However some eroded formations were unique including spheres and other oddly shaped rocks balanced on top of ridges or embedded in canyon walls. My favorite subjects were the wild horses, which we encountered in several locations. In North Dakota, the wildlife was not as visible or easy to photograph as in South Dakota Badlands where we found bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, prairie dogs, buffalo, turkey, grouse, and in the past, badger. From our modest but comfortable motel (Cowboy Inn) in the town of Belfield, ND, we were approximately a 20-minute drive from the southern entrance to the park and an hour from the northern segment. Both areas are worth visiting. However after comparing our experiences in both North Dakota and South Dakota, we decided that the best photo opportunities with a mix of wildlife and landscape photography was in the South Dakota Badlands where we will offer our next photo workshop in early June 2017.
Wild horse
Deer a field in North Dakota
North Dakota Badlands with slanted rock.
Buffalo at sunset.
A paved road loops through the 24,000 acre Badlands NP in South Dakota with scenic overlooks and traveling between the sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, pedestals, and spires and undisturbed mixed grass prairie that characterizes the park. The badlands were formed from alternating layers of hard and soft rocks and soil. Easily eroded materials such as clay or mud-stone is topped by more resistant materials, such as sandstone, with the harder horizontal layer protecting the soft deposits. There are a number of hiking trails to provide a closer look at the unique geology of the region. North, Door and Window trails near the North East entrance to the park meander amongst the formations, for an up-close and personal look at the rocks layers.
Yellow Mounds
Red Squirrel
It s hard to pick a favorite location for photography within the park since there were so many sites to choose from. I loved the sulfur mounds and eroded formations near Dillon Pass and Conata Basin but was equally fascinated by the alternating tan and rusty bands of color from oxidized iron near Saddle Pass Trail. Southern views from Sage Creek Rim Road also offered great opportunities for landscape photography with deep ravines and colorful mounds eroded by wind and rain. Along the
gravel road is a good place to spot wildlife in and about Roberts Prairie Dog town. Buffalo, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep graze on the grasses while coyotes stalk unsuspecting prey. It was here I photographed a badger at close range during my last visit. Actually the best place this year for prairie dog shots was along a less traveled dirt side road running north as you head east past Contata Road and Dillon Pass. With little disturbance from traffic, the prairie dogs were more cooperative and allowed us to shoot belly down on the ground. More remarkable, along the same road, a coyote slowly walked towards our car and crossed the road in front us into the grassland paying little attention to the sound of our cameras firing off a burst of shots.
Bighorn Sheep
Sheep Mountain Table in the Southern Stronghold area of the park is worth a visit if you have a car with high clearance able to climb the steep dirt road that leads to the top of the mesa. It’s a peaceful place with few visitors where you can enjoy views in all directions from the high vantage point. On the Western edge of the Badlands on the way to the mesa from Sage Creek Rim Road, Scenic is a nearly abandoned town off the main highway that offers you a glimpse in the past with unique photo opportunities. Here you can photograph your friends behind bars in a historic jail or in front of the once lively Longhorn Saloon where steer skulls line the roof of the building. If you look hard at the sign on the face of the building, you will notice a somewhat disturbing message indicating who was welcome. If you look hard, the first word “NO” is painted over.
Eroded mounds at Sunset
GIGANTIC FIELDS OF SUNFLOWERS. On the first leg of the trip, Sandy and I explored the back roads from Rapid City to Belfield, ND, where we stayed while exploring the area. From there headed south to Wall and the Badlands of South Dakota. Along route 73 south of Lemmon and elsewhere, we discovered huge fields of sunflowers, much larger than any I have seen in Maryland. Although some flowers were past their prime, we stopped to take photos of several fields in prime condition with macro, telephoto, and wide-angle lenses. Surprised at the number and size of the fields, I checked the Internet to find that this area is one of the highest producers of sunflowers in the U.S. The seeds are used in the production of sunflower oil as well as for consumption by humans and birds.
Sunflower field
Marmot
It was 13 September, not a holiday weekend, when we entered the southern gate of CUSTER STATE PARK and encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic on the loop road. There were several tour vehicles with park visitors and accompanied by guitar-playing singers. Needless to say, this was not the environment I had remembered from past visits. Instead of the “wild” burrows grazing on the hillsides and dusting in areas devoid of grass, they gathered on the road, sticking their heads into car windows and begging for food. Also there were more fences than I remember from a previous trip limiting photography in certain areas, but we were told the fences were there to protect sensitive habitat from overgrazing. As we moved further along the loop road the situation improved. We did encounter a large herd of buffalo, lots of bluebirds, a few mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Our favorite areas were along the gravel roads that branched off the main route. Here there was little traffic and the rolling hills were beautiful particularly on the route that led into the backcountry of Wind Cave NP. We encountered buffalo, herds of pronghorn, and the possibility of seeing elk. We found photographing in Wind Cave National Park was more productive with pronghorn on hillsides, energetic red squirrels retrieving and storing pinecones for the winter, wild turkey, and mule deer adjacent to the road.
Needles Highway in the Black Hills not far from the town of Custer includes 14 miles of sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires. It is a good spot to look for mountain goats, which are known to frequent the high country near Cathedral Spires and Needles Eye Tunnel. They have even been photographed inside the tunnel licking minerals from the rock walls. With little time remaining on our scouting trip, we drove the highway one morning in search of goats but when a heavy fog engulfed the Needles, we could hardly see the car in front of us let alone spot their white coats. The highlight of the drive was witnessing a full sized tour bus carefully position itself and pass unscathed through Needles Eye Tunnel while the extended side mirror of a pick-up truck that entered before the bus scrapped the inside of the wall.
Tour bus
We made a short side trip to Spearfish Canyon on 16 September. We were a bit early for fall color in the canyon, which I had enjoyed on a previous trip. The waterfalls were impressive particularly Roughlock Falls. Bridal Veil falls had little flow and would have been more impressive if it was surrounded by fall color or snow covered trees. Spearfish Falls is near the Southern entrance to the canyon and is photographed best in soft light in the early morning.
NOTE: You are likely to encounter the best leaf color in the South Dakota Badlands and Black Hills the last two weeks of September.
Praire Dog biting paw.
by Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours | Apr 6, 2015 | Nature Photography, Photo Technique, Photo Tours, Photo Workshops, South Dakota, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Prairie Dog. Approach low and slowly. Pausing periodically.
Stalking Techniques
- Emulate movements of subject. (For reindeer, a local guide suggested simulating antlers by holding tripod legs over our head.)
- Move slowly, pause periodically, & make no sudden moves.
- Keep a low profile to avoid appearing human and a threat.
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Elephant seal. Approached with low profile.
- Observe the animal’s movement. Don’t walk directly towards it. Move on an indirect route. Where possible, move in a direction to intersect the path the subject is taking.
- Avoid wearing shiny objects, noisy clothing, perfumes, or anything that is not natural to their environment.
- Avoid intense eye contact with the subject & loud noises.
- Leave an escape route for the animal.
- Don’t block its path. (I accidentally did this once and had an elk run its antlers into the tree where I had taken refuge.)
- Animal curiosity can act in your favor.
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Badger. Approached careful and kept distance using 600 mm lens. Only once when someone walked by me did it show signs of concern and briefly retreated to its burrow. Can be a nasty adversary.
- Photographing from the water seems to improve success in many cases where from a kayak, canoe, or wading.
- No matter if in a national park or refuge, animal behavior is Use your longer lenses. If the animal feels threatened, it may attack you and the attack can be lethal.
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Black Bear. Shot from vehicle for safety reasons with long lens.
- Wearing camouflage clothes may be helpful since you better blend in with the surroundings. Like humans, animals can spot shapes and movements that are out of place. Literature says some but not all can detect colors so camouflage clothing may be a wise choice. In addition, camouflage clothing discourages approach by curious human who might disrupt your activities.
- I believe in some cases talking softly in monotone can provide an animal with a sense of security. The tone is not threatening, and the animal has a good sense of your location and is more comfortable with your presence.
- On windy days animals are often more nervous since noises can be confusing. It is harder for them to identify the direction noises and threats are coming from. This is not the case in places in South Texas where the wind blows constantly.
Moved into field taking a path that would intersect where the deer is moving.
