Check our Upcoming Photo Workshops & Tours

Badlands National Park Spring Escape

Badlands National Park Spring Escape

Badlands National Park Spring Escape

June 4 – 9, 2017

With trip leaders – Sandy Zelasko & Irene Hinke-Sacilotto

SOUTH DAKOTA – Photography Tour

sponsored by

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in conjunction with 

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Praire dog eating yellow flowers

“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 with banded colors

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 feeding in the Badlands

Wild Turkey

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Ram

“Upcoming Classes, Tours & Workshops” Outdoor Photographer Magazine Website. Tangier Island.

“Upcoming Classes, Tours & Workshops” Outdoor Photographer Magazine Website. Tangier Island.

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Each month I and other photographers post info and images on our photo workshops and classes in the “Upcoming Classes, Tours & Workshops” section of the Outdoor Photographer Magazine website  www.outdoorphotographer.com 

This month you will find info on my Tangier Island, VA workshop, 29-31 May 2015.  Located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, the island is perfect for photographing community life, waterman at work, crab shacks, peers and waterways, and the wildlife that lives in the marshes and along the shoreline.

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It is a terrific location to see and photograph ospreys.  There are many platforms near Tangier Island in the waterways and on nearby islands and jetties where the birds nest.  Part of the credit for the success of the ospreys in this portion of the bay goes to the mayor of Tangier Island, James “Ooker” Eskridge who loves watching the birds soaring overhead as works and helps maintain the nesting platforms.FaceOspreyfish4-1857More images of Tangier Island and ospreys on my web gallery https://www.ospreyphoto.com

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Passion for Wildlife Photography (Part 8), Hunting vs. Wildlife Photography

Hunting vs. Wildlife Photography

Young javelina attracted by corn under log.  Shot from blind.

Young javelina attracted by corn under log. Shot from blind.

Similarities

Both disciplines require knowledge of subject, i.e. where and when to find the animal. What does their behavior indicate? The hunter and photographer can both gain useful knowledge from signs that an animal is present  – tracks, scat (cat, bear, etc.), rubs, scrapes (deer), slides (otter), broken branches and claw marks on tree (bear), freshly gnawed logs near a beaver lodge or dam (active beaver), paths through vegetation, etc.

Game calls.

Game calls Found at hunting stores – Bass Pro, Dicks’s, and Cabelas.

At times hunters attract animals using decoys, game calls (predator, courtship, challenge}, camo clothing or netting for concealment, cover scents (fox urine, skunk), baiting, stalking, or blinds/hides So can the photographer. (see later blog).

Gille suit used to hide from wildlife.  Option to a blind.

Ghille suit used to hide from wildlife. Option to a blind.

Shot during a workshop in SD.  The workshop group tracked a herd of pronghorn.  Eventually the male left herd and approached us . It stop, stared and slowly turned around and walk away with his females. Guess we were to ugly for his herd.

Shot during a workshop in SD. The workshop group tracked a herd of pronghorn. Eventually the male left herd and approached us . It stop, stared and slowly turned around and walk away with his females. Guess we were to ugly for his herd.

Differences between hunting and photography (besides the obvious that the animal can walk away).

Hunting depends on concealment & you can successfully bag your prey at 100 to 200 yards. On the other hand, photography depends more on acceptance and the shooting distance is much closer (mallard, ¾ frame, @ 30 feet w/600 mm lens.) Much of the time photographers cannot approach the animal close enough to be able to photograph it successfully without being seen.  Therefore stealth is critical and the ability to carefully approaching the subject in a non-threatening way (see later blog on stalking techniques). Approaching from the water can make the task easier whether you are wading in the surf or photographing from a canoe or kayak. It appears that without your legs showing you are not perceived as a threat. The animal’s curiosity also acts in your favor.  These factors do not mean that blinds and camo cover should not be used when required.  

Painted bunting.  Because of the bird's small size, used a 600 mm lens with 1..4 tele-converter for this shot. Was at my closest focusing distance.

Painted bunting. Because of the bird’s small size, used a 600 mm lens with 1..4 tele-converter for this shot. Was at my closest focusing distance, less than 15 feet away.

Waded into the icy waters of Iceland for this shot.  Curiosity drew him closer to me.

Waded into the icy waters of Iceland for this shot. Curiosity drew him closer to me.

Stallking & the use of blinds – see upcoming blogs.

Easy to understand book on Layers and Masks. Great for those new at digital editing.

In addition to my nature photography classes at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/programs-events/calendar, programs at Johns Hopkins University http://odyssey.jhu.edu/, and weekend photo workshops at Chincoteague NWR Virginia and in Southern West Virginia, www.ospreyphoto.com, I have been teaching introductory digital editing classes based on Adobe Photoshop Elements 10. I am always searching for good books to recommend to students.  While preparing for an upcoming class, I found an excellent book explaining the use of layers and masks in a way that beginners might be able to understand. The text and screen captures are useful and easy to follow.  For those interested, I recommend the following book which can be purchased as a soft back or Kindle version from www.amazon.com. “Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop’s Most Powerful Feature (2nd Edition)”

Photos from my Argentina photo tour in Dec. 2011.