A vacation for me isn't like a vacation for everyone else. While most people think of theme parks, beaches, resorts, and lounging, I'm thinking about how I can capture the best images of the nature I love so much. In this series I share how I photographed my recent vacation to South Dakota. This isn't meant to be a complete guide to SD or how to photograph it, rather a look at my personal experiences, what I learned, and how you can bring home images more exciting than cookie cutter tourist shots. You'll find travel and photo tips not only specific to the locations I visited but that will help you improve your photography overall. We begin with magic hour -- the hour surrounding sunrise and sunset. It amazes me so many people miss the best parts of the day because they'd rather sleep in. Then they're relegated to the same old dry tourist shots that millions of people have already taken -- harsh, flat daylight, seen from every pullout and photo spot that everyone else has shot from. Of course I understand it isn't all about photographic desire. Schedules sometimes just don't allow for sunrise and sunset shots, and some people just don't care about taking a quality photograph. But you paid a lot of money to see stuff, so why not really see it? Try this, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Get up for a sunrise, and stay out for a sunset. You'll usually see more people at sunset than sunrise since they're already up, but if you really want a place to yourself, get up for a sunrise. You'll be rewarded. At some of the most-visited photographic locations at the best times, you'll be surprised how few people are there. And now that you've captured the absolute best lighting of the day, you can spend the rest of the day sleeping, if relaxation is what you want. You can see this strategy at work in the following image. Taken in the bowl between Yellow Mounds and Pinnacles overlook in the Badlands, the camera faces west to capture the warm sunrise as it paints a patch of rubber rabbitbrush and spills onto the peaks. There's simply no way to recreate this light after the fact. You have to be there. The shots were taken just off of the road, not far from a nearby pullout. Several cars had driven past, but none stopped, and there were no other photographers in the area. We had the place to ourselves for this magic moment. And look what everyone else missed! Good magic hour shots take a bit of planning. It's ideal to scout your locations ahead of time and imagine where the sun will be. Star Walk, the iPad app, is perfect for keeping track of daily sunrise and sunset times on the road. Ideally, set up about a half hour before the stated rise/set time, and then let the magic happen. Satellite imagery, such as Google Earth, can help you pre-visualize the location and how the sun might hit the landscape. When you're physically there, you don't have to plant yourself in one spot and take 100 images there. Look for various vantage points and angles. There's always more than one. Badlands Photo Tips:
Polarizers work at sunrise and sunset, but as always they're most effective when used perpendicular to the sun. Use a warming filter or warming polarizer to enhance the sun's rich tones.
Avoid UV filters. While they may seem harmless, I've had better results relying on the ultra-fine and pure quality of my Nikon glass. UV filters can soften images and any potential lens protection you gain is unlikely to be worth the loss in image quality.
If you must shoot mid day, a polarizer is the easiest way to make your images more dramatic by increasing contrast and saturation. Use it at a 90-degree angle to the sun for maximum effect.
Just past Yellow Mounds, before you drive through the Pinnacles, look for good side-lighting angles. These will accentuate the dramatic shapes of the carved Badlands. Light illuminates; shadows define.
Shoot RAW for a richer negative. RAW packs more image data into the file, giving you much more latitude to adjust exposure, contrast, white balance and take advantage of Lightroom's ND filters.
Telephotos and wides are both at home here. A telephoto is essential for wildlife and can pull out features of a broad landscape.
Cedar Pass Lodge provides beautiful cabins (built new for 2012) and good food, enabling you to explore the park. Two to three days is ideal in the Badlands, giving you ample time to plan and shoot sunrises and sunsets.
Don't get trapped in formations at the front of the park. While they're dramatic, trust me, it gets more dramatic the further out you go. Panorama Point, Conata Basin and Pinnacles provide breathtaking viewing opportunities. Yellow Mounds may not be fully illuminated at sunrise, but they're among the most colorful features in the park.
Keep an eye out for wildlife, especially about half way between the lodge and the Pinnacles on the open prairie. Coyote, big horn sheep, prairie dogs and pronghorn like to roam there.
Watch out for rattlesnakes.Coming Soon: Custer State Park, Needles Highway, Lake Sylvan, Spearfish Canyon
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