Category Archives: Nature
Redface the Magnificent
Friends, this beautiful roan stallion is called Redface, he is a herd stallion with about 6-8 mares running wild in the North Dakota badlands. He was peacefully eating his grass and raised his head briefly to see what i was doing but very relaxed with a piece of grass still peeking out from the corner of his mouth. i am experimenting with a frame and signature for my work as someone suggested that a signature will protect the image from “pirating”. I just want to share, not too concerned about deviousness, but a signature on a piece of art also shows that the photographer was proud of the work enough to attach a name to it. In the old days (before my time), women did not sign their art, and many of the watercolors of Medora De Mores are not signed. Medora and her husband the Marquis DeMores, were early historical figures who were instrumental in establishing the town of Medora. Medora is the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I will address this history in a later post. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Today
Friends, Today i was chasing birds at Crex Meadows, a good day to get some great images and to play with Photoshop. This Eastern Kingbird was an attitude shot and the background was just plain water, so i changed it to white to emphasize the bird pose. Using the Digital Basics Tutorial from Arthur Morris, Birdsasart, i am constantly learning new things to enhance my photography. Maybe this image needs a frame??, til Tomorrow MJ
Petrified Forest
Friends, on our recent trip to the badlands, we were fortunate to find one whole day when rain and thunderstorms were not in the forecast. The walk into the Petrified Forest is only 1.5 miles but the terrain is very rugged and for me it was challenging. We spent about five hours in the sun and wind, hiking in and exploring the ancient ruins (trees). These trees were a tropical redwood and are 65 million years old. Younger than the dinosaurs but older than the mammals. The top stump is about six feet tall and sits high on a mud pedestal that will eventually erode away and dump the stump 🙂 into the valley below. The bottom image shows a stump that is about six feet in diameter. til Tomorrow MJ
Flehmen technique-wild horses
Friends, these two handsome guys are both rolling their upper lip in response to a smell. This is called the flehmen technique, and stallions quite often exhibit this behavior when a mare is in heat. These two stallions are unique in that they run their mares together in one group. The top one is Singlefoot and the bottom image is Redface. There is sometimes some squealing when they meet head to head, but the dispute never seems to come to blows. til Tomorrow MJ
Orton Landscape
Friends, this image was taken right after a rain that left the clouds spotty The clouds were shading the background, while the foreground hill was in the light. I love to photograph the badlands right after a rain when the sun peeks out and gives spotlights on the saturated landscapes. This might be a candidate for the Orton Effect in Photoshop. Which rendition do you like? til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer
Friends, nothing says summer better than a hot sunset in the badlands. Need i say more? til Tomorrow MJ
Motherhood
Friends, this baby is getting some nutrition from his momma, i love these kind of shots especially since these are wild horses found in the badlands of North Dakota (Theodore Roosevelt National Park). These horses and their ancestors have always roamed the hills during my lifetime. I don’t like the term “feral” and i prefer the term “wild” as these horses have run free in the badlands for several generations. Below is an image of the herd stallion, Singlefoot. til Tomorrow MJ
Two New Foals
Friends, now that i am home from the hills and perusing my new images, i had almost forgotten this image of two foals that were posing together on top of a hill. the little buckskin in the foreground appears to be a stud colt and younger than the sorrel in the back. They are with a band of horses led by the Stallion, Copper. Below is an image of Copper in all his glory. til Tomorrow MJ
The Magpie Story
Friends, we were perched on a bridge watching a magpie flirting with another magpie. As i shot this image, a coyote appeared in my field of view. A coyote hunter of local legend tells us that when he calls coyotes in, often a magpie will appear before the coyote comes into view. These creatures seem to have a relationship. Yes, i know the coyote is out of focus and the prairie dog behind is even more unsharp, but still wanted to share this with all of you. The image below shows the coyote out on prairie dog town trying to fool a dog into making a fatal mistake. til Tomorrow MJ
Petrified Forest
Friends,looks like a piece of rotten wood, right?, you would be wrong, this old wood has turned to stone and has lichen growth almost covering the surface. You can see the wood grain in spots where the lichen growth is minimal. We walked into the petrified forest yesterday, a three mile loop, but lots of steep up and down. Spent six hours hiking in, shooting photos, and walking back out. The temperatures were in low 70s, bright sunshine, no shade, and blasting North Dakota wind. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the car. The day would have been perfect if not for the constant wind, at times it tried to blow me over, so i was careful not to stand too close to any edges. The bottom image shows a scenic of the area around this ancient forest. Enjoy til Tomorrow MJ
