Blog Archives
Badlands Lark Sparrows
Friends, this lark sparrow is a cheery bird of spring in the badlands areas, they fly and flit through the spring air and show off for the females. They are found mainly west of the Mississippi river on the open prairies. His head has distinct black white and chestnut markings, til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Home
Friends, Home is where the heart is, so I am always at home when with my husband. He is my life. When I was young the hills of North Dakota Badlands were my cherished home, where my mother had been raised and my grandparents lived. When I visited them I was allowed to be a child, and alone I would scour the hills and river bottom for pretty rocks, flowers, and fill my pockets with tiny trinkets. My grandfather had ridden horses all over the badlands chasing cows and wild horses. Now his homestead is part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and this place, Scoria point is by far the prettiest place in the park. I captured this image when wet with a rare overnight snow when the red rock is very saturated. No photoshop was needed to saturate the red rock as nature was at work. I am at home when in the badlands. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:My 2012 in Pictures
Friends, a short summary of my best shots from this year, in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: My 2012 in Pictures
til Tomorrow MJ
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
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
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
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
MJ Springett 