Our original plan for fall 2020 was to fly to New Mexico, attend some events, and then travel around the state for photography. Well, the events were called off, and New Mexico wanted visitors to quarantine for 2 weeks, so we cancelled that. As an alternative, we decided to do a driving trip from Michigan across the Dakotas to Wyoming, stopping at some places we had not been to before. We would also have a chance to add some new national parks to our list.
Our first significant stop for photography was Badlands National Park in South Dakota, a new park for us. This was during a period of many large wildfires in the western US, and the smoke from many hundreds of miles away was having a significant effect in the Badlands park. The distant landscape was especially hazy, and the sky did not have its normal blue color. Still, we explored the park during the first afternoon of our arrival, and then stayed overnight there and continued the next morning. The closer landscape of the badlands was not badly affected by the smoke, and the somewhat diffused light actually helped reduce contrast during the mid day sun.
At many of the overlooks along the main road through the park, there was virtually no vegetation of any kind. At the Pinnacles Overlook shown here, however, that was not the case, and it allowed for a more interesting composition, more contrast in the scene, greater color variation, and flowers in the foreground.
Upload YOUR Picture • WIN $200 Cash
Did you know that now we offer a VIP membership? Create your Personal Portfolio Page and let us share it monthly to over 300,000 members and followers.
Benefits of VIP membership:
• Your Personal Portfolio Page – click here to see sample
• We promote your portfolio monthly to over 300,000 followers
• Download 12 new issues of the magazine every year
• Download ALL back issues
• Download premium eBooks worth £19.45.
• Upload and share up to 70 images per year via our monthly assignments and picture submission forms
• Your uploaded pictures/posts stay attached to your page for as long as you are a VIP member, which could be for ever
• Fast Support – we aim to reply within 12 hours
• Submission Priority – your submission goes to the front of the queue
Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor