My Favorite Landscape Photography Images of 2019
I have come to the conclusion that at heart I am a photographer and a writer. I am never happier than when photographing and writing about the experience of photographing with the hope of, at the least, entertaining and, at best, inspiring someone else to follow their heart and pursue the things they love.
Photography is a passion of mine and I want to share with you some of my favorite landscape pictures of 2019. Part of the fun of landscape photography is the experience of being there and looking back at 2019 through these pictures really brings back memories that will stay with me for a lifetime.
December 7, 2019. Pearl Harbor Day, dawned cold and foggy. On misty mornings in the winter, water droplets freeze on the trees giving the limbs and leaves a soft fuzzy look as can be seen by the ice crystals formed on this colorful leaf; a last representative of summer adorned in winters color.
November 11, 2019. A fresh blanket of snow brings a soothing quiet to the woodland where barren trees stand in stark contrast to winters landscape exposing the beauty of their shapes and textures previously unnoticed beneath the greenery of summer.
October 05, 2019. It is so very difficult choosing a favorite image for October, 2019. Hiking and photographing last Fall in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota the beauty I found there was breathtaking. This image though may best represent the experience of Spearfish Canyon; the waterfalls, mist in the chill air and the golden, early morning light on the Autumn colors of the woodlands. Choosing just one is tough but memories of the canyon and the time I enjoyed there will always be with me in this beautiful image of Spearfish Falls.
September 22, 2019. Standing tall and imposing like sentinels on the prairie the turbines of the wind farms are impressive from a distance but even more so viewed close up and make barely a noticeable sound except the “whumpf whumpf” of air over the blades. On a Sunday afternoon road trip north to Lake Sakakawea the northern sky was gorgeous and blue with puffy white clouds and with a quick detour onto a county road I found an awesome view of these wind turbines towering above cornfields and prairie grass.
August 18, 2019. Chill morning air, surprisingly chill for August, found me at morning twilight on a hilltop overlooking Keelboat Park in Bismarck, North Dakota. The lights of I94 Bridge and a setting moon lay before me to the west with a steamboat on the Missouri River below. It was the view I had come to photograph but on this morning, waiting for western skies to lighten, I turned to see sunrise approaching on the eastern horizon and a trail through prairie grass led the way to a beautiful twilight blue sky sparkling with stars. I'd gone to photograph the river and setting moon but the grass and twilight skies make this one my favorite for August, 2019.
July 6, 2019. Choosing a favorite image for July is just as difficult as October because I spent most of a day exploring and photographing the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park south of Watford City, North Dakota. Of many favorites for this month one from the North Unit stands out largely because it so well illustrates the amazing beauty of the Badlands and the park. Standing near the precipice of the canyon words cannot adequately convey the beauty of this rugged land and the experience of being there left me in awe.
June 15, 2019 I had not seen a windmill up close yet and on this day finding one was the mission at hand. A number of turbines could be seen from I94 west of Mandan and north from Highway 1806 but getting closer was the issue. Eventually I found a dirt road leading in the right direction. Spring had come to North Dakota and the prairie was lush and green and thunderstorms had begun to form in the warming air. Given the prevalence of hail from North Dakota thunderstorms it was a race to the wind turbines to see who reached them first; me or the thunderstorm.
Cresting several hills along the road I eventually reached the wind farm and marveled at the size of the turbines. To see them across the prairie one really doesn't have any sense of their true size which is why they were farther away than I thought. This picture is one of my favorites from the month of June both for it's perspective of the road leading to the wind farm and the approaching storm and my thrill that day of seeing the turbines up close.
May 25, 2019 The highlight of May was the purchase of a new mountain bike; a Diamondback Hook. It's a sweet ride and Saturday morning I hit the trails early around Bismarck with a camera and bike tools in my backpack. There's no better way in my opinion to explore than on a bike. You can stop whenever and wherever you like and go slow enough to enjoy the views which in this case I found after following a muddy off road trail down to the banks of the Missouri River. By the light of early morning these reeds were golden and waving in the chill morning air on the riverside. Their golden color and vertical lines made a pretty composition under beautiful Spring skies and if it could tell you about the loud honking of nearby geese and their fuzzy yellow babies it would be perfect. This photo is my favorite for the month of May.
April 23, 2019 With a low temperature of 22 °F and a high of 77 °F, in April the land was still trying to recover from months of winter but the weather was warming and the Missouri River flowed free of ice at last. On this day I had just arrived home from work and the sky was amazing, in fact, it was so inspirational I grabbed the camera and went down to the river. Water levels were low enough to afford a nice view of the static riverboat display at Steamboat park and the golden reeds beneath that gorgeous cloudy sky frames the riverboat beautifully. I could not have asked for a better picture and hadn't even planned to photograph that day. It's my favorite from April, 2019.
March 2, 2019 The temperature was -5 °F but the day was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies and thin clouds of ice crystals that sparkled in the winter sun. It was cold and the wind was gusting to 25 mph that day. I have no idea what the wind chill was but can assure you it was flippin' cold otherwise it was beautiful and begged to be photographed. Sunset Park in Mandan, North Dakota is in a low area of small hills and was beautiful mounded over in snow that collected through the winter and these two shapely conifer trees were so pretty standing in contrast to the bright white of the snow.
Hiking there in those frigid conditions was interesting and I turned my back to every hard gust of wind to preserve warmth. At the end of the hike I drove to the other end of the park to photograph the hills from the overlook there. I realized how much protection the low land of the park afforded from the gusting wind because stepping from the car any exposed skin immediately became numb and within two minutes hurt like razor blades slicing through.
That's the worst cold I've ever felt in my life and I wasn't cold in my parka but that wind literally hurt so I called it a day and went to Famous Dave's to warm up with a plate of BBQ. This pretty picture of two pines in the snow and ice holds the memory of that day and it's my favorite image from March, 2019.
February 23, 2019 Huffing, puffing, wheezing and more than a bit concerned about heart attack I trudged up the hill through snow carrying a tripod and camera bound for the peak of a hill with a great view of the bridge and river below. Finally reaching a point below my destination I had to give it up. Such physical exertion in that kind of cold commonly leads to heart attack or a collapsed lung. Besides, the sun was setting so I stopped and set up the tripod. I may not have made it so far but some kind soul on skis preceded me and left a path through knee deep snow making my passage easier.
The hike was tough but worth it. The golden light of sunset on a cold winter day with blades of prairie grass standing above the snow that sparkled in the fading light all made it worthwhile. I remember the cold, the exertion, cold stiff fingers fumbling with equipment and dropping my grad ND filter in the snow and the cold metal of the tripod but the view and the sunset was amazing. The opportunity to share the experience with others makes it all the more amazing and why this is my favorite picture from February, 2019.
January 26, 2019 Hiking the parks on the banks of the Missouri River is one of my favorite winter pastimes. With snow on the trees, ice on the river and a clear blue sky with a bright winter sun creating sparkles in the snow the area is a winter wonderland and usually accompanied by the sounds of honking geese and the occasional pops of cracking ice.
Don't think for a minute the temperatures keep people from experiencing and enjoying the winter in Bismarck. It's an amazing time to be outside regardless of the temperature and this picture is a good illustration of the beauty of the day. Two trees frame the Missouri River nicely and appear to be holding a star burst sun in their grasp. Very nice. This is my favorite image from January, 2019 and as New Year approaches I look forward with excitement as the journey and the experience continues.
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