Veins

 

Stairway to Heaven

 

I know I’ve read it at some point in my life, but I wasn’t familiar with this verse until I began searching for one to go with this shot. I really really like it.

Migrating Geese

 

Collared Lizard

 

I took this picture several months ago of what I believe is an Eastern Collared Lizard. They were quite plentiful throughout this little glade, and I didn’t have much trouble in getting a decent photo of one.

Country Barn

 

Mystic Forest

 

Psalm 147:8

 

Discs

 

Already in awe of the gorgeous sunset, I walked past this farm equipment Friday and knew it would make the perfect picture. I hurriedly put my stuff down and got my camera out while there was still enough color in the sky to give this shot a really neat background.

Citrus Sunset

 

Here’s another shot of the same sunset from my last photo. I really like both of them and couldn’t decide which one was the best and so I posted both!

Great Ball of Fire

 

Wow! I just got back from a two day hunting trip up north, and I am so glad I brought my camera. I came within an inch of leaving it at home, but after debating it a bit I decided to take it along. This is a great view of the sunset that took place directly behind me early this evening. This photo is 100% unedited, coming straight off my camera. I’ve never before seen a sunset where you could look directly into the sun itself without so much as squinting your eyes. It was truly amazing!

Ouch!

 

These thorns are part of the same rosebush as my last photo. I actually got poked a couple times trying to get the perfect shot of this plant. 

Thirsty Rose

 

I snapped this photo early this afternoon of a late-blooming rose near our house. It was the only one left on the plant, and I’m glad I remembered to go check it out before it withered away.

Leafscape

 

No need to be jealous. This is a photo of the trees around here about a month ago, but I’m sure that by now they are bare like everybody else’s. We went to a conservation look-out tower near our home, and it provided me with a great vantage point to capture some beautiful landscapes such as this.

Print Your Photos for Pennies Each!

I normally don’t post stuff like this, but I just wanted to let you guys know about winkflash.com - a website that will print your photos for an amazingly cheap price and ship them to your home. A 4x6 costs $0.08, a 5x7 costs $0.25, and an 8x10 is only $1.49. Their site amazingly disproves the idea that “you get what you pay for.” I have to say that I’ve paid much more for photo printing in the past and have never been so happy with the quality of the image. I can honestly say they are significantly better than snapfish, and even slightly better than Wal-Mart’s new HP kiosks.

In case you’re still unsure, they offer 50 free prints to each new member. All you have to do is pay the $0.99 shipping cost. I received mine just a few minutes ago, and they are officially my new photo printer. And by the time you factor in their free image editing software and unlimited photo storage, it is more than worth the 5 minutes it takes to sign up. I highly recommend it!

A 19th Century Evening

 

Sunrise or Sunset?

 

Can Anybody Guess What it Is?

 

Sparrow Little Food?

 

Back in July, this sparrow wouldn’t leave until he’d picked up every last crumb from around our campsite. Hopefully this isn’t all he had to eat that day.

Make a Wish

 

I was surprised to see this dandelion so late in the year, and the late evening sun made for a great photo opportunity.

Watch

 

“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
                                                                -Mark 13:35-37

Breaking the Rules

 

In photography, there are several "rules" - most of which I usually try to abide by fairly consistently. On occasion, though, breaking the rules can produce some really neat results. I shot this tree dead-center to accentuate the glow of the sun that was directly behind the trunk and I am extremely happy with the way it turned out, even though centering your subject is usually considered bad photography.

Forest Fire

 

Goodbye Fall

A Lazy November Day

Feeling Lonely

This time of year, most pine cones are lying on the ground waiting to be used to make Christmas wreaths. This one, however, was yet to take the leap of faith.

At the End of the Line

With it being such a beautiful day, all the bugs are coming out and trying to find a warm place to stay for the winter. It doesn’t look like this poor guy is having much luck.

Evening Glow

I love the lighting in this shot. Even though it’s of the same subject from three photos down, the overall feel is completely different. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve had a very fun day taking pictures.

Flaming Leaf

Nature’s Way of Saying “I Love You.”

What I Do on Saturday

Most people are probably spending their Saturday watching movies and planning a night out with the family. And while there’s no shame in that, I prefer to use my spare time taking pictures – what I’ve been doing a good part of the afternoon. Here’s a taste of what I came up with.

The World’s Oldest Creek

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the world’s oldest creek, but chances are it was used by soldiers during the Civil War. It lies within walking distance of where the battle of Pilot Knob took place, and when we went down that way for a reenactment a while back, I saw this creek and knew I must photograph it! I climbed down the rocky ledge leading up to it (meanwhile my family walked off and left me!) and was able to snap this photo before I had to move on. I then scurried back up the hill and caught up with my family before they got too far away.

Excuse Me, Could You Pass the Salt?

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Nails

The sky is so beautiful where I am today, and I thought it made a great backdrop for this shot.

My New Copyright Policy

After thinking about it extensively, I’ve decided to update my copyright policy. My previous one was very strict, and didn’t allow you to do much besides look at my photos. My new one, however, while still fairly strict, gives you much more freedom as a viewer while still keeping my work out of the public domain. Here it is:

• If found of use, you may include any of my photos in your personal blog posts to illustrate your writing (example). This includes blogger, wordpress, blogs with registered domain names, etc. However, you may not suggest or imply that the work is yours, or that it is free art. The watermark must be left intact, the photo be left unedited by you, and the below text displayed clearly either 1) as the photo’s caption, or 2) at the bottom of blog post. NOTE: If the photo will be a permanent element of your blog, such as being embedded to your sidebar, you may instead place the photo credit at the bottom of the page.

PHOTO CREDIT: © 2010 - Dakota’s Nature Photos – www.dakotas-nature-photos.blogspot.com

• If using a photo within the above guidelines, please comment and let me know.

• As the owner of the photos on this site, I reserve the right to revoke the above privileges of any person, at any time, and for any reason if I deem that the content of the site in question could potentially reflect badly upon me or my photography.

• Any use of my photography that does not fall under the above description is not allowed, and will be treated as copyright infringement. You wouldn’t steal a DVD; don’t steal photography. It’s not nice.

• Finally, this copyright statement is subject to change from time to time. Please verify that you are not breaking any new rules before using any of my pictures.

Katydid

Knowing my love for photography, my mom immediately let me know about this katydid she’d spotted outside. I took about a dozen pictures, but after seeing them blown up on my PC I was dissatisfied. Determined to get a good shot, I grabbed my camera and headed back outside – and I’m glad I did. This photo was one of the first shots I took when I went back out, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

He Hath Done All Things Well - Mark 7:37

Even though I normally only post one version of any given picture, I wanted to give you guys a somewhat different alternative to my last image. This one is exactly the same, except I've added Mark 7:37. Hope you like it!

What Using Flash Can Do

Generally speaking, using your flash before the sun is all the way set usually ruins your shot (especially when your subject is more than a few inches away). I experimented with this particular flower, however, and I think the results were pretty good. This photo falls into the 1% minority of nature shots that are actually improved by firing the flash at dusk.