South Dakota The Old West & Prairie Life 2024

July 14th - 19th 2024

One of our cow “men” rancher models has had the distinction of working in the movie industry and has been a stunt double for the actor, Sam Elliott.  He is also a 5^th generation rancher. We are thrilled about the set-up we are going to be hosting for the group and we know every photographer will thoroughly enjoy the opportunities. Along with the opportunity of doing some outdoor, studio-type setup shots, we will also have a mock horse drive and spend a fun time on the pastures with the mares and foals. We’ll be so immersed in the horse’s routine, that you will feel like a real cowboy yourself.

Since South Dakota has so much to offer, it would be only natural for us to photograph a ghost town or two as well as a trip or two into the Badlands if the weather is conducive to good light. We have scoped out a few great stops for the opportunity to photograph ruins and abandoned buildings that can be over 100 years old. Opportunities like homesteads, grain elevators, ranches, churches, and a jail.  The prairies and the sky have a lot to offer the fine art photographer, the photo ops are fabulous.  The badlands themselves have many things to offer, from wildlife such as big horn sheep, mule deer, Bison, and prairie dogs. In the right morning or evening light the landscape opportunities are also stunning. Every client who desires can receive expert instruction in technical challenges, equipment set-up, compositional assistance, or any other photo assistance you may need.

Of course, when in a dark sky territory, it only seems appropriate to do some night sky photography. The heavens are visible with the naked eye and adding a camera with proper settings, and an exciting foreground with a little light painting you have the makings of a fun night and another great photo op. Conditions will need to be just right to deviate from our normal plan to attempt a night sky and light painting shoot.  But it's on the table and will be open for discussion as a group.  

So, if you are excited about photographing cowboys doing cowboy things, running herds of horses and foals, some set-up shots in full western wear cowboy sessions, Badlands, ghost towns, and abandoned buildings, plus if the weather allows us, some night skies. Then this is the opportunity you have been looking for. 

WHERE:

We will be based in an area about 30 miles east of Wall SD.  The area we are exploring is roughly within a 75-mile radius of Homebase.  The closest airports are Rapid City and Pierre SD. Lodging will be in Phillip SD, and there is a very high probability of full hook-up campsites for those so inclined. If you are leaning that way, please let us know right away. We can do some preliminary negotiations for rates as well.

WHEN:

We will be officially gathering in the midafternoon on Sunday, July 14^th, in Phillip SD. and wrapping up Friday evening July 19^th by 5:00 PM 

LODGING: Unlike most workshops, we go ahead and arrange the lodging for you. Yes, it's a lot more work but it adds a certain level of cohesion to the group and we can really work on good rates for you as a big group.  We cover the lodging from Sunday night through Friday night. We will be at the only motel in Phillip SD. It’s a nice place, it’s clean and comfortable, but very basic. So basic they don’t have a continental breakfast, no coffee pots in the room, or hair dryers. But they do have a nice-sized mini-fridge, a comfortable bed, and hot showers. However, even in this small town, we are close to some local establishments that can meet our morning needs. There is also a nice grocery store in town if you want to stock up on your favorite morning foods. The lobby does have a microwave, and complimentary coffee for you.

Physical Demands:

There really aren’t too many tough physical demands other than physical endurance. We don't plan on working the group for 14 hours a day but as we work around the weather, and the driving times some days are longer than others, and when you add in late night/early morning stars scape photography we are going to throw off your sleep schedule. We will make sure the group gets good and reasonable rest opportunities, and as leaders and instructors, we need our rest as well. 

However, there is a part of the trip that may be somewhat uncomfortable, almost primitive, as we traverse the grounds on the couple of days that we’ll be chasing the horses and setting up a few of the cowboy shots. We also have access to a very cool but very rustic “cowhand” cabin. It’s several miles off the beaten path and the field road that gets us there is also very rustic. Normal vehicles cannot travel this road so we will be traveling slowly in pick-up truck beds and horse trailers. It's a considerably bumpy ride but the payoff at the end is well worth it. There is no safety risk at all, it's just bumpy. There can also be some interesting hiking. If we get a badlands night shoot, we will be walking there using headlamps and flashlights over rocky trails. Also, If we go out to our favorite river location, it's about a 400-500 yard walk, 15-20 minutes, through tall grass/weeds, some downed branches, and an occasional mud hole to navigate around. However in all of these opportunities, to quote a friend..."The juice is worth the squeeze". Well worth it.

Your safety is our highest priority, it is the lens through which we look when setting up these locations. At the same time, we are expecting you to know your limits and reach out to us if you have any concerns about being able to navigate any portion of the trip. We will give you our best recommendations and descriptions but it's ultimately your decision.  However,  we will not hold up the group or not participate in a certain shoot because of a single individual's hesitations, inability, or discomfort. It's not fair to the group. Best case, you can miss that portion of the workshop by staying at the hotel, worse case you may end up staying back at the car, in the middle of nowhere for several hours. 

RECOMMENDATIONS or SUGGESTIONS:

The photo opportunities vary greatly. Super wide-angle to long telephoto (400mm +) equipment is recommended. A very sturdy tripod especially for night shots where the exposure time can get very lengthy, also the extra stability is necessary for any time laps. When we are photographing the horses, the times and the moments will come and go quickly so you may want to consider running two camera bodies with different lenses on them so you are not exposing your gear to dust and losing precious time changing lenses.  Also, if you have a hot shoe-mounted ETTL or dedicated flash, I would bring that as well. This is the one trip that I don’t get on my “minimal gear” soapbox. You may want to have spare bodies, lenses, several batteries, sensor cleaning and lens cleaning gear, and personal protection from the strong and hot sun. Because of this, I recommend looking at driving to this workshop vs. flying so you are not limited to the airlines’ weight and size standards and so you have a way to haul your gear throughout the day.

Now on days when it makes sense, we will be coordinating and recommending carpooling. It’s just easier to travel in smaller packs than large caravans.  Just putting that out there because some of you are thinking about it already.

One more thing to put out there is taking care of our models.  These folks are volunteering their time to come out and role-play for us as cowmen and women. After each of our events using these models, I will be "passing a hat" for us to tip them for their time. It's the right thing to do.