A target rich environment

I recently had the opportunity to fly a new drone around and do some shake down photos with it. I chose this farmstead to check out. I wandered around it two days in a row a while back, and it was a fantastic place to explore.

I love old barns and old houses, and this site didn’t disappoint. It’s tough to get good photos this time of year because of the long shadows, but it worked out fine.

Then, of course, we have the windmill. I’m a sucker for those. The presence of at least the remains of a windmill was a bonus for this flight.

Here’s an example of those long shadows. Dang. But wow, what a sky in the background, eh? I love the contrast clouds bring into the sky.

Here’s a really cool old barn-slash-garage. I am not a fan of shooting into the sun, but sometimes you do what you’ve got to do. I’m just glad we had some nice weather!

Here’s some better light. Not the side of the garage I wanted to get, but definitely the light and the sky. The blue sky and the golden grass complement each other very well.

Once again, shooting into the sun like they tell you never to do. But heck, I had to get a view into the garage. Thanks to some aggressive processing, I got the data I needed.

The cloudless sky, while normally something I try to avoid, actually worked out pretty nicely in this shot. What a beautiful sunset, even though it’s behind the camera in this photo. It won’t be long until this landscape is blanketed in white – hopefully.

Shakedown cruise(s) complete, I’m ready to start exploring some of the new features of the addition to my drone fleet!

If your name is Jake, turn around

I roamed northwestern North Dakota yesterday, and I thought it was interesting when I saw a “No Jake Brakes” sign. I almost turned around and snapped a shot for a post like this, but I was on a mission to my next photo target. That’s okay…I encountered this one several miles later.

If your name is Jake, and you’re a scofflaw, I can direct you to the location of this sign so you can walk on the wild side. Otherwise, I suppose you’re safe to proceed.

Hazy shade of morning

On a recent photo trip I was able to camp out at the beautiful Graham’s Island State Park, which I highly recommend, and then roam the area. The first thing I spotted in the morning was this farm. You can see how hazy the skies were from all that Canadian and Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke. This was a month ago, and much of the summer has been the same.

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Cleaning the undercarriage

This old house is one of the few remaining parts of the ghost town of Trotters, which was one of the Bucket List destinations I finally reached this summer. You aren’t likely to find this house without The Google or a drone, however. It’s visible for an instant as you head up the highway, but it’s easy to miss. I’d surveyed the area from above before heading out here, though, and assessed whether it was accessible once I got there. But there was something I hadn’t counted on.

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The Randolph Twins

When it comes to finding points of photographic interest around North Dakota, I’ve got plenty of resources. I have maps. I have lists. I have online resources. I keep an eye out for interesting things posted by others, especially locals in certain places. The Randolph School showed up on one of my maps, so I followed my usual ritual: finding its precise GPS location; pixel-peeping it on The Google; determining if it’s still where it should be; determining if there’s still a road to it (especially in the Prairie Pothole areas); and plotting my way to visit it for myself. When I arrived at the location of the Randolph School, however, I was surprised to see that there were two of them.

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