A Wild Time in the North Dakota Badlands

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It’s been about a month, but we are finally around to processing some of our favorite photos of our Dakota adventure. The first  stop in North Dakota was Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where we encountered the “badlands” as well as some great wildlife. Here is one of our early views of the landscape:

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A black and white rendition of the North Dakota Badlands landscape. I’ve always been fascinated by sedimentary rock. I also could not keep from saying, “It’s sedimentary, my dear Watson,” to Michelle.

We also encountered our first bison of the trip while in the park. Here are a couple of portraits:

I love their orange eyes!

I love their orange eyes! Print Available.

Mmmm, snack time. Processed in Tonality Pro by MacPhun.

Mmmm, snack time. I processed all the monochrome images in this post using Tonality Pro by MacPhun.

One of the highlights of the trip, by far, were the feral horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We came upon this group of horses on our first morning drive of the loop road.

This was the first horse we came across. It seemed to keep a distance from the rest of the herd, thought there was one other gray horse with it.

This was the first horse we came across. It seemed to keep a distance from the rest of the herd, thought there was one other gray horse with it.

This colt was laying beside it's mother, having a snack on the grass.

This young horse was laying beside it’s mother, having a snack on the grass. Print Available.

The horse herd seemed to work together as a family unit.

The horse herd seemed to work together as a family unit. Print Available.

“Marching Orders.” Fed up with the loitering photographers, the herd decided to hike up the mountain for some alone time. Print Available.

A bit later we ran into a family of deer.

A bit later we ran into a family of deer.

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I wonder what these two prairie dogs were conspiring about. Print Available.

This was one of my first attempts at stitching a panorama. I made this photo out of about four or five individual shots. Print Available.

This was one of my first attempts at stitching a panorama. I made this photo out of about four or five individual shots. Print Available.

All images ©2015 by Garber Geektography

Playing with Fire and Light at the Georgia Renaissance Festival

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A couple of weeks ago we went with our niece, Sarah, to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. We try to make it out there at least once a year, and had some fun playing with light this time. There are still a few weeks left to go out to the festival, which closes on June 7. Here are some of the highlights of our day:

Gargoyle

This lovely gargoyle greeted guests at the Georgia Renaissance Festival.

Love the eyes on this gargoyle who was heckling visitors (in a fun way) as they entered the gates.

I love the eyes on this gargoyle, who was heckling visitors (in a fun way) as they entered the gates.

We quickly went to the dog trick show. This border collie had fun playing with medieval frisbees.

We rushed to the Dynamo Dogs show where Michelle captured this border collie playing with medieval frisbees.

Both the trainer and the dog were great at the show.

Both the trainer and the dog were great.

This rehabilitating owl's orange eyes can stare right through you. We love the Birds of Prey show at the festival.

This rehabilitating owl’s orange eyes can stare right through you. 

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We never miss the Birds of Prey show.

Prayers to the fiery serpents. Aaron Bonk with his flaming whips before the Birds of Prey show.

I like to call this “A Prayer to the Fiery Serpents.” Aaron Bonk with his flaming whips before the Birds of Prey show.

I love capturing fire entertainers. It does make me wish that they had some evening shows at the festival. This is from the Cirque du Todd show.

I love capturing fire entertainers. It does make me wish that they had some evening shows at the festival. This is from the Cirque du Todd show.

I caught the tail end of the joust when Michelle and Sarah were practicing their archery. I had some fun processing this with some new Lightroom tips I learned from Ron Clifford in my new cohort in The Arcanum. I used a combination of radial filters and adjustment brushes to direct the light to the main action of the scene.

I caught the tail end of the joust when Michelle and Sarah were practicing their archery. I had some fun processing this with some new Lightroom tips I learned from Ron Clifford in my new cohort in The Arcanum. I used a combination of radial filters and adjustment brushes to direct the light to the main action of the scene.

Run Away to Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina

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A boardwalk over the salt marsh in Edisto Beach State Park. This was on the Scott Creek Trail.

A boardwalk over the salt marsh in Edisto Beach State Park. This was on the Scott Creek Trail.

In early March we took our inaugural camper trip to Edisto Beach, SC. We chose Edisto Beach (pronounced EH-dis-toe) because it was relatively close, the campground was only about half-full and had received good reviews, and the surrounding area seemed to present some interesting opportunities for photography. It was a terrific choice!  I’ll write in more detail about the camper experience in a future blog post, but for now, I’ll focus on reviewing the Edisto Beach State Park campground.  We chose to stay in the Live Oak Campground section as opposed to the beach front campground section because we wanted space and privacy—and I think we’ve been spoiled for future campgrounds!

Looking up from our campsite into the trees covered in moss with a blue sky background.

Looking up from our campsite into the trees covered in moss with a blue sky background.

Our site was lovely and shaded and HUGE! It was almost perfectly level and overlooked the salt marsh, giving us a beautiful view of the sunset each night. The site was surrounded by palm trees and vegetation making it feel like our own private oasis.  And we could still hear the ocean!  We stayed in site 118, but there were several near us that looked nearly as private—117, 122, and 124, especially.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we needed to rely on their bathhouse facilities, and thankfully they were very clean and just a short walk away.  The garbage and recycling were on the way to the bathhouse and the dump station was just a short drive from the campground.  The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful and surrounded by nature.

Cardinal

A cardinal that I kept stalking on the trails around out campsite.

We took advantage of some of the trails from the campground that took us through the marshes and out to a boardwalk along the river.  We only passed two people on bikes and a number of cardinals, bluejays, and other birds. We explored the salt marshes and the beach and the park via quiet, well-maintained, and serene paths—most of which took us through or near the campground.  There was not a lot of activity or people—just the way we like it.  For a few days, life moved along at a different time, perfect if you are looking for a relaxed, slow-paced time away from it all.  We also explored Botany Bay Plantation and the beach there—just gorgeous.  See Dave’s blog on Botany-Bay for more on that magical, pristine, other-worldly location!

Michelle being spooky in one of the trees at Botany Bay Plantation, SC.

Michelle being spooky in one of the trees at Botany Bay Plantation, SC.

Our eldest Brittany, Marduk taking advantage of some off leash time at the beach. The sign said dogs could not be off leash in peak season: yet another reason to plan trips in the off season!

Our eldest Brittany, Marduk taking advantage of some off leash time at the beach. The sign said dogs could not be off leash in peak season: yet another reason to plan trips in the off season!

I should add the disclaimer that we like the beach best when it is deserted and a little chilly! Edisto Beach, SC is a lovely little area and we appreciated the general lack of commercialization.  Our dogs were able to run off-leash on the beach and had a blast (dogs must be on-leash May-October)! Most of the time we had the place to ourselves, except for the occasional kayaker or sea gull. We even had one night out for seafood at a fun little restaurant called Seacow Eatery—great pie and friendly staff!

Golden Hour at the Big Bay Creek at Edisto Beach State Park in South Carolina. This was taken on the boardwalk that crosses the salt marsh.

Golden Hour at the Big Bay Creek at Edisto Beach State Park in South Carolina. This was taken on the boardwalk that crosses the salt marsh. Print Available.

Garber Geektography Phase 2 (Part 1): Wherever We May Roam

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The Tumbler in front of Rogue Shadow at our inaugural campground at Edisto Beach State Park, SC, USA.

The Tumbler in front of Rogue Shadow at our inaugural campground at Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina.

My parents may have Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again,” but we have Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” (though Michelle prefers this version by Iron Horse). We are now introducing Phase 2 of the Garber Geektography project! One of the things I learned from my time in The Arcanum was my penchant for travel photography. I had a lot of opportunities last year for travel experiences, and while I have a few trips lined up this year, we are mostly sticking a little closer to home.

The galley of the Rogue Shadow. Perfect for the two of us.

The galley of the Rogue Shadow. Perfect for the two of us.

As we were trying to figure out how to incorporate a travel mentality into our lives, Michelle and I downsized to one car–appropriately named The Tumbler because it came in black–in anticipation of buying a camper that would allow us more freedom.

 
A reverse side of the galley and the bed area. We have a queen size bed at home, and the dogs sleep in their own beds. In the full size bed in the camper, they opted to sleep in the bed. Go figure.

The galley and the bed area. We have a queen size bed at home, and the dogs sleep in their own beds. In the full size bed in the camper, they opted to sleep in the bed. Go figure.

We spent the better part of a year researching different camper options and planning. We finally decided to go with a small travel trailer—the bathroom sold it for us! We’ve dubbed it the Rogue Shadow and are going with a Star Wars décor. It is a Starcraft Camper, after all. By the way, Rogue Shadow is the name of Starkiller‘s personal transport. Starkiller, A.K.A. Galen Marek, was Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.  Seriously, you can look it up in Wookiepedia!). We are ready for the adventures before us!

 
We’ll be posting reviews of the locations we explore, as well as updates on our (mis)adventures as camper newbies.  Part 2 of our phase 2 project is coming soon, so stay tuned!

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Our first campsite spoiled us! It was spacious, with trees all around, and a great view of the salt marsh in the Live Oak Campground at the Edisto Beach State Park in South Carolina.

Bodh Gaya

When Vocation and Avocation Meet

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Various work opportunities this past summer led me to some pretty awesome photography experiences. I’ll be blogging some retrospectives about those in the next few months as Michelle and I prepare for even more adventures. In the meantime, I wanted to share this month’s edition of Tableaux, the Mercer University‘s McAfee School of Theology magazine. This month’s theme was “Leaders in Research, Leaders in Service,” and it chronicles many of the activities of the students and faculty at McAfee from this past year. It also features a lot of my photography from trips to India and Israel. I love what Lesley-Ann Hix did with the layout and design of this issue! Special thanks also to Barrett Owen (editor-in-chief) and Kate Riney (managing editor) for inviting me to publish the photos and column for this issue. I have a brief column about my experiences in Jerusalem, as well .