Digital Field Workshop

Dates Sep 30–Oct 6, 2007
Leader Michael Francis
Fee $2,295 from Rapid City, South Dakota
Deposit $300
Limit 8
Terms and Conditions

You feel the growing intensity of the rumbling beneath your feet. In the distance a cloud of backlit dust rises above the shimmering golden prairie. Anticipation builds to a crescendo as 1,500 stampeding bison suddenly burst forth, hurtling towards your camera in a onetime make-it-or-break-it chance to capture this dramatic imagery. And that’s just the highlight for our first day of shooting in South Dakota’s remarkable Black Hills!

The annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup is the starting point for an exciting weeklong wildlife photo shoot focusing on the prairie wildlife and fall colors of “The Coyote State.” In an ironic twist, this 73,000-acre
state park—which today provides habitat that protects one of the world's largest free roaming bison herds—is named after General George Armstrong Custer, noted Indian fighter and inexhaustible buffalo hunter. The buffalo roundup serves as a necessary cull for the herd to stay within the carrying capacity of the park’s winter forage. Those animals selected will be sold at auction, where some become seed for new herds on private rangeland, with the proceeds going to the park’s annual budget. We’ll shoot this incredible spectacle from the safety of a specially-designated location, which should have the bison passing within a few hundred heart-pounding feet of our group.

In addition to bison, Custer State Park is home to a wide variety of other photographically accessible wildlife including pronghorn antelope, black-tailed and white-tailed deer, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep and, of course, South Dakota’s state animal—the coyote. The park’s diverse habitats provide a wonderful variety of birds from red crossbills and mountain bluebirds, to prairie falcons and golden eagles. Wild turkeys are a common sight, providing great photographic opportunities.

We’ll also spend time shooting at nearby Mount Rushmore National Memorial. A monumental icon of the United States, this towering carving of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln can be photographed from numerous interesting angles. We’ll drive the famous Iron Mountain Road, a route meticulously planned to perfectly frame Mount Rushmore in three different granite tunnels. The road loops, twists and climbs, bringing us ever closer to these impressive portraits in stone.

Also on our photographic agenda are the granite spires along the Needles Highway. The road rises above the lowland plains and into the Black Hills—vegetated with spruce and pine, and accented with golden aspen and birch at the height of their fall color. Finally, the famous Wind Cave National Park rounds out our shooting schedule. Our South Dakota photo shoot offers a wide variety of exciting photo opportunities in an area rich in wildlife and American history.



Day 1 (Sep 30)
Participants arrive midday at the Rapid City, South Dakota, airport. We offer round-trip
transportation to our hotel accommodations in Custer. (D)

Day 2
In the few days leading up to the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup, the park’s entire herd of bison is funneled into ever smaller sections in preparation for their final thundering run to the holding corrals. We’ll be in a prime location to capture the fleeting action with our cameras. (BLD)

Days 3–5
Each day we head in a new direction for photography. We’ll explore the granite spires of the Needles Highway and drive the Iron Mountain Road. In the highlands we’ll see mountain goats and bighorn sheep. On the grasslands of the Wildlife Loop Road are bison, pronghorn antelope (this is one of the best locations in the country to photograph pronghorn), deer, coyote and an active prairie dog town. (BLD)

Day 6
We’ll spend the day shooting wildlife in the Wind Cave area. (BLD)

Day 7 (Oct 6)
We drive to Rapid City airport this morning. Please schedule your return flight for no earlier than noon. (B)


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