Pops Photos
A Begging Burro
This is one of the friendly “begging burros” of Custer State Park in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.
These burros have been peaceful residents of Custer State Park for nearly a century. They were first used as pack animals to get visitors from Sylvan Lake Lodge up the steep path to the summit of Black Elk Peak, the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rockies. When those tourist trips ended, the working burros were released to the wild and the small herd have been a favorite of Custer State Park visitors ever since.
On our trip to Custer, these were my wife’s favorite and we had to stop and feed and pet the burros. She got to know them pretty well. The one pictured here is a female and the mother of a young colt. She also seemed to be the ring leader and could be pretty pushy and rude to the others when tourists would offer apples and carrots and such.
You can get a better, more detailed view of this friendly face by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Buffalo Grass
American bison roam the prairie in Custer State Park. In this shot I was focused on the prairie grasses. This is one of those images that I would usually pass by but, for some reason, it struck a chord with me.
Custer State Park is in Custer County, in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. The park has a managed heard of about 1,500 bison. On any given day you will see many of them as you drive the roads of the park. In fact, sometimes they are on the road.
If you’re into grass, you can click on the photo and view a larger, more detailed version.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Stars and Stripes Above Mt. Moriah
This is a special American flag. It proudly waves over Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota. By special permission of the United States Congress, this flag is never taken down. The large bronze sign beside the flag says, “The flag never goes down on Mt. Moriah Cemetery, as Deadwood was granted permission by the U.S. Congress during World War I to fly the flag 24 hours a day to honor all veterans who have served our country.”
We toured the cemetery on our recent trip to the Black Hills area. This cemetery is high on a hill and, according to the Deadwood City website, “…the final resting place of western legends, murderers, madams, and pillars of Deadwood’s early economic development.” There, you will find the graves of James Butler Hickok (aka Wild Bill Hickok); Martha Jane Canary (aka Calamity Jane); and Johnny Perrett (aka Potato Creek Johnny).
You can get a better, larger view of any of the images on this post by clicking on them.
This flag photo is available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
The Wild Bunch
These guineafowl remind me of gang of miscreants looking for trouble. While out on a drive in our area of rural, northeast Wisconsin we turned around in a small farm yard at the end of a road and these birds were quick to check us out.
The guinea is a bird that emanated from Africa. I hear they make a good pheasant-like meal, but I’ve never attempted to eat one. We used to have a number of them on our small rural homestead in Missouri. We enjoyed them for the variety they added to our flock of fowl (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, etc.) and ease of care, because they pretty much take care of themselves. They are prized for eating ticks and other insects. They also make good “watch dogs” because of their tendency to make an annoyingly, loud racket when something or someone new is entering the yard.
You can get a better view of the beautiful polka dot plumage below the ugly heads by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
South Falls at Silver Falls State Park
Last year I visited the Portland, Oregon area for a conference. While there I got to visit some of the area’s scenic treasures. Silver Falls State Park is a site with ten waterfalls within rainforest-like conditions. This is South Falls – a 177-foot (54 m) cascade. It is one of the most visited of the falls, probably because it is near a main entrance.
If you look closely, you can see a wooden fence about half way up. That is a trail that leads you under the falls. There is a lot of great hiking and beauty in this park. This is a panoramic photo – three individual photos joined together (vertically) to get the full, awesome view.
You can get a better, larger view of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Should Be A Postcard
The lighthouse at Algoma, Wisconsin stands in bold silhouette before a summer Lake Michigan sunrise. A glorious morning to photograph one of my favorite subjects.
This photo was taken in September of 2015 and has managed to go unnoticed on my hard drive…until today.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, the boat on the right side of the horizon will be easier to see.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Badlands Spectrum of Colors
This is one of my favorite views of Badlands National Park. This is a panorama of the Yellow Mounds section of the park.
I love the variety of the landscape – from the stripped, rugged rock formations in the background to the yellowish hued mounds accented with red shoulders, to the green valley with a creek bed coursing through it.
If you look closely, on the hill to the far left, you can see cars of park visitor on the road. To see that and other details in this image, click on the photo for a much larger view.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Safe Space
This very young raccoon kept me in its view as I walked around the tree he was sitting in. The was the last of the siblings that were hanging around our yard for a couple of weeks last summer. This was the only one I saw climbing and I was surprised by how well it was able to get up the tree for how small it was.
To add to the adorable nature of this photo, if you look closely, you will a little dirt on the tip of its nose. They would spend most of their time with their noses buried in the grass, hunting bugs and grubs and who knows what tiny raccoons eat.
You might be able to see the dirt better if you click on the photo. A larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Four-eyes Needs a Shave
For those who hate spiders – relax. This is a teeny-tiny jumping spider. I had to greatly enlarge this photo to be able to see blacks of its eyes – all four of them. To give you an idea of how small this handsome devil is, he is posing on the top of a chain link fence post.
I just happened to spot some movement as I was watching for birds while in Missouri. He was pretty active, scurrying each inch of the rounded fence post top.
You can get a closer look at that irresistible smile by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Bridal Veil Falls in Spearfish Canyon
This is a late summer view of Bridal Veil Falls in the Spearfish Canyon of South Dakota. It was a pretty minimal flow, compared to how much water flows at other times of the year.
Cascading approximately 60 feet, Bridal Veil Falls is the most accessible waterfall in the canyon. The Falls flows intensely in the spring and slows considerably in late summer and fall. Bridal Veil Fall is located approximately 5.8 miles south of Spearfish Canyon’s north entrance.
You can see a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me (pops@popsdigital.com) for digital purchase and licensing options.