Yankton Riverboat Days & Summer Arts Festival

Last weekend I traveled to Yankton for their annual Riverboat Days & Summer Arts Festival. This was my first time to this very southern part of South Dakota and I enjoyed it. It was so nice being right along the Missouri River, and the weather was fantastic. 

A family originally from my area hosted me for the weekend and I so enjoyed getting to know them better. I've found that going to these art festivals is as much about the people I meet, if not more so, as it is about the art that's on display.  

I'd taken the plunge and purchased a new and better tent. My old one worked well but was so dark inside. Having adequate light to see my work is a must so instead of using the money I was saving for a new lens, I purchased this Light Dome with mesh panels. It worked so great and I'm so glad I made the investment. Hopefully at the next show I will be a little more efficient in setting it up.

I was awarded the Yankton Area Arts Summer Arts Festival Honorable Mention Fine Artist Award.  I was so shocked! 

I spent sunset Saturday night on the Mighty Mo. My friends live near the river and I found about the perfect spot to enjoy the evening colors. A blue heron apparently thought the same thing.

Last light as the colors begin to fade. 

This photo was just listed as the Photo of the Day for August 25 over at Capture Dakota!

Branding at the U Lazy U Ranch {Part 1}

At our brandings, I try to capture what pictures I can while also doing a bit of the branding myself. This doesn't allow for a lot of creative time.

My friends over at the U Lazy U Ranch run things a little differently. I asked if I could come over and shoot their branding, of which they were happy to let me. I came home with many pictures that I really like. They would create a rather long blog post, so I'm going to do this in parts.

The cows were sorted into three separate herds and then each herd brought into the branding pen. While one group was branded, the others where held in the pasture.