The Badlands in Spring
Badlands National Park is a place of stunning rock formations and peaceful rolling prairies. The two elements combine to create a playground for photographers. We started our workshop with two days of landscape photography, taking in as many formations as we could.
Free Roaming Bison Herds
The prairie comes alive in the spring with amazing amounts of wildlife. Bison roam freely, often times right near the road. Everyone in our group remarked on how wonderful it is to have so much wildlife nearby without the crowds found in other national parks.
Bad Weather: Good Photos
Part of the beauty of the Badlands in spring is that dramatic storms come through this area. This year we had beautiful sunrises, high winds and a dramatic rainbow. With formations facing so many directions, there is always something interesting in the Badlands for a foreground element.
Slowing it Down
We spent a morning in the ghost town of Cottonwood, SD working with ND filters to slow down the puffy clouds streaming across the sky. The area around the Badlands is riddled with old barns, cars and silos.
Prairie Life
There are plenty of animals other than bison in the park. We saw Burrowing Owls several times, prairie dogs and plenty of deer on our wildlife days. The numbers of Big Horns were down this year. We were delighted to come around a corner and find a few on a dramatic rock fin with youngsters on Day 3.
Want to join us on a national Park trip? We have spaces available on a few:
Bosque and White Sands National Park in 2024 - Learn more
Acadia National Park in 2026 - Learn more