The Country Club of Sioux Falls
One of the country clubs in Sioux Falls. The golf course, obviously, is not available for the season but the country club is open all year round. I came for a breakfast event, before starting the day.
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Frost in Black and White
Tree branches covered in frost. The frost lasted for almost the entire day. It melted mid-afternoon sometime.
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Frosty Tips
The day started with a thick fog. Fog in the winter means frost. All the trees got frosty tips for most of the day. I waited until the sky cleared up a bit, and fortunately, it did and it was also cloudless. The frost and the tree branches look great in front of the blue sky.
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Standing Next to the Buffalo
There's a sculpture of a bison in downtown Sioux Falls as part of the sculpture walk program. In 2017, there are 56 sculptures total, placed in and around the downtown area. This buffalo one is titled Ikicin by Gary Monaco.
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Downtown JL Beers
I went to the downtown JL Beers to eat supper with coworkers. The occasion provided the opportunity to make photos. I made a quick walk after putting in my order and was back before the order came.
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Birdwatcher's Picnic Shelter
The shelter is located in the middle of the field. It was too cold to use the shelter. It is still usable if you think 6°F is warm enough to sit around. It will be a good rest area in spring while watching birds.
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Frozen River Under the Bridge
A cold day for a short walk at the park. I started on the bike path and end up going off the trail, by the river banks. I had a limited time, so calculated the farthest place I could walk and head back. This bridge was the farthest point.
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Tire Tracks, Footsteps on the Snow
I drove around looking for places to take more photos and ended up at this park. After a short walk, I turned around. A couple deer looked at me and went in deeper into the woods. I didn't see anybody else at the park.
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Frozen Marsh
There are no geese, ducks, water fowls. The water is frozen. The trees became leafless. But life goes on at the park. I saw a few birds and a small herd of deer. It was a good evening for a short walk. I couldn't stay out longer. I think I need a better headgear for extremely cold temperature.
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Leafless Trees by the Frozen River
I was on my as back to the car. It felt almost too cold. I had been out probably close to 30 minutes by then and I had enough, just enough for one more photo and head back to someplace warm.
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Empty Bridge, Busy Street
Another single digit evening outing. The pedestrian bridge is not too far from a busy street and an Interstate. I was trying to show the contrast between the unlit bridge and the colorfully lit establishments surrounding it.
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Another Cold Evening by the River
The dusk and cloudless sky, after the sun dropped below the horizon. I squeezed enough time to make a photo after work. It was another single digit evening. This part of the river had a thin layer of ice. I don't think it would support my weight yet.
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Clean Bike Trail
The bike trail system is available all year round. They are maintained by the city. On my walk, I saw several people run or ride a bike on the trail. Winter is not an excuse to be inactive and to be trapped inside for some people. I am glad to live in a city that cares about its resident this much.
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A Bridge Over the Frozen River
The bridge was slippier than it looks. The packed snow and ice made the bridge surface quite slippery and hard to walk on. There's no alternative route to go to the other side of the river.
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Almost Completely Frozen River
The point where I turned around and headed back. Sun has set and the day got darker. I saw a deer on the way out and back. It seemed content while I walked about 25 yards away. I didn't want to disturb its supper so I didn't stop.
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Get and Go Make a Photo
It's only a gas station but it has a nice background for a moment. People driving by probably thought I was nuts taking photos of a gas station. I thought about it for a moment and decided that what they thought about me doesn't matter. I was on my way back from a good walk. The sky was too beautiful not to share.
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Public Skating at the Park
The are several public skating locations in town. Most of them are open skating at the park. They are not free but really affordable. There were quite of people at Tuthill Park but it was not busy. My guess the temperature was still too cold.
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Moving Water Doesn't Freeze
Even with the falls frozen solid, the water still flows freely underneath the ice. I don't want to fall in. I imagine it would be really cold. From the footsteps left on the snow, some people managed to go down to the water level and walked around the ice opening.
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Snow Falling
Watching the snow falls is like watching a fish tank. It is soothing. I took breaks throughout the day to rest my head and eyes. I usually sit in front of a couple computer screens all day and it can get monotonous. Breaks throughout the day help me get through the day.
Running Across the Bridge
While walking around the park, looking for a composition, I saw a couple of guys running. My guess, they didn't want to get stuck on the bridge with a train approaching. I didn't hear or see a train nearby.
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The First Moon of 2018
I dragged myself out to make some photos. The cold temperature and being at the end of a long weekend made me in a homey mood. Stay warm at home was an easy option. I am glad that I did head out and about. I didn't know the moon was a full one. It was neat to know the first moon of 2018 is a full moon.
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Cherapa Place and Raven Industry
It was the day after Christmas. I was still hunting for Christmas lights photos. It was a cold day to be out and about. The high for the day was -1 degree Fahrenheit. Not only it was below freezing, it was also below zero. I could not be outside for long period of time without a proper outfit.
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Christmas Story and Tradition
Every family has its own tradition to celebrate Christmas. Some open their presents on Christmas Eve, some others on Christmas day. We open ours after the Christmas dinner. The different traditions in celebrating Christmas are surrounding the same story, the Christmas story. A child was born in a manger, surrounded by shepherds and flocks, and visited by three wise men.
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Baby Blue to Magenta
It was more difficult making photos with the shorter daylight. By the time I got done with work, there was barely enough light. I would need more time to look for a composition, not to mention get to the location. Once in awhile, I had to sneak a few minutes making a few frames at work.
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Colors of Christmas
It's the time of the year to celebrate Christmas. May your Christmas is beyond the presents, the ornaments, the ambiance. May it be filled with love and joy. It is all possible because He is with us.
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Windy and Cold with a View
It was not technically considered winter yet, but the temperature had gone down below freezing, overnight, for a while now. The scenery provided a different view. Other than being cold, I do not mind the winter. It makes me appreciate a warm bed a little bit more.
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Standing By in the Wind and Cold
It got dark before I went home from work. I knew I had to make a photo and the light was disappearing fast. By the time I got to the park, not too far from work, it was dark. There was no colorful dusk or sunset today.
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New Dock at the Tiny Lake
A thin layer of ice has formed on top. It's not thick enough to walk on. Soon enough, it would be a good spot to learn how to fish on ice. Some work was done on the park to improve the area surrounding the lake. It was done around the start of fall season.
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Window View by the Lounge
We have a lounge area at work. It's a place to relax and to have a short break, away from the workstation. It was quite windy outside. I wanted to make a photo of the moving tree branches, the blowing clouds in contrast with the static window and the structures outside.
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Partialy Lit and Partialy Frozen
It's the south part of the Falls Park. The river was partially frozen already. I like that Cherapa Place was fully lit from the inside. The tall grass on the left was partially lit by the park's lights. The safety railings cast a shadow on it.
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The Clouds Come from Somewhere
I was chasing the existing natural light source for the day. It led to the point where the clouds converge. It happened to be the direction towards the heart of downtown. It makes a dramatic background for the cityscape.
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The Old and the New
The is ruins of the old structures and the new ones mark the park. The remains of the old buildings provide context for the history surrounding the park and the city. The new structures provide comfort and safety for park's visitors.
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The Other Side of the Railroad Bridge
The day started with a single digit temperature. It was quite a cold day but wasn't cold enough to deter me to go to the park and some photos. I couldn't stay outside for long without feeling miserable, walked back to the car, got warm, and headed home for supper.
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Walking on the Railroad Bridge
I don't think the bridge has a pedestrian walkway. It's a single railroad bridge. Pedestrian has to clear the bridge when a train needs to pass which is not often. The texture contrast between the water, the sky, and the rock surface making this interesting. It's easier to see these textures on a black and white photo.
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The River Flowing, The Sky Dancing
The water flows over the collections of small falls before going over the big one downstream. The sky got a touch of reds as the sunlight from the sunset reflected by the clouds.
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Early Moon Surrounded by Clouds
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Golden Sunset Reflection
I haven't been feeling well the past few days. It took me longer to recover. I have been resting a lot, hoping that it would pass quickly. Hopefully, the weekend helps me heal.
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Country Living, Not Far from Town
It's about 10 - 15 minutes from town. The scenery is significantly different. The farmland all around, gravel roads, no traffic lights, just stop signs. This piece of land was for sale for an upscale residential area as lots.
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Busy Park at Dusk
It was the weekend after Thanksgiving Day. The park became one popular place to be, especially when the temperature was warmer than normal that day. The Christmas lights were on. The crowd and families came and enjoyed the day at the park. Fun times.
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Between KSFY, KELO Tower, and Dacotah Bank
Every year KELO tower lights up for the season. As the sun sets, the tower seems to get brighter. The daylight gets shorter and it becomes harder to catch the twilight after work. It is still fun to explore the town.
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Reflective Avera Building
The idea was to capture this unique building and the traffic leaving the downtown area. It's just the other side of the parking ramp. Below the parking ramp is the main metro bus station. I thought I could see myself in the reflection.
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River Center, Downtown
I went to the parking ramp in the middle of downtown on the way to Falls Park. It was still more than enough available light for the photo I had in mind. I captured the traffic flow and the scene around the river. I can't get enough twilight photos.
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Light's On, but Nobody's Home
Overlook Cafe is closed for the season. It was Thanksgiving Day and visitors flocked the park since it was a day off. I had a photo I wanted to make but ended up made different ones. A few parts of the river froze even though it was rather warm for November.
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Sitting, Pondering at the Falls
I came back to the park to make a specific photo that I saw in the previous photo I made. The conditions were not the same and the result is not as good as I visualized in my head. I also did make other photos, like this one.
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