Custer State Park | FUJI X WEEKLY

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 4, Part 2

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Paddling Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1

After my adventurous morning in Custer State Park, I returned back to the campsite as everyone else was waking up. Once breakfast was finished we drove a short distance to Hill City to visit the small railroad museum and watch the steam train arrive (which we almost missed because we were in the museum). Afterwards we had lunch and then returned to camp.

The afternoon was kept low-key. In the early evening we returned to Sylvan Lake to catch some fish. My eight-year-old son, Jonathan, was eager to attempt fishing in South Dakota. Unfortunately, the kids didn’t catch anything, although we could see the fish jumping all over the place. Still, we had a great time and Sylvan Lake is incredibly beautiful.

That night, after everyone was asleep, my wife and I did some astrophotography (my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were camping with us and stayed behind with the kids). We drove up the Needles Highway to Needles Eye, set the camera up on a tripod, and did some long exposures. It was extremely dark and a little creepy, as we heard plenty of noises around us–that area is full of wildlife. The night sky was full of stars and simply breathtaking. Unfortunately, the cloud-like Milky Way wasn’t visible, and I knew it wasn’t going to be because I had done some research before the trip, but I still wanted to get some nighttime photography in.

I used a Fujifilm X-Pro2 for these photographs, which are all camera-made JPEGs using the different film simulations. I attached a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens and a Fujinon 16mm f/1.4 lens to the camera. Enjoy!

Semaphore – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

1880 – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Telegraph Office – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Tall Train Tales – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Hartmann – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Wood Cart – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Save Money – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Caboose Roof – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Amanda, Looking Through The Lens – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Boy With A Fishing Pole – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Preparing To Cast – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Fishing With A Worm – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Fishing Can Be Gross – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Line In The Water – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Joshua Fishing At Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

The Cast – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Impatiently Waiting – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Casting The Line – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Johanna Watching From Her Stroller – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Rocks & Trees, Sylvan Lake – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake In May – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Wood & Stone – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sylvan Lake Reflection – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Stars & Stones – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Stars Over Stones – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Needles Eye Night – Custer SP, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Days 5 & 6

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 4, Part 1 – Early Morning In Custer State Park

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Black Hills Sunrise – Custer SP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Days 1 & 2 Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2

Late to bed and early to rise is the life of a photographer, especially when travelling. Even though I had stayed up the night before capturing star pictures, on Day 4 I woke up when it was still dark to catch the sunrise along the Needles Highway, which is within Custer State Park. This area features unusual granite rock formations, many of which are pillars. There’s also an arch called Needles Eye that is unusual in that it is tall and not wide. The highway is narrow and curvy with several small one-lane tunnels. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful drive, and I wanted to capture it in the early morning hours.

I arrived at the Needles Eye area about 10 minutes before sunrise. I didn’t have a chance to scout the location ahead of time, so I was hoping to quickly find some good spots for photography. I think I did alright in that regard, but if I had a chance to visit before hand I would have come away with some better photographs. As far as sunrises go, the one that morning was mediocre since there were no clouds. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to try again another time.

The Golden Hour was spent in the general vicinity of Needles Eye, trying to find different angles and views of the rocks. On the way back to the campsite I stopped at Sylvan Lake. You might recognize this lake if you’ve seen the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It’s a very scenic spot, and I enjoyed a peaceful morning hike around it, capturing photographs as I walked.

All of the photographs in this article are camera-made JPEGs using my X-Pro2 and either a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens or a Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 lens. Both are great options for landscape photography, depending on if you want wide-angle or a “standard” focal length. One costs about 10x as much as the other. I used Acros, Velvia, Astia, PRO Neg. Std, and Classic Chrome film simulations.

There is one photograph that I did not include, called Father Nature (if you want to see it, click the link). It seems inappropriate, but I assure you that it is a natural granite rock formation found along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. Since I want this to be a family-friendly website, I decided to simply link to the photograph instead of posting it directly on this page. Take a look if you want, or don’t click the link if you don’t want to.

Enjoy the photographs!