Another Year Passes

A shot taken at the Sioux Empire Fair in August.

With 2011 coming to a close, I thought it would be a good time to add some of my favorite photos that I had not posted yet. I also thought that since I did not get Christmas cards out this year, I could use this blog as a quick update on my year. Don't worry, I'll try to be brief.

2011 was the "year of photography" for me as a lot of really cool things happened because of this hobby of mine. First of all, I had the honor of working more and more with the good folks at South Dakota Magazine in both contributing to the magazine itself as well as writing an e-column twice a month starting in August. It has been a fun challenge to not only get better at photography (so I had some decent photos to share), but also try to get better at writing with a purpose in mind. If you are interested in seeing the ten columns I have produced so far, here is a link that will list them all for you:

http://southdakotamagazine.com/article?articleAuthor=christian+begeman

This year, I had two more photos make the "Daily Dozen" at National Geographic's "yourshot" web page. They've also added two of my photos to the National Geographic stock site, so that is kind of fun. I also created a photo book in honor of my hometown's centennial. During the centennial itself, I spent three days with the wagon train documenting the journey across the plains west of town and then creating DVDs of the experience. Some of the footage was noticed by South Dakota State University's advertising agency and they are now using it in SDSU's advertising campaign.

I also changed roles at my day job at Midcontinent Communications this spring and am now "Special Projects Coordinator." It basically means I get to edit and shoot more photos and video for the company itself. It has been a nice change and I think I'm finally starting to settle into the role a bit better.

I've also been able to create a few time lapse videos this year that have gained some nice attention on the web with many views from all over the world. The UND Hockey piece called "Border War" that I created in February has almost 10,000 plays last I checked. For a full list of videos I've created you can check out my Vimeo page here:

http://vimeo.com/user3508912/videos

The year has not been without sadness and some trials. One of those was losing my uncle (artist Jack Reich) this year. He and his work has always inspired me to be a better photographer.

As I look back on the year, it's hard to believe that so much has happened and that my shutter has fired so many times. I wouldn't have it any other way as the majority of the time there is scene in front of the lens that shows off the Creator's wondrous work. God is good, all the time. I appreciate you stopping by and checking out my work, feel free to comment or contact me as I'd love to hear from you. Click on the images for a larger file to view and Happy New Year!

A monarch butterfly found unexpectedly (while working on a different project) in Duel County in late August.

This double rainbow was the result of a windstorm coupled with a fast moving rain shower near Vivian, SD in October.

The last light of the setting sun turned the grass in this grove of trees a beautiful shade of orange just north of Lake Vermillion. Taken in November.

Sunrise in the Badlands on Thanksgiving Day morning.

One of my best shots of elk ever. This was early morning in Wind Cave National Park in late December.

A light snowfall adds an interesting background to this bald eagle perched along the park road at the border of Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park.

A couple Sioux Falls holiday light icons in the same shot. KELO's tv tower and the giant evergreen on Minnesota avenue.