Late last year I took some time to travel north to South Dakota and visit Badlands National Park.  I wanted to do some photography in the area and get to know the landscape intimately, and at the same time scratch an itch to visit since it had been about 30 years since I first visited and I didn't have a lot of memories from the time.

I drove north on the first day, working my way up I-35 from Oklahoma and most of the way through Kansas, and made it to Grand Island where I was greeted by construction along I-80 and a round of thunderstorms moving through the area.  After staying the night I woke up early and drove northwest through Ravenna and Broken Bow, moving into the Nebraska Sandhills.  I really enjoyed this area, especially around Valentine.  It's very beautiful if you're into rolling hills and sparsely populated areas that aren't developed, which fits me to a T.  I was also really intrigued driving through the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations and observing life as I drove through the towns of Mission and Wanblee.  I've always been interested in the history of the area, studying and reading a lot about Wounded Knee and the relationships between the Plains Tribes and the U.S. Government. 

As I drove to the east towards Wanblee, the landscape began to change and I was super excited to see the first signs of the barren desert of the Badlands.  It's amazing how you can go from a beautiful sea of buffalo grass to a landscape void of any plant life in the blink of an eye.

Along the way it was really amazing the amount of round hay bales that dotted the landscape, and if you're a photographer and you're missing the standard round bale photograph in your arsenal, this is the place to capture it.  Of course, I had to stop and get mine.  I also made it black and white for art's sake.

Wildlife was abundant as well as I traveled through the park the next day.  Bighorn sheep and prairie dogs were the main attraction as I drove through, and they were very accessible for photos.

Overall, I spent three full days around the park, which ended up being a little much even with the goal of doing strictly photography.  It takes about an hour to drive through the park and for a tourist most of it can be experienced in a day.  I spent a good half day though to the west of the park in the vehicle accessible grassland getting off the highway and spending time well off the beaten path.  This is a great way to get to know the land and have a little fun along the way if you're staying the area for a few days.  

Here is a collection of shots I captured from the trip.  It's a beautiful place that will feed the soul. Prints of these photos are available in the store.

A long time ago I began storm chasing, which lead to a passion for storm photography, which lead to a passion for photography, which lead to starting my business.  Today I am blessed with enough demand that I am able to step away from my full time managerial position, giving me a more open schedule and allowing me to pursue larger ideas and places much further away that I just couldn't reach in a 40 hour a week job.

I've always had a tremendous passion for the western United States.  I love the landscapes, the small towns, the weather, the history and now I have decided to turn that passion into a project that will document the west in a unique way.  The project will be called "The American West - A Documentary in Photographs". This extended project will take me through places off the beaten path, shooting landscapes, buildings, main streets...you name it, and telling their stories along the way no matter how big or small, important or inconsequential.  These places will be from Texas to North Dakota, Washington to California and everywhere in between.  I'll still be chasing storms in the spring, in fact I'll be chasing a lot more.  I'll just be spending a little more time as I travel in areas that I may have just passed through with out blinking an eye before.  It's so exciting thinking about being able to stop and explore, and get to know western America intimately.

So I'll be posting my travels here and will update often with the photos and stories along the way.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/seanramseyspp for notifications of postings and other updates along the way.