Things that go Bump in the Night

Over the years, the hills of Fontenelle Forest have been visited many colorful individuals.  Karl Bodmer was inspired to paint.  French trappers visited a trading post here.  Lewis and Clark slept here.  Mormons crossed the Missouri here.  Curtis LeMay placed SAC headquarters next door.

As more people moved nearby, animal life became less diverse.  Wolves were exterminated.  Mountain lions were pushed back to the Rockies.  The bears disappeared and the bison killed.  The eagles were nearly exterminated with DDT.  It is difficult to live around modern man. 

Glaciers swept through north east Nebraska several times.  They ground mountains into dust as they moved forward.  This dust blew into steep loess hills along the Missouri, including the majority of Fontenelle Forest. Ancient man arrived in time to complete the extermination of the huge mammals that inhabited Nebraska.

Fontenelle Forest is visited by hundreds of students each year.  They learn about nature and the history of this place.  In 2009 the forest hosted several life size models of dinosaurs.  They were placed throughout the forest in settings that were as natural as possible.  In this environment, it was easier to imagine that they were real.

When I visited the exhibit I wondered what it would be like to wander through the forest at night and encounter these huge reptiles.  I wondered how they could be photographed using multiple speedlights. The forest is closed at night so it wasn't possible to visit then.

The Fontenelle Nature Association Photographers Club asked me to present a program.  I received permission to visit and photograph the dinosaurs at night.  I demonstrated various lighting techniques including painting with light and taking multiple colored flash exposures in various positions while the shutter remained open.

After my demonstration, the members of the club scattered to the various dinosaur displays and used their own cameras, tripods and lights to make their own photos.  It was a challenge to set up and focus camera in the dark while others in the group painted and flashed the reptiles.  I was impressed with the variety and creativity of the results.