North Dakota as in National Geographic

In looking at the Jan issue of National Geographic it appears North Dakota

isn't too crowded. Lots of old buildings, fields and whatnot to photograph. If

one does go there and spend some time what are the nicer areas? Will there be

problems with folks when you pull out tripod and camera and set up as there are

in some other areas?

 

I understand the article got the Governor and some others mad so will there be

some kind of 'unwelcome committee' for those of us with cameras traveling the

back roads of the State?

Search for North Dakota on this site, there was a thread on this just a week or so ago.

 

Home of Lawrence Welk - Strassburg ND ("Hello all you folks out dere in Dakotaland")

 

Also home of "Whoopie John" Willfahrt, another Polka great.

 

I think that there are fewer people in the state than in Wichita KS, but not sure this is still true.

I have ancestors who spent some time trying to scratch a living out of the soil of western North Dakota a hundred or so years ago. They finally thought better of it and moved south, to the tropical paradise of Nebraska.

Try driving the back roads. Follow signs to country churches. There are a number of scenic

drives you can try. One that comes to mind is in the Sheyenne Valley in southeastern North

Dakota about 50-75 miles west of Fargo. Also check out their state parks and the national

wildlife refuges and national grasslands. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (both units) have

great opportunities for wildlife and bison, along with some pretty nice scenery. In the

summer Medora has their musical that runs from Memorial to Labor Day. Outside of the cities

there is definitely a lot of space between people. I've photographed a lot of old houses and

barns there and never had a problem.

I used to live in western Minnesota and Fargo was the 'big town' less than 100 miles away. Like much of the upper midwest there are many abandon farm houses. I was birding with a group on one such property. The place was full of 1940-1960 stuff. I sort of felt like I was walking through a museum. It probably would have been very photogenic for someone who liked that kind of photography, but I never was that type of photographer.

 

People are people of course, but unless its an active farm with lots of activty going on I don't generally think you'll run into a lot of trouble, just so long as it isn't deer season!

 

If you can find the owner you are likely to get full access to the property. In the Dakotas farmers are generally receptive to hunting on their property for pheasent or deer; I don't think they would be any less likely to let you photograpgh their property.

Depends on the time of year. In winter, I like the glacial lakes area best. In summer, probably the ND Badlands. I've never been hassled there, for any reason. It's not that kind of place. If I can't find the owner for some property and there are no cattle or crops in the field, I simply walk in and take my photos if there aren't any signs. I cover the entire state on my sales job, and South Dakota too. My favorite time of year is the dead of winter. My least favorite is in June, when all the stupid buffalo gnats will drive me insane. Not every one can photo in this kind of landscape as there are rarely any "major" features such as waterfalls or mountains. It takes an entirely different state of mind and way of thinking. In the Spring the birds are migrating through and that is pretty hectic. The rest of the year is fairly amenable to large format photography. Don't EVER allow your gas tank to get below 1/4 full. Don't ever count on your cell phone getting you out of trouble. Don't wear white clothing during rifle/antelope season, or brown clothing during rife/deer. There won't be any unwelcome committee. There mostly won't be anybody at all. Nobody around here gives a rat's behind about the National Geo or their articles. The magazine isn't what it used to be.

 

 

Kent in SD

Some North Dakota folks are self-deprecating about where they live, they say things like "Forty degrees below zero keeps the riffraff out." One of my favorite stories was about a half baked campaign to change the name of the state to Dakota. The slogan was "Just drop the North and call it Dakota". The campaign didn't last long though because people started cracking "Just drop Dakota and call it North."

 

South Dakota is more picturesque, but I could see trying to get interesting shots of desolation and endless fences. I lived in Minnesota and Fargo for about nine years; glad to be living back in California and will never go back there (there are just too many nicer places to check out).

I grew up on ND.

 

If you are not familiar with cold, I'm talking about -40 before wind chill, DO NOT GO in the winter. Every year you'd in the paper where some idiot didn't bring their winter survival box. That's right, a winter survival box in their car, for driving on the interstate.

 

The warmer seasons are more manageable. Depending the year, ticks and mosquitoes can be completely unmanageable in the eastern part of the state. Don't go out in shorts and short sleeve shirt. Go in pants, boots, and long sleeves. If you're in an area with trees, which is rare, wear a hat with a 360 brim. I don't know how many times I caught ticks walking the brim of my hat. Also be ready and willing to check yourself at least 1-2 a day if you go walking the fields for ticks and be willing to dig them out of you.

 

Central and Eastern part of the state will be quite often windy, bring a hefty tripod.

 

Fill your gas tank every chance you get and consider bringing a container of extra gas. If you get lost you can and will run out of gas before you find another station if you're not careful. Bring a map and compass if you plan on going off the major ways.

 

All of that being said, you should have no problem with the people up there. Any land that is not marked as posted consider open to you, though it is considered good manners to talk to the people first anyway. If it's hunting season, do wear hunters orange and DO NOT WEAR ANY SORT OF CAMO. If you see parked cars near a gate, consider the area as unsafe if you're not in hunters orange because likely as not people are hunting there. That should be a rare occurrence simply because there just isn't that many people in the state.

 

Feel free to shoot questions at me. I love that state a lot.

If you're looking to get away from people then North Dakota is a great place to go. Personally, I like to go in late July or early August. That is just before or during harvest when you can see vast fields of golden wheat, bright yellow sunflowers, and many more crops. The animals also look good that time of year because they've had all summer to fatten up and grow antlers for the rut in September. Large thunderstorms can develop at that time of year as well which can give you some interesting skies. If you're lucky/unlucky you might even see a tornado, but they're pretty rare.

 

As far as locations go, the western side is more rugged and better for wildlife, especially Theodore Roosevelt NP. You can find old building, fields, etc throughout most of the state you just need to drive around and hope you find something you like. I grew up in New Town ND and we raised mostly wheat up there. We also had rodeos and Pow Wows every year so you could see if there are any going on where you are. My parents now live southeast of Bismarck and there seems to be a lot of sunflowers raised in that area.

 

Don't worry about an "unwelcome committee". Unless you see "No Trespassing" signs, most people won't care if you take pictures on their land. Heed the warnings of other posters, though. In winter, bring extra food, water, and blankets. In summer, bring extra water, sunscreen, and insect repellent. And fill up on gas whenever you can. Small town gas stations have been inexplicably closed exactly when I've need gas.

During the winter how do you keep the water and any other liquids in the 'survival kit' from freezing? If I am there during the winter and have a rental car, do they come with engine block heaters? I would think the stress on anything mechanical when it is that cold has to be a major factor in going outside at all.

You don't. Melt your water when you need it from frozen what you have with you or from the plentiful snow. Anything particularly important keep with you in your sleeping bag.

 

Frankly I would NOT GO in the winter unless are very familiar with the area and such temptatures. People have used ND as training for Antartica in the past. Are you ready to drive by using only the road markers because the road has disapeared into a 6 inch layer of blowing snow. It can get worse than it if decides to blizzard in which your car, while it sits on the side of road, is completely engulfed in a snow drift.

Some areas of ND are truly desolate in the winter! Spring is grand with migratory birds along the rivers and fresh prairie wild flowers! I have seen hundreds of pelicans etc & clear skies & greenery. I have to agree with the idea of thinking "prairie" and all it offers the photographer. Study up on "northern prairie" as it is very different from the usual picture books and has very different ecosystems compared to mountains, southern plains etc.

Any place there to see 20,000 or so white pelicans like on Great Salt Lake in Utah?