Category Archives: small town

action photos, blended layers digital photography, blended photography, community pride, composite photography, creativity, Digital painting, digital photography, Gary, SD, HDR, imagination, joyce meyer photography, photo editing, photography, photography by joyce meyer, Photoshop, photoshop manipulation, rjmeyerarts, RJMeyerArts, rjmeyerarts.com, rodeo, rodeo photography, SD, small town, Small town celebration, South Dakota, sports action photography, sports photography, topaz edits, tourism, travel, travel, Uncategorized

Looking ahead … Rodeo Days.

Gallery Leave a comment

Patiently waiting for summer as I edit on a cold, blustery day.

art, art photography, blended layers digital photography, community, community pride, composite photography, creativity, digital art photography, Digital painting, digital photography, Gary, SD, photography, photography by joyce meyer, photoshop manipulation, prairie, rjmeyerarts, RJMeyerArts, rjmeyerarts.com, rodeo, rodeo photography, SD July 3 Celebration, small town, Small town celebration, South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota, sports action photography, sports photography, summer, summer on the prairie, tourism, travel, travel, travel photography, travel the united states, Uncategorized

Gate City to the West

Leave a comment

People in small towns, much more than in cities, share a destiny. ~Richard Russo

Gary, South Dakota

Gary, SD is a small community (population 224) nicknamed “Gate City to the West” located along the SD/MN border.

Background image photography and edit by Joyce Meyer. Canon 5D Mark 3 with a 70-200, 2.8 Canon IS L lens, cropped and sized in Photoshop to fit the 11 x 17 inch poster format with Impressionistic painting effect added using Topaz Studio.

Kudos to graphic designer, Diane Swenson, Canby Print Shop, Canby, MN, for her stellar design work on the 2019 Gary Rodeo poster (which features my image as the background). Canby, MN is a small, southwestern Minnesota town of just 1700 people located 14 miles east of Gary, South Dakota. Our communities may be lacking in size, but we know how to get things done.

You’ll find the Gary Rodeo grounds located on the northwest edge of Gary, SD, in a natural setting with the quaint prairie community of Gary, SD, as its backdrop.

Maybe it’s time for you to take a little trip and experience the life in Gary, South Dakota!

art photography, available light portraits, Class of 2017, community, community pride, creativity, digital art photography, digital photography, graduation, graduation from high school, Joyce Meyer, joyce meyer photography, peace, photography, photography by joyce meyer, prairie, prairie photography, rjmeyerarts, RJMeyerArts, rjmeyerarts.com, senior portraiture, senior sports photography, senior sports portraits, small town, sports, Uncategorized, wrestling portrait

Class of 2017

Image Leave a comment

Believe it or not, the prairie is brimming with opportunity for youth in our rural area. Musicians, artists, athletes…the list goes on. We have some of the finest schools providing a solid education along with extra-curricular activities to round out the experience. Many of these students are also working part-time jobs, perform volunteer work, and participate in other programs such as 4-H along with their studies. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a small part of your high school experience.

The world may seem to be a roller coaster of events, but these examples of the class of 2017 give me hope.

Best wishes for the future and peace out!

art photography, available light portraits, blended layers digital photography, blended photography, Celebrations, class of 2016, creativity, graduation, graduation from high school, Grant-Deuel High School, Grant-Deuel School, Grant-Deuel Wildcats, Lac Qui Parle County, Milbank High School, Minnesota, photography, photography by joyce meyer, prairie photography, rjmeyerarts, rjmeyerarts.com, school, senior photography, senior portraits, senior portraiture, senior sports photography, senior sports portraits, silhouette portraits, slide show, small town, South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota, sports photography, Uncategorized, youth, youth baseball, youth sports

Vimeo Versus YouTube

Leave a comment

Best wishes to the class of 2016… Slide show and images by Joyce Meyer

Following is the link to the same size YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=C0_Ru2v0Zow

Both Vimeo and YouTube slide shows are the 960 x 540 option.  Both sites utilized the free plan option and were shared from IMovie.

So, what’s the difference between YouTube and Vimeo?

YouTube is owned by Google, and therefore by linking your YouTube content in with your Google My Business account is most likely to gain you some SEO points. YouTube and Google also give you the ability to stream videos live via Google Hangouts. On the other hand, your videos on YouTube will be subject to more ads and a more cluttered interface.

For businesses looking for higher quality video presentation there is Vimeo. Vimeo will allow you to upload your videos at a higher quality, and less distractions.
~ Symphony.3.com

Another interesting link comparing YouTube and Vimeo:

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/youtube-vs-vimeo-business/

 

art, art photography, beauty, Christian faith, Christian religion, Christianity, creativity, digital photography, Joyce Meyer, joyce meyer photography, Minnesota, outdoor winter photography, photography, photography by joyce meyer, prairie, prairie photography, Reflection of life, rjmeyerarts, RJMeyerArts, small town, South Dakota, Southwest Minnesota, Uncategorized, winter, winter ice storm

Angel over Gary, South Dakota

Leave a comment

winter2015-9747r2web
Image by Joyce Meyer

I see and feel the protection of angels.  Yes, I believe…

View of Gary, South Dakota from  Minnesota in Lac qui Parle County, Manfred Township, on a cold, blustery day ~December 16, 2015.  Touched up a few dust on the sensor spots and tweaked saturation, just a little. White specks are from the blowing snow. Working on a series called “Into the Light” and this was the result on this day due to lens flare.  (Click on the image for a larger viewing window.) ISO 100 / 1/500 / F 16

Maybe I’m just feeling the Christmas spirit, but I see an angel.

Do you see the angel?

digital photography, Gary, GoPro camera, GoPro Hero 2, Joyce Meyer, joyce meyer photography, photography, SD July 3 Celebration, small town, Small town celebration, South Dakota, sports action photography, sports photography, turtle races, Uncategorized

Through the eyes of a turtle

Leave a comment

Attach a GoPro Hero 2 camera (Redneck style) to a Turtle shell and you have a whole new way of looking at life. Images and video captured with the GoPro camera mounted on the turtle during the Gary, South Dakota July 3rd, 2015 Turtle races. GoProTurtlecr

Below is a short slide show put together on iMovie and uploaded to Youtube including a video clip featuring the results…

basketball, Grant-Deuel School, Grant-Deuel Wildcats, school, SD, small town, South Dakota, sports, sports action photography, Uncategorized, youth sports

The Last Wildcat “Swish”

2 Comments

It was a warm, summer day as my mother accompanied me on a trip to a little South Dakota town just across the border from Minnesota.  A job interview was scheduled for a teaching position and the day resulted in a job with a new life living in a small, farming community.

Yeah, I can see myself doing this a couple of years…  which stretched out to 26 years plus additional substitute teaching years.

It was an emotional ending for the last Grant-Deuel High School sporting event held in the Revillo, South Dakota gymnasium. I listen for that memorable roar of Go, Big, Blue!,  smell the fragrant concession stand popcorn and gaze at the sea of blue and white filling the stands… now merely memories of days gone by.

Blessed be the memory…

 

 

 

 

 

art, art photography, children, community, community pride, Grant-Deuel Wildcats, high school football, joyce meyer photography, photography, school, SD, senior photography, senior portraits, small town, South Dakota, sports, Uncategorized

Time Marches On

Leave a comment

Last Friday, during a substitute teaching gig, I was recruited to do a yearbook photo shoot with the seniors at the football field as the field sees its final days.

Blended image by Joyce Meyer
Blended image by Joyce Meyer

Typical for South Dakota, it was windy which allowed me to catch a nice breezy flag shot just before the sixth grade took the flag down, ceremoniously folding it following proper flag etiquette.

All of this leads up to the featured blended image. Flag waving in front of the school, seniors enjoying a warm, autumn afternoon and a football field that will never feel cleats digging into the turf or hear the roar of the crowds again.

Change is never easy.  You fight to hold on, you fight to let go…

…and time marches on.

Local bars, Meyer's Rec, photography, SD, small town, travel, Uncategorized

Meyer’s Rec in South Shore, SD

4 Comments

In May we did some photography in the small, NE South Dakota town of South Shore and stumbled upon Meyer’s Rec…a small town bar on a typical Friday night.  Looks like my kind of “down to earth” establishment and we were fortunate to find some friendly models to brighten up the exterior.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to investigate the interior or get to know our new friends.

I am intrigued by “off the  beaten path” types of places  with their interesting  characters and have often wondered if this could lead to a photographic project with written commentary and/or poetry.  Hmmm…?

I think my crystal ball shows a motorcycle ride to Meyer’s Rec to check out the inside.  The name is kind of catchy, too, don’t you think?

Fun on a Friday Night!
Fun on a Friday Night!

(Click on image for a larger view)