After nearly a mile hike up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the sun began to set, spreading light nicely upon a rock hidden in the forest. Dustin White photo

Photographer’s Journey
Dustin White

Three years ago, I first picked up a camera as a photo journalist. While I had played around with photography on and off through the years, it was the first time I picked up a camera as part of my profession. I had a lot to learn, and I didn’t realize all that would be expected of me. It was a wonderful first step. 

As a photo journalist, I had the opportunity to meet a number of individuals in the community, as well as become more familiar with the area through attending various meetings and events. However, what I enjoyed most was the chance to explore photography in other regards, such as being able to capture both the landscape and the history of the places I frequented. 



While in the past I had played around with cameras before, I was unprepared. I had read a few tutorials on various forms of photography, and my wife had taken a photography class in college, so I was able to learn through her experience. What I lacked though was my own experience.

Luckily, the community paper I worked for had the talent of Rick Scharf to make up for the areas in which I lacked. I remember my own first attempt at capturing a sports event. My shots continually came out much too dark. When one was bright enough, the scene was blurry. 

After having taken hundreds of photos, over the course of a couple of hours, I came away with only a small handful that were worthwhile. Even then, they were nothing special. The experience did make me appreciate the work of Scharf all that much more though.

The only thing to do though was to learn from my mistakes. Eventually, I learned how to more effectively manipulate the controls on my camera, and thus get the clear photo that I desired. However, good photography is much more than just being able to point a camera and press a button. It is about capturing a moment, and telling that story.

Each year the blockhouses at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park are lit up for the holiday season. Getting to the block houses requires a short hike, which becomes difficult in 2-3 feet of snow, as well as high gusts of wind. But the journey is worth it. Dustin White photo

One of the best lessons I’ve learned over the last few years is that it can take time to capture the right moment. Granted, I could go to an event and just start snapping photos, and I would probably get some that turned out very well. However, there is an art form to the practice. There can also be a considerable amount of effort that goes into obtaining just that right photo.

That’s not to say that only one photo is taken at each shoot though. After a day of taking pictures, I can often come back with a couple hundred photos. Many of them are often discarded straight away, as they only served as practice shots. 



But there usually are still many photos that come out as imagined, and have to be weeded through. While the final product that winds up being published are only a couple of photos, dozens of others remain safely on my computer’s hard drive or on film strips. 

To get those shots, I have found myself in a number of difficult positions. From having hiked through wooded areas, to crawling on my belly to get just the right angle, being a photo journalist has not always been as simple as I once imagined. Luckily, I have a four-wheel-drive vehicle to get me out of some of the muddier places.

Yet, its an experience that I wouldn’t give up. Having devoted hundreds of hours to the craft, continuing to learn from both my own experience, as well as studying as many sources as I can, I still have a long ways to go. But it is a path I’m ready to continue to travel, and hopefully share a bit along the way.

Traveling along the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota during the frigid winter season, beauty can often be seen. This photo of sun dogs was taken while it was -10 degrees below zero. Dustin White photo