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This was my second visit to the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. I visited 8 years ago (July, 2013). This time, photography was a bit more challenging in this building. I'll explain that in the captions.
1- I was unable to photograph the rotunda when I first entered the building. There was a ceremony being held on the floor under the dome with about 75 people in attendance. The South Dakota Supreme Court justice was speaking to a group of new attorneys. So, I came back the next day to get this picture--but not before having to move 75 chairs or so!
2- Even this shot was a challenge as there was a bright blue truck parked in front of the building for hours. I cropped this just tight enough so that the truck was just to left of the frame. I also took four or five exposures so that I could focus stack this later (as the lens was super close to the monument)...but it took just one shot to get everything in focus with the focal length and aperture combination.
3- All the rotunda images were rushed as I was laying on the floor when the crowd started to arrive for the reception. The group was very nice about it...they stepped around me and were apologetic about interrupting me. But, shortly thereafter I had to move.
4- Supreme Court
5- Grand Staircase
6- Senate Chamber
7- And this is the House chamber...there was a representative on the floor. He was kind enough to see that I was shooting and picked up some of his papers and left the scene for a short while.
8- Inner dome from the rotunda floor...these are far easier today with the rear LCD screens!
9- I stayed within minutes of the building, so it was easy to return for some pictures just before sunset.
10- Another inner dome image
It was tough to get images of corridors. Tables, chairs and boxes were lined up down the halls...often times, the lights weren't on. State capitols can be challenging to photograph.
Thanks for looking...
Glenn
1- I was unable to photograph the rotunda when I first entered the building. There was a ceremony being held on the floor under the dome with about 75 people in attendance. The South Dakota Supreme Court justice was speaking to a group of new attorneys. So, I came back the next day to get this picture--but not before having to move 75 chairs or so!

2- Even this shot was a challenge as there was a bright blue truck parked in front of the building for hours. I cropped this just tight enough so that the truck was just to left of the frame. I also took four or five exposures so that I could focus stack this later (as the lens was super close to the monument)...but it took just one shot to get everything in focus with the focal length and aperture combination.

3- All the rotunda images were rushed as I was laying on the floor when the crowd started to arrive for the reception. The group was very nice about it...they stepped around me and were apologetic about interrupting me. But, shortly thereafter I had to move.

4- Supreme Court

5- Grand Staircase

6- Senate Chamber

7- And this is the House chamber...there was a representative on the floor. He was kind enough to see that I was shooting and picked up some of his papers and left the scene for a short while.

8- Inner dome from the rotunda floor...these are far easier today with the rear LCD screens!

9- I stayed within minutes of the building, so it was easy to return for some pictures just before sunset.

10- Another inner dome image

It was tough to get images of corridors. Tables, chairs and boxes were lined up down the halls...often times, the lights weren't on. State capitols can be challenging to photograph.
Thanks for looking...
Glenn