SPRING/SUMMER/FALL
2009
November 10 & 11, 2009
Every year the beacon at the Split Rock
Lighthouse is lit on November 10 in remembrance of the ship Edmond Fitzgerald
that sank in 1975. Once the sun went down it got pretty dark quick, which
makes photography a challenge in the dark . I camped out that night and got
up in the morning and shot these sunrise images. The sunrise had very nice
color and the waves added a little something extra.
October 3-10, 2009
It has been quite a while since my last
photo journal entry. My summer was extremely busy with our many art shows,
weddings, and numerous senior portraits. I am just starting to get caught
up with posting images to our website. I am also currently working on a book
on the Split Rock Lighthouse which will be released sometime next year in
celebration of the Lighthouse’s 100 year anniversary. I just returned from
a week long trip on the North Shore. Each year I go up and shoot the fall
colors. This year the colors were not as vibrant as past years, this was do
in part to the drier and warmer conditions late summer and early fall. Most
of my trip as cloudy, cold, windy, and rainy so I couldn’t have picked better
conditions. The rivers were very low so I took advantage of hiking up a lot
of dry river beds. Toward the end of my trip I managed to see a little sun
only followed the next day by snow. I still have art shows this fall, but
things are starting to slow down. I hope to continue to add more entries
to my photo journal as time allows, so please stop by from time to time to
see what I have been shooting. Thanks to everyone who came out to our shows
last summer.
July 2-4, 2009
My wife and I were up on the North Shore over the fourth
of July weekend. We had a photographer from Grand Portage take us to the
Little Cedar Spirit Tree early Friday morning. Later that day I hiked up the
Kadunce River gorge. One can hike up the river gorge in the summer, but plan
on getting wet since you will have to scramble up about 4-5 small waterfalls.
The next morning we went to the Split Rock Lighthouse for sunrise (the very
bright object in the Lighthouse image is the planet Venus). After breakfast
we headed down to Duluth for the day and then the fireworks in the harbor.
Our summer has been pretty busy so it was nice to get away just for a few
days.
June 10-13, 2009
My wife and I recently returned from a trip to southern Minnesota.
We camped at a different state park each night. During the day we drove the
back roads in search of old barns, schools, and anything rural. Along the
way we met some interesting folks. In all, we put over 1,000 miles on our
truck in about fours days. The highlight of the trip was sunset at Blue Mounds
State Park.
May 24, 2009
I usually do not like to book weddings on back to back days,
but when I was asked to photograph this wedding in the Minneapolis Sculpture
Garden, I couldn't say no. I am always hoping and wishing for unique wedding
locations. It was a little sunny earlier in the day, but towards evening
we got our perfect light. The bride and groom were very easy to work thus
creating a relaxed atmosphere. The ceremony was held outdoors on the grounds
of the Sculpture Garden.
May 23, 2009
May 21, 2009
This summer we are photographing this couple’s wedding on
the North Shore, so this week we had their engagement session. They were
very easy to work with, which always makes for fun pictures. These images
were taken in Munsinger Garden in St. Cloud. We are looking forward to
shooting their wedding this summer. Check back again to view some of their
wedding photos.
May 7-9, 2009
I drove up Thursday afternoon and headed for Grand Marais.
That night I camped on “lake walk” just south of Judge Magney State
Park. "Lake walk” is the only section of the Superior Hiking Trail that
runs along the shore of Lake Superior with plenty of spots to pitch a
tent). The next morning I shot the sunrise over the Grand Marais harbor.
After a hearty breakfast I decided to hike up Cut Face Creek and do some
exploration. Typically this little creek is always dry during the summer
months, so spring is the best time to see it running with water. There
was still some snow and ice in some of the clefts of the canyon walls.
I did a self portrait of myself hiking up the creek bed. After a couple
of hours of hiking and taking pictures I decided it was time to head back
to the truck. I drove into into Grand Marais to wait for the full moon
that evening. In typical fashion the clouds rolled in and there was no
full moon. I decided to drive down and hike up and camp on the Temperance
River. I set up my tent in the pouring rain. It rained all night, and finally
around 5:00 AM it stopped raining, only because the rain had turned over
to snow. That morning I had breakfast in my truck down by the lake at Temperance
River State Park watching four foot swells pummel the shoreline. Next I
drove down to Sugarloaf Cove and photographed the unique rocks along the
beach. I decided to cut my trip short a day early and head home.
