10-24-12 The Voice

Behind the altar and looking the opposite direction of yesterday's photo, is the choir and above that are these beautiful trumpet-like pipes of the pipe organ of the Basilica of St. Mary. I couldn't resist posting a third, and final, hdr image from my shoot last Saturday.I have never been in this church during a service. Generally, I've been there on a Saturday morning and it is, well. . . , quiet as a church. But I imagine the sound of the organ and a full choir in this space would be enough to inspire, even if the architecture didn't.

10-23-12 Behind the Altar

I took several HDR photos while I was in the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The photo I posted a couple days ago was my attempt at a photo that shows the whole dynamic range of the Basilica from shadows to highlights.Today's attempt used the same software (Photomatix) but I've chosen the "Surreal" filter. Why? I don't have a good answer except that it's trendy right now. And, like other trendy things, it will no doubt look outdated and odd before long. Some will say that it does already. . .

10-22-12 The Pumpkin Patch

There's something about a sunlit field of pumkins along the highway that says, "Stop and take a photo or two!" And that's what we did. Unfortunately, highway 212 west of Minneapolis isn't the best place to stop along the side of the road. Worried that I might get a ticket, I worked fast - pumpkin paparazzi.Canon 5DIII 1/4000s f/2.8 ISO200 200mm

10-21-12 The Basilica of St. Mary

My original post was to be a black and white photo, but I just found a new HDR processing tool and I am thrilled with the results. As far as HDR goes, I would say that this photo is a very pure example of what can happen when you take three exposures for varying degrees of light and shadow and put them together to show a photo of a room the way our eyes would see them.Heres a version that stretches reality a little bit.Canon 5DIII 1s f/8.0 ISO400 16mm

10-20-12 Change of Seasons

A victim of frost and cold, this hosta leaf, once green and white, is still beautiful in fall tones.Canon 5DIII 1/50s f/7.1 ISO640 100mm

10-19-12 Justin

Just to prove that I do take portraits of guys from time to time, here's a picture of Justin P that I took a few years ago at my favorite old farm.

10-18-12 This Time With Color

This photo is from close to the same place yesterday's photo was captured.

10-17-12 Stone and Light

I took my first year photography students to the court house today and when I had a spare moment, I took a few photos standing in the central hall.I found interesting symmetry in this space and there was also plenty of color, especially in the glass ceiling. But ultimately, I decided that black and white helps you see the structure and texture of this amazing place in a way that the color version doesn't.

10-16-12 Emily

After finishing our "normal" outdoor and studio sessions, Emily asked if we could get together for a few photos when winter set in. Being inexperienced with taking outdoor portraits in cold weather I said, "Sure."And it theory it was a good idea. In practice, I found that I got only a few photos before the cold January day turned her face from rosy red to red. So much for winter portraits on a cold day. But even in bad conditions, it's hard to take a bad picture of a good subject like Emily. :-)(Incidentally, my weather source tells me that it averaged 4 degrees celsius and reached a high of 10 degrees. That's cold!)Canon 5DI 1/200s f/3.2 ISO100 100mm

10-13-12 Photo Walkers

I don't generally post informal group photos like this. But this is not your average group of people. These folks are the participants in the Watertown, SD, Worldwide Photo Walk, which happened this morning.I was worried about our weather, since October can bring cold, blustery conditions. But it was a great morning to be wandering around Uptown Watertown. And I had a great time. I hope the participants did, too.

10-12-12 Explosion

In an attempt to balance the rather dark and mysterious tree photo posted yesterday, I offer this flamboyant flower. If my mission were to photograph "happy," this is what I'd offer.Canon 5DII 1/320s f/7.1 ISO400 105mm

10-11-12 Mighty Oak