Day 335...Crossing Into Evening

CROSSING INTO EVENING

I thought I was done shooting this bridge for the year, but in my quest to chase down the sunset this evening, this is where I ended up.  It was so seriously cold out, so I didn't want to venture too far out of the car, so I pulled into Tony Jaro's lot and just got the shot from here, which was a good place considering the location of the setting sun.  I really wanted a fab shot of the city skyline with the sunset, but I just couldn't line it up right.  It's funny because I started at Rosedale Mall.  When I pulled onto the highway, I saw the Minneapolis skyline with the sunset, but not from a good vantage point, so I started heading east and this is where we ended up.

Now, today marks the last day of my 11th month of this project.  It's hard to believe!  I guess I will spend time looking back at what I've learned, but I really want to try to make the last 30 days as spectacular as possible.  Thanks so much to you if you actually took the time to click on the blog and read what I write.  But especially thanks for looking at my photos and taking interest.

Do you know anyone you could share the blog with that would enjoy it?  Share away!

Day 334...The Arbogast's...FALALALA!

THE ARBOGAST'S...FALALALA!

For real, one of my best besties, Mrs. Arbogast, asked me to do their family Christmas pics.  She is truly one of the most gorgeous gals I know.  And she's more fun than you can imagine.  So we had a fun time creating their family photos for 2014.  I had to feature this one because it's just straight up who they are.  And I don't believe in taking fake portraits of people pretending to be something they're not.  

I have to hand it to Cullen to be such a great sport for it.  He doesn't smile much on the outside, but he's a great dude!

And here's a couple more of my favorites from the shoot....

Izzy is one of my daughter's best friends and one of the sweetest darlings I know!  Look how gorgeous she is...

She's quirky and funny and just plain beautiful!

Day 333...A Holy Sunset

A HOLY SUNSET

I headed out this evening to catch the European Holiday Market in downtown St. Paul, and perhaps to see the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rice Park.  On the way there, the sun started setting and the sky was amazing.  When I first spied the beautiful sky, I tried in my usual style to find a good vantage point to capture a great photo from.  By the time I got to a place where there weren't a lot of buildings or electric wires in the way, the sky looked kind of blah.  So we just went on our way to St. Paul.

Then as I was trying to find a place to park, I glanced off to the east and saw the silhouette that I've captured many times already, but the sky was too beautiful this evening to pass this up.

I did make it to the market, but it was pretty lame.  We walked past the vendors each one time and then headed over to Rice Park.  We figured out the lighting ceremony isn't until tomorrow night and all the lights were off so that was a bust.  The kids were too cold to skate at the skating rink, so we just went home!

Day 332...Lowry Dressed for Thanksgiving

LOWRY DRESSED FOR THANKSGIVING

The beautiful Lowry bridge.  Throughout the year, it changes its colors.  I did show up a few weeks ago to capture it in red white and blue.  But tonight, I wanted to see it in the holiday colors for Thanksgiving.  It was seriously harsh cold out there.  The river is starting to freeze along the banks.  But I am mesmerized by the bridge with the city in the background and the reflection off the river.

One of these day, I am surely going to Psycho Suzies in the neighborhood to have a delicious cocktail, and it will definitely be a must see when Betty Danger's Country Club opens up and they get the Ferris Wheel moving.

I love Northeast Minneapolis.

Day 331...Brrrrrrrr!!

BRRRRRRRR!!

I would consider this Street Photography, Minnesota style.  It was a snowy day today, what I had been hoping for.  On my lunch hour, I got out and about to try to enjoy the flakes falling, especially since it wasn't windy.  The temps were pretty chilly but not bad enough that I didn't want to stay out for a little while.  I'm really getting in the mood for winter and the fun white and sparkly or lit up opportunities that await me in the coming month.  

The countdown to the end of the project is speeding by at a stellar pace in my mind.  I'm excited for a few reasons, and I am so glad that I did this.  I'm sure I'll start getting sentimental the closer to the end it comes.

Day 330...Our Capital and our Mini Apple

OUR CAPITAL and the MINI APPLE

I'm not sure if I've gotten the city from this view at night yet.  i did take one of my fall shots from this very spot.  But I don't know if then I realized you could actually see the Minneapolis skyline.  I guess I'll have to go back and check.  In fact, I didn't even realize you could see it this night until I started editing the shots I took and found the one where the Capitol is in the frame and then realized Minneapolis is nestled in the middle.  BONUS!! 

It was chili willy out there tonight, and I guess that's just what I have in store for the next FORTY days.  I only have about 40 days left. Yikes.  It's going to zip by!

Day 329...Winter Road

WINTER ROAD

I was so excited to get out and shoot the fog, but my camera was left turned on in the front seat.  Errrggg.  So this was taken on my iPhone, and I think it turned out fairly well since it's so much how it looked when I was there.

I love the fog except that it diminishes the sunlight, and I'm in desperate need of sunlight in the upcoming months.  But I really am ready for some snow now  to get myself in the mood for some holiday feeling.  I want some snow-covered hills, snowy-evergreens, some holiday light displays, etc.  

Bring it on.

Day 328...The Foggy Field

THE FOGGY FIELD

It's been quite a long while since I've see fog like this.  I think fog is always something that is  challenging to photograph but always gives such an eerie cool feeling.  I want to try to slow down a little more in my life and make the time for mornings like this where I wanted to just drive around and fine magnificent scenes to capture.

This shot was taken in Blaine, right off the main road.  I don't really know why they have "hay" bails in this area because I don't believe this is farmland, but every time I see these hay rolls, I just want to take a photo of them.  

It's been warm the last few days so a lot of the snow blanket we had is gone and it's back to being hideous outside, and the light leaves so early.  So until we get more snow and more light, this project will continue to be a challenge for originality.

Day 327...Here it Comes

HERE IT COMES

Winter...with it comes the holidays.  Whether you're Christian or not, you can't get away from it.  Whether you like the holidays or you don't, it's everywhere.  I have mixed feelings.  I've spent time in church, times where I considered myself fairly "religious" and I embraced all the reasons for the seasons.  And I've also suffered times where the holidays depress me, frustrate me, anger me.  Now, I'm just sort of in the middle.  

But what I love most about December, and I've only experienced it in Minnesota so I can't say if it's this way around the world, is that despite the lack of daylight, we make up for it with shine and sparkle.  When it first hits, it makes me feel warm and happy.  I know about January 1 I'll be cursing any sign of holiday, but for now, I'm ready to bring on the snow, the lights, the cinnamon, the wrapping paper, shiny bulbs, red and green, and all the other holiday enjoyment.

Day 326...Over the River and Through the Woods

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS

I like the way snow looks and smells.  I am looking forward to trying out snowshoeing and maybe even cross country skiing this year.  It looks like I wasn't the only one with the idea to go for a stroll in the snow.  

I also like bridges.  I always want to venture over them to see what's on the other side.  On the other side of this one is a little island with lots of cozy trees, and the lake.  Since winter is seriously here, I'm ready for a fresh fluffy white blanket of snow.

Day 325...Neon and Fire

NEON AND FIRE

Admittedly, I feel behind in the project again, and now I'm filling in the blanks.  This one is actually not one I took on THIS day, but I have to give myself so room for error.  Life is just too hectic, and there are times when I shoot and get lots of great shots, so I feel I'll just make up for lost time that way.

I have made no secret about my love for spinning steel wool and light painting.  I haven't done much in the way of light painting because I don't have the right tools, but I still have  a lot of fun ideas that I want to try with wool or lights if I get around to getting some good LEDs.  I don't know if those shots will make their way into this project or not.  That remains to be seen, I guess.

Day 324...Sunset Strip

SUNSET STRIP

Driving home from work, and the sun was setting in a way that I simply couldn't resist stopping to capture it.  It was a really cool sunset considering it was a gloomy day and it's that time of year where it's just gray, colorless, and uninspiring.

I think I may have already mentioned this before, but one thing I love so much about the sunset is you have to appreciate it in the moment because it lasts only moments, and during the set, it changes with every passing minute.  This was really one of those nights because I had to hurry up to get off the highway and by the time I found a safe vantage point, the moment was nearly gone.

Day 323...Sunrise. I made it.

SUNRISE, I MADE IT.

I'm not a morning person.  It's no surprise.  I don't normally get up early, anything orange in the my posts usually has to do with the sun setting in the evening.  

But this morning, I guess due to daylight savings time, the sun was rising and it was so beautiful and I happened to catch it.  So that's my post of the day.  

Day 322...Winter Walkabout

WINTER WALKABOUT

Does it look like an inviting place to take a winter stroll?  Normally, I would say yes.  However, wicked winter has come early and it was frigid cold today.  I wanted to spend the spare time I had today shooting outside, some wintery scenes.  But it was way way way too cold to stand outside more than a few minutes.  That's something one would normally say in mid January, not mid November.  Usually at this time of year, we're gearing up for the evil icyness, and not in full throttle.

The rest of this project is going to be a real challenge for me when outside there's nothing but gray and white, no color, and it's too cold to move.  But I"m bound to go out with a good effort.

Day 320...Fire and RRs

FIRE AND RRs

Everyone knows I love spinning fire, an I'm sure it doesn't go unnoticed that I love railroad shots, so I combined them and made a favorite shot without really trying that hard because I was actually doing fire spinning while shooting the 35w bridge!  But this was way cooler.

Thanks to my super cool friend Sara Arbogast for supporting my fire and love of photography habit!  

Day 319...Winter Night in the City

WINTER NIGHT IN THE CITY

Winter has come early in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  But I spent the day with my favorite photography friends.  This afternoon I went to MIA with my friend Val and the spent the evening teaching my friend Sara a thing or two.  The city was amazing, and whenever I go shooting with Sara, she always gets better shots than I do, but I blog and she doesn't, so my shots make it online and her don't.  Haha.  I'm just teasing a little.  But I've had a lot of fun shooting lately.  

Day 318...Commute

COMMUTE

The morning commute.  For me, it's 21 miles one way.  On a regular ordinary day without traffic and other hurdles, that travel time is usually about 25 minutes.  On work days, however, I plan ofr 60 minutes.  I like to take the bus to work so I can relax and read or play games on my tablet or whatever to pass the time.  But there are days when I just can't make it to the bus on time.  

At the end of the commute, when I see this site, I know I'm almost there.  It's a small city in comparison to other metropolitan areas in the U.S.  But it has a quirky appeal.  This morning, there was an amazing sunrise that lit the east side of the city in a way that was just beautiful.  Today it was quite cold which also makes the steam and clouds hang on to the horizon of the cityscape.  

I've actually posted this scene earlier in the year, and I didn't review it earlier to see how similar the shots were, but that was months ago anyway.  I feel like I'm on the home stretch of my project and it's going to go by in the blink of an eye.

Day 317...Ordinary Things

ORDINARY THINGS

I've mentioned before that one of my best photography friends is THEE Valerie Jardin.  She is best known for her street photography, but like all other photographers, she dabbles in other things as well, and had a previous "life" as a portrait photographer, doing some commercial photography, etc.  But the reason I'm bringing her up again is because she has inspired me a lot.  I learn a lot from her though I'm not a street photographer.  I shoot street photography when I'm with her, and also just because finding a story on the street is fun and interesting sometimes.  

But, Valerie is also the mediator of Passion and Vision, a group on Facebook.  Recently she posted a "challenge" for the followers of the page to find a way to photograph ordinary things.  It is a huge challenge for me.  Inanimate objects don't necessarily appeal to me.  I like people.  But I've done the challenge two weeks in a row and was quite pleased with my second post.

Then the other day as I was walking back to the office after getting myself a coffee, I started noticing "ordinary things" that at the time seemed a little extraordinary.  One of them happened to be this fantastic doorknob.  It was clearly not modern.  The door was weathered.  The knob seemed fairly old fashioned.  And it just looked cool.  So I'm adding it to my series of ordinary things, and just seeing what everyone else things about ordinary objects.

Day 316...Distorted

DISTORTED

Sometimes I wish the whole city was made up of glass buildings.  They have reflections in them that differ at all times of the day depending on the sunlight or clouds.  What you see reflected in the them varies when you stand in a different position on the street or in an adjacent building.  At night, the glass buildings sparkle.  And I love sparkly things.  When the day is clear, the glass buildings reflect blue skies and when it's cloudy, the buildings have muted black and white look.  And of course, the distortion the glass gives its reflection makes for a cool picture.

Day 315...A Shower of Fire

A SHOWER OF FIRE

I did fire spinning again.  I'm sure its difficult to see i love it.  Haha!  Tried a little twist by showing a pop of COLOR.  Sick of spinning and city night photos?  Ill try to get some wintery ones cooking soon

Day 314...City Night Shine

CITY NIGHT SHINE

I've done the St. Paul skyline from several spots over the course of this project.  I'm sure I've even posted something very close to this one taken near this same spot.  Tonight I was there just to pass time on the way to pick my daughter up.  I love taking shots of St. Paul while it reflects in the river.  

Tonight, as I was getting ready to leave because it was getting frigid, the train started coming through.  I set up and got this shot and I love it a lot.  

I can't say for sure if the mood will grab me or if the river will even get frozen enough before this project ends, but I'd like to try this angle one more time when there's snow on the river.

Day 313...Street Lights

STREET LIGHTS

I have been experimenting because the shorter daylight hours it's difficult for me to get shots in that arent at night.  Ive been trying crazy stuff with my phone.  This ove wax taken through an app and i did not post process it.  Looks almost like a really manipulated photo or painting. 

Day 312...Lowry for the Vets

LOWRY FOR THE VETS

So the final tour of my night ended in northeast Minneapolis.  This is going to be a neighborhood that I visit more often.  There are some really cool restaurants in this area that I'm anxious to try and there's a new one being built with an actual Ferris wheel on the property.  

But aside from a lot of the great spots to eat or drink, there's the Lowry Bridge which is oh, so popular with photographers.  If you look on the Minnesota Photography Group website, there's usually at least one shot per week taken of this bridge.  

The bridge (like the 35w bridge) changes colors for different special occasions throughout the year.  Normally it's a deep blue but this year it's been pink for breast cancer, purple for the Vikings, orange for Halloween, and various other colors.  This is the first time I've had a chance to get to it when it was something other than blue.

Day 311...River Glitter

RIVER GLITTER

Part two of my river tour.  I've done this shot before.  I've done it at least twice during this project.  Tonight, the sky just looked so beautiful with the 35W bridge attempting to be red, white, and blue.  It was so cold out, but I just wanted to wander everywhere and take photos of the lights all over the city.

Day 310...Minneapolis Aglow

MINNEAPOLIS AGLOW

So I know I'm breaking my own rules and posting out of order with photos I did not take this day.  But I fell behind and took some photos out of haste that just weren't good.  I know I can make up for it by having more quality shots.

It's Veteran's Day, and all the lit up buildings and bridges around the city are sporting their Red and Blue or Red White and Blue, so I went on a little tour of Minneapolis tonight and so I will make an attempt to catch up with three really different bridge photos.

Day 309...Now That's Abstract

NOW THAT'S ABSTRACT

It looks like I made a collage.  But I did not.  This is one photo, one exposure.  It's not trick photography.  It's actually me shooting from inside the bus.  The right side of the photo, the dark part, is a plastic "wall" in the bus that was reflecting the light from outside and while I was waiting at the stop light, I thought, how cool is that reflection in contrast to the "real world" and so I created this shot.  What do you think?

Day 308...Landmark

LANDMARK

After I took this one and saw it uploaded, I thought it would have been a good one for Halloween time.  This is a beautiful building and I don't necessarily think it's generally seen as a spooky place.  But I've been behind in my photos and I've been trying to make up for it with a little bit of experimentation.  I think that's okay.  I have spent over 300 days shooting this year, and I know that not every photo I post here is going to be the most appealing photo to everyone.  There are lots of images that are outside my own comfort zone and certainly don't please me.  But then sometimes I go back to them later and think, hmmm, I do like that for some obscure reason at that moment.  

I'm coming down the home stretch, and soon all my photos will be back to the drab, colorless hues of winter.  My biggest challenge the rest of the year will be infusing color into my outside world.  I'm looking forward to the last few weeks of the challenge.

Day 307...Cathedral Hill

CATHEDRAL HILL

So my dear friend and fellow photographer Valerie Jardin (she's famous.  I'm not) always says, "The best camera to use is the one you have with you.  So I was visiting my mom in the hospital after her knee replacement surgery.  It sounds crazy, but she had the best view!  Apparently, the view was even better at night.  Now, I certainly wasn't planning on an epic photography shoot when I went to visit her, so I left my camera at home.  Thanks iPhone, for at least having somewhat decent camera for me to use.  I wanted to visit my mom later in the evening and shoot this at night too, but I never made it back after dark and she came home from the hospital the next day.  I'd rather have her home than have a night photo from a hospital room.  

Day 306...Gazebo Burning

GAZEBO BURNING

Took last night off because of my accident.  Now today I'm just sad, and I wasn't in the mood for photography.  Though, I went to visit my mom at the hospital (knee replacement surgery) and she has a really wonderful view of the Cathedral from her hospital room.  I wanted to photograph that.  But I had no reason to believe I would need my camera at the hospital.  So I didn't have it with.  I'll go tomorrow with my camera.  Hopefully I can catch a pretty sunset with the Cathedral.

But tonight, I didn't want to ditch out on my shot.  So at the last minute, I decided to try to get in a spin.  I'm trying to think of different and creative ways to do spinning.  I love doing the fire spinning, and I really want to find fun and different ways to do it soon.