Day 364....The Sun is Setting...On My Project

THE SUN IS SETTING...ON MY PROJECT

So the sun came out today, for the first time in weeks, literally weeks.  So no matter what happened today, I knew my post would be the sun.  I'm still quite behind, but I could take a photo of the sun (setting or rising) every single day.  

When I pulled of the road to take this one, I was thinking, you know, I don't even care if is an attractive sunset or sky or anything.  It's the dang sun and that's all that counts.  Ha!  

So how crazy is it that I have TWO days left of this project?  I mean, really, I fell behind, and I have days to fill in, but I am going to call it a success.

What for the announcement of the project for 2015...more fun ahead!

Day 363... Rising on the Edge of the City

RISING ON THE EDGE OF THE CITY

This is one of those scenes that certainly isn't as beautiful in a photograph as it is in person.  I took this one because when driving in to the city on morning where the SUN is going to make itself known, it casts beautiful colors around spilling them on things.  This steam comes from a building that is right on the river.  And whenever I see the steam, it's entrancing.  And I thought it was especially amazing this morning how the outer edges of the steam lines sucked the color out of the air and turned the outlines pink and orange.  

If I were into taking video, I could see standing near the billowing steam for a long while taking video shots of it because there's just this magical billowing of it that keeps you staring at it.  I think this particular "smoke stack" constantly pumps out some sort of vapor that almost always can be seen in photos of the St. Paul skyline.

DAY 362...The Rail Corridor

THE RAIL CORRIDOR

There are certain images that I take (and see) that I know may not be interesting to others.  But sometimes I just feel like I'm in a place that just evokes a certain feeling, emotion, or something that is unique to me.  That's the way this scene is.  It's a new scene in the city.  The light rail has only been in operation only a few months.  But every time I cross the tracks and look north, I think it's kind of a cool scene with our Capitol in the background.

And now in the winter with all the colorless scenes around us, it was kind of fun to have a little pop of color from the nearby parking garage, and the yellow light from the train headlight as well as the banner marquis at MPR.

The project is very nearing the end.  It actually freaked me out when I realize I have four days left.  I mean, I really have way more than that technically since I'm missing several days, but my full-time job has deadlines I can't argue with.

I already have a new idea for next year's project and I'm really really excited to get started on something fresh and new!

Day 360...Time to Get Your Winter On

TIME TO GET YOUR WINTER ON

When you live in a state that is hellishly cold at times or you're battling with snowbanks and icy sidewalks, you sometimes take the attitude, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  So the hardy Minnesotan will find seasonal activities as a way to look forward to winter.  As you can see, you can often identify one of us by our lack of clothing while standing in near subzero temperatures, or rather than going inside to warm up, we just plop down somewhere outside and warm up with a little fire.  No problem.

We don't have gorgeous mountain peaks and expansive ski runs, but we make believe we do and we love it!  This is certainly going to be my continued attitude to make it through the winter by trying to find wintery outside things to do.

Day 359...The Gorgeous Cousin

THE GORGEOUS COUSIN

I honestly feel so sad right now because I only have one week left of my project, and I'm two weeks behind in posting.  As usual, I have been taking photographs, but haven't had time to really focus on good stuff and posting.  I had this big idea how the whole thing would end up and figure the days after Christmas would be a big wrap up and I could celebrate in grand style knowing I finished well.

That might not happen.  I will finish no matter what happens and back date just so the order of the blog isn't confusing and I have 365 days.

So today, the day before Christmas, the great Christmas Eve, one would think I would be out in the dark of the evening taking in the last days of the holiday splendor and the lights.  A sweet guy even offered to take me and drive me around to look at Christmas displays with stops for me to shoot.

But there's that pesky thing again, the full-time job.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the job.  It's paid for my new camera and lenses.  Thanks to the Universe for the job, seriously.  But it is getting in the way of my daily project.

So my gorgeous cousin is in town.  She from NOLA.  I mean, she's actually from here but went to college at Tulane and stayed in New Orleans.  I don't see her often but adore her every second I see her and adore every hug she gives me.  This time around, we promised to get together for a photo shoot which I was absolutely honored that she asked me to do because LOOK AT HER!  I can't get over how beautiful she is.  She has perfect skin, perfectly chiseled face, and some curves that many women would die for!  Her blond hair certainly rounds out the perfection.

I chose this shot today not because it was the best of the bunch but I thought it was oozing with cool.  It was pretty urban, and it was outside.  She looks fantastic.  Maybe I'll cheat later this week and add a few more that we took by the railroad!

Love her!!!

Day 355...My Crazy Relatives

MY CRAZY RELATIVES

My dad comes from a large family.  He had eight brothers and sisters (originally none but one passed at age 13).  Since I was a young girl, I remember vividly the Christmas Eve gatherings and Grandma Guertrude's.  There were cousins everywhere.  I have two other cousins born in the same year I was.  We went to the same high school.  And a year older, year younger, a few years older and younger, we had many.  And we stuffed the families into Grandma's tiny little house.  There was always a beautiful tree in the front room, and we even had Santa Claus come.  

As the years passed, Grandma ended up moving out of her house into a little condo for the elderly.  She lived independently until her passing in 2001.  But when she moved, she lived in a little one-bedroom place and the party got moved to my Uncle Mark's house (pictured above).  I always wondered what it would be like after my grandma passed away, if we would all still who up every year and keep the tradition going.  I can honestly say, it is one of the longest lasting traditions of my life, and I look forward to it.  It is the one time every year I see some of the people I would otherwise not see.

So now that I've paid more attention to my photography, I have it in my mind a little more each year to concentrate on getting some good family shots of everyone while they're still gathered.  The family shot above is my Uncle Mark and his wife and his (and her) kids.  I could write a whole long page of their interesting and amazing family!  But today, it's just about the photo and what an ecclectic, beautiful, and fun bunch of people they are.

Day 354...The Road to Christmas

THE ROAD TO CHRISTMAS

I'm entranced by the lights of the holidays.  On the way to drop the daughter off tonight, I drove by Gerten's Greenhouse.  That's one place that sure catches your eye driving by.  They are sort of surrounded by lights on the perimeter of the property.  The unfortunate thing is they're not super symmetrical by design, and there's a lot of distracting background lights that make for not such a pleasing image.  

I snapped probably 40 photos this evening, and this is the best I came up with.  But I still like it because it just gave the perfect feel of a late night coming home from Christmas at Mom and Dad's.

Day 353....The Dining Car

THE DINING CAR

I know this one's made the project a few times.  Up close, far away, different angles, but such a cute little dining car deserves to be seen a few times.  

This was shot out the window of the building I work in.  I'm in the heart of downtown anymore like when I worked at the main courthouse, so instead of the gorgeous river view I had over there, this is what I get.  I see this and the Assumption Church, the Xcel Energy Center and the Children's Museum.

I think there's just something kind of old-fashioned romantic about the diner in the snow, rain, or at night. 

Day 349..Leading to Downtown

LEADING TO DOWNTOWN

I was waiting outside The Copper Hen.  It's the restaurant my gorgeous and wonderful son Christos works at.  It's located in the Whittier neighborhood (Eat Street) in Minneapolis.  It was really freezing cold out, but the glitter of the road was captivating.  This photo actually really sucks because it was taken with my iPhone.  I didn't have my regular camera with me tonight.  What is wrong with me?

Nonetheless, I wanted to capture the moment to remember what that glittery holiday feeling was like.

Day 348.....Rainbow Wash

RAINBOW WASH

When you live in Minnesota, especially in the winter, the car wash is a favorite place to visit.  The car wash by my house normally has the rainbow wash, you know, the kind where the milky foam that your car is doused in is all shades of pastel streaming down the windows and it makes you feel like you slipped into cotton candy dreamland.  

With my recent visit to the car wash, I got this wonderful surprise.  The car wash is all "decked out" for the holidays.  I can't believe it but as you traverse through the wash, they bombard you with a show of red and green flashing lights and then later on through the wash, the rainbow colors.  

How is it that I'm nearly 50 years old and I love this nearly as much as a little girl would?

Day 347...Look Out

LOOK OUT

Architectural abstract?  Why not?  Is it Outside and fitting in with my project?  Maybe a stretch.  It is looking to the outside!  That counts to me.  Ha!

This is the atrium of the Wells Fargo building in St. Paul.  I remember it when the building had retail shops and there was a back to the '50s restaurant in there.  I love being in the atrium though because there's a huge skylight on the top and even on crappy days, there's lots of light coming in from OUTSIDE. (see how I worked that in?)

I just recently discovered that in the Opus Building in Minneapolis (is it even called that anymore?) in the cyber cafe of that building, they have the exact same skylight!

Day 346...The Dorothy Day Tree

THE DOROTHY DAY TREE

Even the homeless people are getting into the spirit.  Drove by today and saw this scene.  I didn't have my camera so this is an iPhone shot.  And of course, I did something all photographers hate.  I used selective color just because I thought it kind of gave the feeling of what it was like when I drove by.  I really wanted to go and throw a bunch of presents under the tree and sit and listen to some stories the people could tell.  

Merry Christmas

Day 345....Holiday Display

HOLIDAY DISPLAY

Tonight I realized I'm kind of obsessed with front windows with Christmas trees in them.  They do tell a little bit of a story, and every person that does their Christmas display has a different taste in style.  Some people like lots of lights...all white, or multicolor, all red, red and green.  Some people like tons of embellishments on the tree including garlands, ribbons, ornaments.  Some people like vintage decorations, contemporary, or somewhere in between.  

I like the kind of old school feel I got from this window.  I'm going to try to not do another window before the end of the year.  I mean, I might take more photos of them, but I wont post them!  

Happy holidays.

Day 344...The Little Christmas Tree

THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE

It's not as if I attend to complete this project with everything Christmas.  I mean, Christmas ends in a week or so, and the final few days of the year, I know I will be starting to loathe the sight of a Christmas tree or Christmas lights.  But for now, I'm still loving the sparkle of the lights and that feeling I get when I see a scene like this one.  I used to love the holiday displays where I felt like quantity was where it was at.  But I am now finding that I simply appreciate the more simple displays and even an eclectic arrangement that is not tacky.

This image was taken at the outdoor patio dining area of a restaurant near my house.  It's so adorable that it nearly compels me to want to eat out there, yes, in the middle of our cold and snowy winter!  It's just romantic I think. 

Day 343...Quintessential Christmas

QUINTESSENTIAL CHRISTMAS

I know I'm desperately behind on my project, and I'm determined to finish out without missing a day.  at the rate I've fallen behind, it seems like the year could end with me not having 365 photos done and I'd have to go into the new year, but I'm not going to do that.  I'm going to post two or three a day to make it complete.  It wasn't my intention in the beginning of the project for it to work out this way, but the project was about lessons learned.  This was one of the lessons learned...posting a photo every single day for a year consistently for a person with my lifestyle is nearly impossible.

Next year, my project will still be bold but not about quantity.

So about the photo, one of my favorite scenes as can be evidenced by the fact that this is the second image, and likely not the last of its kind, where I am shooting from the outside looking in at the quintessential holiday scene.  This is a scene from postcards, movies, commercials, etc.  It's classic and beautiful.  This one was captured by me as I was driving around trying to see things that defined my idea of Christmas.  This was one beautiful scene.

Day 342...Time for a Christmas Card

TIME FOR A CHRISTMAS CARD

I love it when I got the opportunity to do portraits.  I love it most when it's a gorgeous family and someone I know too!

This the Olsen's, soccer daughter, parents, and siblings, friends of ours.  

They are all gorgeous. They braved a chilly winter day to make this awesome family photos shoot happen, and of course we got over a hundred fabulous shots!  

Day 341...Dressed Up for Christmas

DRESSED UP FOR CHRISTMAS

I wanted a to find a home that was decorated just right for Christmas in a classic style.  I knew if I went down to Summit Avenue that I would find what I was looking for.  But the thing I love the most about the shot I got tonight is that it is that classic look with a bit of a twist on the color.  And of course, purple is my favorite color so that's a bonus.  

I shot this house which was right across the street from the governor's mansion.  The governor's was completely lit up too, but I was careless with my shots and should have used a tripod.  I'm definitely going back.

Day 340...Looking In

LOOKING IN

One of my favorite classic holiday scenes is when you can see the Christmas tree positioned right in the front window.  It's an even better bonus when it's an old fashioned house that gives the look that you couldn't guess the era it was taken.  

I think it would be so fun to just spend a few weeks shooting Christmas images inside, outside, all around.  Since my theme is "outside," some of the images I want to make this year won't be on this project, but it will be fun making them  anyway.  I probably won't make the rest of the project until the end of the year be about Christmas, but there may be a few more light shots.  We'll see what I find.

Day 339...Support and Light

SUPPORT AND LIGHT

I don't do abstract very often.  With the lack of light at this time of the year, it's tough to get many images in the daytime for me.  So I have to get creative at night.  I don't want to constantly do the lit up skyline, sunsets, etc.  So tonight, I tried to get a little something different of the 35W bridge.  It really is a beautiful structure from a lot of different angles.  I never really realized that it had different "personalities" depending on where you see it from.  

When I popped the memory card in a saw this shot, it turned out to be my favorite.  I like the lines and curves.  I want to maybe go to this same location and shoot when they light it up for Christmas.  If I'm not too busy that night, I might have to try it.

Day 338...Make Your Spirits Bright

MAKE YOUR SPIRITS BRIGHT

There comes a time in winter when all the colors of the world fade.  Everything is gray and white and seems gloomy.  On occasion, the sun comes out and the sky may be blue, but that's the extent of winter color.  So you can imagine that this sight definitely caught my attention when I saw it this morning.  It put a serious smile on my face!  These flowers were "planted" in the snow bank piled in front of the Children's Museum which is right across the street from the building I work in.  I simply adore them.  And to make the day even better, I walked down the block and.....

SHAZAM....

More flowers.

Day 337...My Beautiful Friend

MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND

Above in the photo you see my famous friend Valerie.  I've talked about her in my blog before.  She'll probably not like that I called her famous.  She is kind of though!  And I learn a lot from her.  She's a street photographer and she's internationally known.  I've know Val longer than I've known nearly all of my friends.  It was one of those disconnected friendships where I knew of her in high school but did not reconnect with her until a bit later in life, and only really became great friends in the last few years.

Now admittedly, I did not take this photo today.  I left my camera at home this morning as I woke up late and in a hurry.  By the time I got home, the sun was gone, and in Blaine, there's little to photograph at night and I've done enough wool spinning for the time being.  And as you can imagine, I've always got backups to choose from because I really do shoot almost every day, and often more than one subject each day.

i just love the contrast of this photo, and I love love love taking photos when it's snowing.  This one was taken after a day spent with Val at the MIA, one of her favorite spots to hang out and shoot.  Love her.

Day 336...Boom Island Bridge

BOOM ISLAND BRIDGE

It's so so so cold outside that taking photos outside is a real challenge.  But somehow, it seems like that icy cold air seems to create something beautiful and magical in the air.  

Again, I tried to capture the skyline at sunset and couldn't line it up right, and then my battery died from the cold.  But I get so excited when I get home and look through my images and I always manage to capture worthwhile images.

I can't believe this will soon be over and I'll have to find something new to challenge myself with.