Day 151...Biker Bars

BIKER BARS

So I took this photo last night.  I know I was going to do my photo daily.  So far, I've managed to post daily but the photos weren't necessarily taken on THE day.  But I've tried.  And today, I had every intention of taking the photo on this day.  But when I got on the way to the soccer game, it started pouring and lightening.  So there would be no soccer game photo.  

I thought perhaps the sunset would be it.  But there wasn't really any sunset tonight because the clouds lingered.  So then I thought maybe another night shot, but when I got on my way into the evening, the rain came again.

So tonight, you get the "other" shot I took last night!  It looks simple enough, but this shot was not as easy to get as it would seem.  Taking the night shot, I used a long exposure so I could get adequate lighting.  And I set up on a tripod with a timer to reduce shake.  Every time the shutter finally opened, a car or motorcycle would come and ruing the shot!  Ha!  But I did finally get it, and it turned out quite nice!

Day 150...East Bank Anoka

EAST BANK ANOKA

I had seen a photo of this bridge somewhere before, and I've wanted to have a shot of it for a long time.  Tonight after a very grueling day in front of the computer, I needed to get out and relieve the anxiety attack that was threatening me.  So I decided a trip to Anoka would finally be in the plan.

This shot took patience, and I nearly gotten eaten alive my mosquitoes.  But I am pretty happy with the result.  More than anything, I enjoyed sitting quietly on the river bank watching the ducks and geese in the water, and watching the activity in the town of Anoka.  I didn't realize that place actually had stuff going on there.

Tonight is one of my very dearest friend's 50th birthday and she is from Anoka, so I had her on my mind while doing this shot.  Happy Birthday, my lovely B!

Day 149...Get Outta My Way!

GET OUTTA MY WAY!

If she doesn't push them out of the way, she'll run them over, so look out.  Already got one yellow card this year.  And lots of bruises.  But she's a lot of fun to watch, and the team is doing well.  

Go Tiana Go.
Go Blaine Scream.

Day 148...A Ruff in the Rough

A RUFF IN THE ROUGH

Dogs are kind of like little people, you're just sometimes compelled to photograph them.  I saw a couple of real darling little dogs on the sidelines while waiting for Tiana to finish her reffing.  I asked the owner of this guy if I could photograph him.  She said, "Sure, but he's awful crabby."  Does this guy look crabby?  I wish I looked that cute when I'm crabby!  He just sat there quietly posing!!

Maybe you need a portrait of your dog.  I could help you with that.

Day 147...Futbol Femme Fatale

FUTBOL FEMME FATALE

I simply love taking photos of my daughter playing soccer.  She's kind of a wild player all over the place, and I certainly hope I never catch a stray ball in the face that she's kicked.  Often in the photos I get of her, she has such a serious look on her face and you can see the definition in her muscles in her thighs.

More to come!!

Day 146...Cotton Clouds

COTTON CLOUDS

Headed out in the car yesterday on my way to somewhere and looked up in the sky and was blown away by the clouds.  That's one thing you can honestly say about Minnesota when a storm is brewing that the clouds sure are fabulous.  

So I pulled of the side of the road and grabbed this shot quick.  If I had had a deadline, it would have been fun to sit on the shoulder for a while watching the transformation of the clouds, and photographing some of the different formations made.

Day 145...Summer City Night

SUMMER CITY NIGHT

It was seriously a perfect summer evening.  Still air, warm temperatures.  I knew it would make for a wonderful city skyline photo.  So I wandered down to the river and set up and this his what I got.

I'm so glad I went down that and tried several angles and spots because I discovered new places I want to walk to on my lunch hour.  There was a lot of party activity and people just walking around.  I love this weather so much.

And our city really looks amazing on a still night from the south side of the river.  And then below you can see the view a little further east of the Robert Street Bridge.

Day 144...My Favorite Athlete

MY FAVORITE ATHLETE

Watching her play soccer is so inspiring to me.  She works hard, and doesn't take crap from the opposing team...ever.  She is focused and determined and tough.  

Today the weather was amazing.  The soccer games were extremely entertaining.  And Tiana gave me the opportunity to get a few really great shots of her.  

There are more games tomorrow, so it's highly possible that will be the shot of the day again.

Day 143...Sunshine on the Plaza

SUNSHINE ON THE PLAZA

I had yet another long and exhausting day at my job.  But strangely, in spite of the long hours and the shitty content of the day, I've been enjoying my job lately.  

After a very long morning in court, I wandered over to the brand new Lund's grocery store that just opened up downtown St. Paul.  It's seriously heaven to me.  A high-end grocery store blocks from where I work.  I indulged in poached salmon for lunch to get me through the afternoon trial.  

But best yet was the street photography opps.  This woman sitting there reading the paper seriously could have been a super model for all I knew.  She was gorgeous, and I was so compelled to photograph her.  (I sound like a pervert!!!  LOL.)  But one thing I really love about this photo is the contrast between the old and the new....notice she is reading the NEWSPAPER...which most people think is extinct, and the gentleman in the background is texting on his phone!  

This is just a classic street photography shot that tells a little story about "The Lunch Hour" in downtown ST. Paul, but YOU are the author of the story.  I've only given you a piece to start with.

Day 142...One of the Twins

ONE OF THE TWINS

I consider it my city.  And I'm adding this shot to the portfolio of all the other St. Paul photos I've done.  I love the landscape of our city, and I've shot it from a lot of different angles and in many different seasons.  

I ride my bike sometimes during the lunch hour, and often I take the river path past Harriet Island and through Lilydale Park.  This shot was taken along the river path.  

I love St. Paul.

Day 141...Another Fun-Guy

ANOTHER FUN-GUY

This little mushroom is one so interesting I just simply couldn't pass up photographing it.  It was rather odd, in my opinion, to see two mushrooms in a week.  I don't normally see mushrooms around regularly.  But this week I featured two of the little buggers in my photo of the day, and they were both discovered in my neighborhood while I was actually in the process of photographing something else.  

I've actually never seen a mushroom like this one before.  Right next to it was a whole family of 'shrooms all grouped together.  I did photograph those too, but then realized after the fact there was a big ugly stick in the middle of them that was really distracting so this lone guy ended up as my feature.  

Maybe macro photography could be part of my future.

Day 140...Blossoms, Dome, and Spires

BLOSSOMS, DOME, AND SPIRES

Does this one look familiar?  I have done this shot before only a month or two ago when it was still snowing.  I actually love the shot then, and love it just as much now.  I think because the Cathedral of St. Paul is such a prominent piece of architecture here in my city, this won't be the last shot of it.

The one below is another familiar church in my repertoire, Church of the Assumption.  This is actually an angle and a season I haven't done of it yet, but I think it's a good one.

Both of these shots were taken from the same spot. 

Day 139...The Tulip

THE TULIP

Today it rained.  It rained and it rained and it rained.  I honestly did not go out in this with my camera.

I feel like this is a total cop out day because I took this photo a few days back and am using it today.  But I don't want to skip any more days posting.  But sincerely, it was just too we today for me after having worked all day long.  

I need a mental break so my creativity can flourish during a time of relaxing and stress-free moments.

Day 138...A Fungus Among Us

A FUNGUS AMONG US

I went on my mini photo walk in the neighborhood tonight with NOTHING in mind.  I'm exhausted from working the entire weekend on transcripts and have been sitting inside the house dreaming of biking and taking photos.  And as the sun starts to fade, I'm always drawn to want to capture that sunset.  

Often at dusk, I figure I'll be doing my photo of the sunset.  However, tonight, the sunset really wasn't that great.  My sensor is super dirty, so taking photos of the sky right now is just frustrating anyway.

So I'm just walking along and I look down in the grass, and I see this little buddy.  I'm sure I've said it before...I don't really do macro, and this certainly wasn't with a macro lens.  I laid on the ground far away and zoomed in real close with my 200 mm.  I think macro might be kind of fun.  

Day 137...A Golden Pond

 A GOLDEN POND

Often the case is that I set out with an idea in mind I want to photograph.  I had been thinking all day about my shot.  I had tentatively planned to do some night photography after a very long and intense day of working on transcripts.  But then I just didn't feel like I had the energy to do it.  And as I sat in the chair editing, I could see the sun starting to set out the window.  

So I thought, well, might as well get another one of my favorites, the sunset.  But I didn't really feel like driving around chasing the sun to a great setting.  So I lazily walked over to the pond near my house thinking all the way there how nice and calm it was outside.  Surely, the sun setting on the pond would be adequate.

And while I was positioning myself along the lake to get the trees and sun reflecting on the water at just the right angle, this beautiful guy swam into view, and the shot was made!!  Seriously, no edits!  

Day 136...Floral Fantasy

FLORAL FANTASY

Now that it's spring, and you can see flowers all around, I might as well take advantage, although I did say I'm not much of a flower photographer.

As is often the case, I set out with a different idea in mind.  The Egrit was fishing at the pond, so I wandered over to sit quietly for a few minutes to see what I could capture.  I scared her away and the shots were too far away or blurry, so I packed it up and figured I'd try later.

Tonight while I was sitting at the desk working, I spied the planter outside with its beautiful bright flowers.  Now, as I've done before, I went out to photograph in a sort of macro way, these beautiful little flowers, but with little regard for my settings.  And sure enough, I had a very low shutter speed, and I moved as the shot was being taken. BUT....I LOVE the result.  It kind of makes it look like a watercolor or something and not a photograph.  I didn't even edit it!  

Now, if that doesn't suit your fancy and the whole blurry thing just makes you rub your eyes and blink, below you can see a "normal" flower photo.

Day 135...Pretty in Pink

PRETTY IN PINK

I love that I can find beauty in the most unlikely places.  Yesterday I said I'm not a big flower photo taker.  But today, after I left work, I was wondering how I was going to fit my photo in on this absolute gloomy day.  And in the parking lot where I park, right next to Assumption Church, there's a tree that I've actually included in a photograph in the winter.  It had some dark red berries on it and it was snow covered and there's the Cathedral in the background.

Well, today, although it was kind of a gray and gloomy day, that tree was calling out to me with it's beautiful pink flowers.  And though I'm not the biggest fan of flower photos, I rather like this one!  

So also, while I was taking this photo, I heard over my shoulder, "Hey, are you going to take my picture?"  Well, seriously, if anyone is going to challenge me to that...you'd better be prepared to say, "CHEESE," and smile nice for me.  And indeed, my subject did just that, and he looks great.  I should have featured him, but I thought the pink was too pretty to pass up.  But below, you can see my willing and handsome subject!  

Day 134...Field of Red

FIELD OF RED

Driving by and I could scarcely believe my eyes.  It's been raining and cloudy and cold for so long that I really thought spring would never get here.  But if the tulips are brave enough to pop their heads out, then it must be near enough.  

What a welcome sight!  I am not usually much of a flower photographer, but again, going back to the initial intent of the project at hand, I am stretching myself.  I've dabbled in photographing flowers at my aunt's garden from time to time, and I sincerely love waiting patiently for a bee or butterfly to land on them.  But I think I need more practice in composition and lighting to be really very skilled, and I don't like photos of flowers enough to put significant effort into it.  This photo is kind of pretty though!

Day 133...Soccer Sunset

SOCCER SUNSET

It was a chilly night out on the pitch considering it's spring.  It was 50 degrees, and I thought I was going to freeze to death.  But the sunset was beautiful again tonight.  Mix the sunset with a little soccer, and you have near photo perfection if you ask me.  

Here's to more soccer photos, more sunsets, and please, please warmer weather.

Day 132...He's a Live Wire

HE'S A LIVE WIRE

And I don't think he realized why this candid portrait was so awesome!  

I actually just thought this St. Paul police officer looked cool standing there, so I asked if I could take his photo.  He gladly obliged, and then when I was editing, I realized the sign said it all!  Ha!

I love taking portraits of people, and candid portraits are actually a favorite because people are just in a natural state as opposed to a portrait "sitting" when they are forced to pose or smile.  This cop looked pretty happy with his job for the day.  

Day 131...Portrait of Mom

PORTRAIT OF MOM

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Mom.  She doesn't really like getting photographed, but it's unfortunate because she's so beautiful.  And tonight, she let me take her portrait, and I'm as happy as can be.  I think it turned out amazing!!!!  Love you more than words can say, Mom.

Day 130...Window Seat and Sipping

WINDOW SEAT AND SIPPING

I love this girl more than anything.  She's gorgeous and photogenic, so taking photos of her is easy.  This window seemed like the perfect perch for a good portrait.  The Coke can and the color splash was her idea.  With very little setup and time, I think it's perfect!

Day 129...Nice Riders

NICE RIDERS

Have you ever seen these?  They're bright green.  It seems like this shot would be better in color based on the bright green frame, but because of the repetitive pattern, I chose black and white.  Something always draws me in when I see repetition.  I took this one at several angles.  I'm also always kind of drawn in by a bike too.  

Day 128...St. John's in the Eve

ST. JOHN'S IN THE EVE

I am not the most religious person.  I mean, I have my beliefs, but I'm just not a fanatic.  But for some reason, I am absolutely drawn to church structures and silhouettes of churches.  

So as I was chasing the sunset, I was driving up the hill in Little Canada, and I came upon St. John's.  It looked kind of like a scene from a movie the way it was lit and the clouds were hanging ominously in the background.  It was actually just after sunset, and the sky was a deep blue with the clouds nearly navy blue in color.  I debated posting this in the color version, but I think the BW version really gives more of the feeling of what it was like in the moment.

(EDIT)

After sitting here thinking, I decided to post the color version too.  This is a closer perspective also, but in color.  I still think I like the black and white better.

Day 127...Blue Hour Clouds

BLUE HOUR CLOUDS

Sometimes I'll be driving along, and the magnificence of the sky memorizes me.  And on this evening, I kept driving around trying to get a good vantage point to shoot the clouds.  I swear, one of these days I'm going to get in a crash while trying to photograph something.  
I have always said that I love a great sunset.  But the sunset Gold Hour is different than the Blue Hour.  (I don't think either lasts an actual hour, by the way.)  Tonight, the sunset just wasn't very special.  Part of that might have been just where I was situated.  But then when the sun went below the horizon, it was simply amazing.  

Day 126...Street Friends

STREET FRIENDS

One wanted his photo taken, the other did not.  I tried to get them to pose together.  Then I said, "Smile," and he stuck his tongue out at me!  I love it when people on the street want me to take their photo.  It's instant material for me usually.  

I think these guys were coming from the Dorothy Day shelter.  One day I would love to go to the shelter and do portraits for folks.  I saw someone who did a project at a shelter, and it seemed like it would be such a rewarding event.

Day 125...The Alley

THE ALLEY

There are so many things that I love in doing photography and not just the standard landscape or portrait.  Reflections can produce some very interesting results.  I've taken reflections on lakes, reflections in puddles, reflections in my rear-view mirrors, reflections in building windows.  Then I was walking down the street today and this image came into view.  

I walk by the alley all the time, and my eye is always drawn into it.  I've actually photographed it several times.  Whenever I photograph it, I think it's going to be great, and then I look at the shot, and it's just boring.  Finally, an image of the alley I love that's interesting.

Day 124...The Huddle

THE HUDDLE

Before the game starts, they rev each other up.  They start with a cheer that gets them motivated to make it happen.

The season is officially upon us with the start of the first summer outdoor game (not including tournament play).  There will be many more a soccer photo included in this blog over the next few months.  I can tell already I need a new lens for the summer though.  I think this shot might be slightly out of focus, and I just feel like I need more length and and little more speed, but I'll limp by as long as I can. 

Yay soccer.

Day 123...Under the High Bridge

UNDER THE HIGH BRIDGE

The St. Paul High Bridge, it's iconic to the City, I think.  From the east or the west, it creates an element to the skyline that I always want to include from one side or the other.  I've photographed it from the east a few time, but not really much yet from the west.  Here, I'm only slightly to the west, but really almost under it.  

I love it's curves and angles and the geometry of it.  I love the rustiness of its steel.  And then you can see the colorful condos of Spring Street below and the lovely Cathedral of St. Paul in the distance.  It's like I said in earlier posts, in just one little space, St. Paul has so much to offer visually.

Day 122...Bridge Art

BRIDGE ART

I love graffiti.  I don't really love that it ruins someone's property and public area sometimes, but graffiti artists are often so talented.  And I love when they use bright bold colors and designs.

The above three photos are the same artwork from under the Smith Avenue Bridge in St. Paul.  But I simply couldn't decide which one I like best.  How about if you help me by taking a vote?

Day 121...The River City

THE RIVER CITY

Since my employment began for Ramsey County District Court, I began to have an affair with the riverfront.  St. Paul is a small city for a downtown type area.  But it's quaint, and the reality is, there's a lot for me to explore.  Right in downtown there are buildings and people milling about, a good place for street photography.  

But if you step right outside the perimeter of the city, there is park spaces and trails that make you feel like you've gotten away, if even just for a moment.   When you get down next to the river, you quickly realize that there's a lot going on...commerce, fishing, boating, and other forms of recreation and leisure.  

I am a member of the Twin Cities bike share program, Nice Ride.  So often in the nicer weather, I hop on one of these great green bikes and I ride around and this brings me to great photography spots all over the downtown and surrounding area.  

Today, down by the river, the classic St. Paul scene as seen in the above photo.