Day 274...Fall and Futbol

FALL AND FUTBOL

They are just made for each other.  In Minnesota, the fall soccer season is manic.  You start off the first few weeks fight 80 degree weather, and then Wham!  It's time for the Under Armour and parents are sporting mittens and scarves and Thermoses full of hot coffee.  

But seeing the leaves sprinkles about and sitting on the sidelines curled up under a blanket is just as fun as the beginning of the summer season when you are just getting used to the smell of fresh grass.  

My biggest wish for the fall '04 season it to avoid playing in snow.  It's been known to happen.

Day 273...Carried on the Wind

CARRIED ON THE WIND

This is going to seem like an odd comparison, especially in Minnesota, but seeds ALWAYS remind of the book by Eric Carle called "The Mountain That Loved the Bird."  If you've never read this book, you absolutely should.  It's one that I shared with my son when he was little, and hopefully he remembers reading it.  

The reason I think of this story is because though the story is not about a seed, it's about a Mountain and a Bird and their relationship, a seed eventually plays a major role in the story.  And when I see these seeds, I think about how God designed them to be carried away by air, or to be stuck in an animal's fur and carried away, or for them to float off and sprout somewhere downstream.  And when they finally reach their landing spot, what they become just from that often tiny little seed is something magnificent.  

This one happens to be milkweed.  And I love the milkweed seed not only because of it's soft and silky hair that is wonderful to touch, but because of how beautiful the seed are when the milkweed pods open and the wind catches them and creates a flurry of silk in the air.  And when the seed reproduces the new milkweed, it is a place for the Monarch caterpillars to get their start.  And I simply love butterflies.  It's just part of the glorious circle of life.

Day 272...Burning Bridges

BURNING BRIDGES

I have fallen very far behind on posting, the farthest I've fallen behind yet.  So I'll set fire to my pants and get back in the game!  Haha.  Well, not really.  But I do love spinning wool, and I went out and did it twice this weekend.  I feel like there are so many fun ways to do it and I have tons of ideas I want to still implement, but it's going to take time, time that I don't have enough of.  

I think it will be something fun to do in winter when I'm more covered up and run less risk of starting my hair on fire, among other things.  So maybe before this 365 comes to a close, you'll see a few more, but I think I'm going to start focusing on some beautiful fall colors for the next week or so.

Day 271...Joseph

JOSEPH

One of my high school senior portrait sessions, done in Stillwater, Minnesota with the handsome Joseph M.  I met Joseph through one of my biggest photography fans, Jeanne Marie (only part of her name!).  I did Jeanne's daughter's portraits last year, and this handsome young man is Amber's boyfriend.

I love doing portraits.  I've said that many times.  High school seniors are always a lot of fun because most kids this age aren't used to formally posing for photos.  The guys are almost always just not caring what happens and are usually doing it for their parents, girlfriend, or because they feel the yearbook requires it.  

Joseph was no exception to that rule.  He just went along with everything I said, and he looked great in every shot I took.

Do you know anyone who wants their portraits done?  I'm great at it, so pass my name, website, or this blog on to anyone you might know.  

Day 270...Come Fly Away

COME FLY AWAY

Sometimes when we're sitting at the soccer games, since we are so close to the airport, planes fly overhead.  Today, this really cool plane flew over a couple times.  I have no idea what kind of plane this is, but it was very beautiful flying over me.  It was so shiny and loud!

Day 269...Autumn Sunset

AUTUMN SUNSET

A golden sunset over the lakes, breathtaking.  The Lakes is a development in Blaine where all the homes are developed around lakes and trails.  The houses and townhouses are beautiful, and the neighborhoods are gorgeous.  It's a great place to ride a bike through or play at the park or walk along trails or swim at the beach.  Then, add the sunset to the setting, and this is what you get.

Day 268...Fall on the Lake

FALL ON THE LAKE

I think I'm going to have to get a bumper sticker that says, "Photographer on board.  Vehicle makes sudden and frequent stops."  I drive around always thinking whether or not I see a photo opportunity.  And I was on my way to an appointment today while I saw this scene.  Of course I pulled over.  I saw these birds from the distance and thought they were white geese or swans.  But then they started to fly away and I think they might have been some kind of pelican.  It was slightly misty  out and the new colors of fall were just starting to show but were very muted by the soft light of the day.

Day 267...The Last Seed of Summer

THE LAST SEED OF SUMMER

I was walking along a roadside trail.  And I was totally distracted by my surroundings.  I was searching purposely for fall foliage and something colorful to photograph to "keep up with the Jones'" so to speak.  At a moment, I looked down at the ground, and this "flower" drew my attention.

I snapped a photo of the quirky thing, and then it dawned on me that this was a spent dandelion.  How cool is this flower during fall, preparing to be go to rest for winter.  

I especially love the last seed holding on tight (at about 8:00) and the dew drops (at 11:00 and 12:00).

This project has been a challenge for me to get something posted every single day, but I've really started to see things I would have never noticed before.

Day 266...GFFs

GFFs

I think the term BFF gets overused, just in case you were wondering what a GFF is.  To me it means great friends forever.  Because most girls never really have ONE true best friend but many great friends.

It's not secret I love portraits.  I would do a portrait a day if I could.  I actually considered making this project about portraits but with my dad being sick at the beginning of the year, I knew I wouldn't be able to pull it off.  And the end of summer and beginning of fall always seems like the best time of year for me with portrait work.

This session was done with my daughter's friends.  It was Jaida's (left) birthday and her mom wanted to get some good shots of her and she wanted to make sure she included her favorite friends.  I had a lot of fun doing this session because these girls were GORGEOUS and fun.

How about you?  You should consider updating your portrait.  I would love to take your photo.  Go to my website at www.photosfeaturingyou.com and schedule an appointment with me soon!!!

Day 265...There is Soccer in Heaven

THERE IS SOCCER IN HEAVEN

And this is what it will look like when you get there.  At least that's what it felt like when I happened up on this scene.  I pulled on to the main road on the way to work.  And of course I drive by the soccer pitch every morning.  This morning it actually took my breath away.  

Straight ahead of me, you could see all the soccer goals popping up out of the mist.  There was a blanket of fog and the field was glowing and mystical.  And as I turned the corner to head east, the sun mixed in with the misty fog, and this is what I saw.  I absolutely had to stop the car for this one.

Day 264...The Storm Passes

THE STORM PASSES

The weather today reminded me of what my dad would tell me Florida weather was like.  It was gorgeous outside all day.  At noon, you wouldn't have known what was rolling in from the west without a weather app.  Unfortunately for me, I was inside all day and didn't get to enjoy the nice weather.

And as soon as I got in my car to head home, the storm was gearing up for full force.  It rained on my ride home and for about an hour after.  Then I had to leave the house to run an errand.  I went inside Target, and when I came out, I was greeted by this sky.  It was one of the most stunning skies I have ever witnessed.  

I've said this before about sunsets, skies, and other weather phenomena, but tonight was just another example of those fleeting moments.  The gorgeous colors and magnificent formations lasted but only a few minutes and then they were gone.  

Day 263...Shadow Bike

SHADOW BIKE

One thing I love nearly as much as shooting photography is riding my bike.  The shape and form and pretty much anything about the sight of a bike grabs my attention.  So when I walked out of work and saw this shadow, I had to capture it.  

To some this image probably seems simple and senseless.  To me, it is one of my very favorite.  When I see it, I will be able to remember what it was like out that day because of the way the sun cast its shadow, and the brightness of the sun shining on the sidewalk just reminds me of warm summer-like temperatures and bright sunny days.  

Thank the creator of bikes and cameras for my life is certain much more fun with them in it!

Day 262...Their Days are Numbered

THEIR DAYS ARE NUMBERED

Sunflowers and Butterflies, they're not going to be around much longer.  Don't let the sunny days fool you.  But I love the bright orange sunflowers that coordinate with the migrating Monarchs.  What I love even more about these two is the photo was taken right in the middle of the city in the garden that was planted there.  I sit there sometimes on my lunch hours and love being surrounded by flowers and buzzing and flying insects.  It's nice to escape from the day and become centered even if it's just with a little bit of nature smack dab in the middle of the concrete jungle.  

I usually have a hard time finishing my lunch because I get distracted by the bugs, butterflies, the light, the angles, the vision of a shot I could be getting.  Oh, wait.  I do that no matter where I am.  Haha.  

Day 261...Older Than Me

OLDER THAN ME

I saw this car for sale on the side of the road.  It was in pretty good shape for how old it is.  I'm not a car buff, but I do kind of like old stuff.  I can imagine this old girl with a shiny new paint job and some lush new upholstery.  Of course I'd hang a couple dice from the mirror because I've always wanted to do that.  

I am going to photograph some cool cars with a cool new idea in the near future, so stay tuned!!

Day 260...Here Kitty Kitty

HERE, KITTY KITTY

Out and about exploring and I saw this baby from afar.  It doesn't look like a stray. She was just a beauty out in the park.

Not a single edit on this one.  

I've said before I'm not an animal photographer yet I have posted animals.  It's easy to love them because they have amazing eyes and certain animals' fur is so beautiful.  This kitty looks so silky and soft and ready for petting.  But she ran away right after I took this shot.

Day 259...Tunnel Vision

TUNNEL VISION

I've always kind of liked fire.  My celestial sign is not a fire sign, I don't believe, but fire represents many good things for me.  So the other day, some crazy photographer challenged people to post their wool spinning photos, and I'd always wanted to do them.  So last week, I posted the one under the umbrella with my daughter.  I thought it was good, but I feel like there's so much more I can do with it and I've become completely obsessed.

Yesterday my bridge photo was actually intended to include wool spinning.  And I did do one that I really like that included the fire.  But I chose one without just simply because it was better.  But tonight, I LOVE this one and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to.  

Just remember, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.  Even if you just have to walk a little further or wait until the morning for the sun to come up.

Day 258...Reflecting on the End of Summer

REFLECTING ON THE END OF SUMMER

Technically, the season of summer isn't quite over.  And if you're judging by the temperature. it's still summery enough from time to time.  But it IS September, and the time has come to accept the fact the fall is upon us only moments from now.  

I set out tonight to have a little fun spinning wool since I loved it so much the first time I did it.  I want my spinning shots to have interesting things in the background and I thought the Lowry Bridge would work perfect for that.  I did spin wool here at the same time I took this shot, but this particular version won over simply because it was too stunning not to post.  If you see the shot below, you'll see that it too was a beautiful and I think you can sense from both shots what a nice and peaceful night it was outside tonight.  

I guess now I'll soon be transitioning into fall photos, a colorful take on my surroundings with apples, leaves, etc.  Hopefully, it will be a long autumn for us all, an this project will come to a close without too many WHITE photos.

Day 257...Moo Moo, We're Watching You

MOO MOO, WE'RE WATCHING YOU

How many cows do you see?

I was adventuring on the side roads in the farmland, and I saw this little dirt road that led into the middle of a pasture.  I pulled the car off the main road onto the dirt road and got out. I could see the cows about 100 yards away.

I love cows.  I'm not sure why.  But after this adventure I love them even more.  As I started walking towards them, they looked at me curiously.  I've always thought as I drove by cows grazing in the fields, they seemed lazy, benign, and maybe not very smart. 

But as I got closer to these cows, they were very obviously interacting with me, and they were being almost playful.  They cracked me up and made me smile.  They would walk closer and closer to me and stand there and stare.  They weren't like other animals where if I tried to startle them they would run.  They stood there looking at me.  Then one of them would decide to run away, and the rest would follow.  

So I would start to walk away thinking the gig was up and the opportunity was over.  When I would start walking, the herd would turn around and start running back toward me.  So I would ready myself with the camera, and they would stop and stare, almost pose for me.  

I was really trying to compose a photo where only one cow was standing there.  I wanted it perfectly setup so there was cornfields in the background and the wooden fence, etc.  You know, farm-ish.  But all the other cows wanted to get in on the action and would all bunch up and watch me.  So of course, I had to include them all in the shot because they were photo bombing!!

Day 256...The Quiet Farm

THE QUIET FARM

I had to go down to Rochester, MN tonight for some personal reasons.  I was alone and I knew I would be alone the whole night.  So OF COURSE, I brought my camera and planned to shoot.  There was prediction that Aurora Borealis would be making an appearance, I did attempt to drive around after dark waiting to see if it would happen.  It did not.  

But on the way down to Rochester, the land is speckled with beautiful farmland all around.  To the west of me I could see the sun sinking.  I didn't necessarily want a sunset photo, but I did want to venture off the road to see what type of places I would be able to explore the next day.  As I was winding around the roads and getting further away from the highway, I happened upon this beautiful farm just as the sun was creeping below the horizon.  

When I loaded the photos I took, I had to have this one for my photo of the day because I absolutely love the layering of the colors from blue to orange and then green with a little splash of red.  I am a city girl through and through, but riding through this farmland was a treat for my visual sense.  

Day 255...SKYscraper

SKYscraper

I rarely go gaga over buildings or architecture in general.  During this project, I have photographed the Cathedral, the Capitol, and other similar architecture which represents St. Paul and Minneapolis.  But as I've said times before, it doesn't interest me that much and I don't find myself photographing it that often.

Today though, something about Ecolab had me standing underneath it at all different angles and shooting it from every side.  I don't know if it was the mood I was in, but I was mesmerized into a dizzy state.  I think part of the attraction today was that the sky was super blue and the clouds were super white and the clouds were being pushed briskly by the wind so I felt like I was in a time lapse when I stood below.  

I loved how the building was reflecting the sky and clouds.  So this building that I photographed is actually the building across from Ecolab with Ecolab reflecting in it.  I love the perspective.

Day 254...Break Time

BREAK TIME

The quality of this shot is pretty weak.  But I still like it anyway.  I was leaving the building I work in to grab a cup of coffee and my co worker was taking is morning break too.  My attention was first drawn to him because he was perched against the wall reading.  He looked cool.  The I noticed we was "smoking."  I am really drawn to smoke and steam and vapor of all kinds for some reason.  I love when people exhale smoke.  I love watching steam or smoke from smoke stacks.  I love it when it's humid or cold and you can see someone's breath.

So I had to get a shot of Drew exhaling his vapor.  He didn't know I was photographing him and the candidness of the photos is one of my favorite things about it.  

Day 253...Set Fire to the Rain

SET FIRE TO THE RAIN

It's a technique I've seen others do and have always thought it was pretty cool looking.  And on the Minnesota Photography Group Facebook page, one of the photographers challenged others to post their best of the technique.  It's called spinning wool.  I was so inspired by everyone's posts that I felt there was no better time than now to give it a try!  

I did a little bit of research in the past, so I stopped at Menards, got myself some steel wool, a lighter, and a wire whisk.  I accomplished this shot with the help of my daughter Tiana who is always a great model and super supportive of my outlandish photo ideas.  

I must say, for a first try, I'm pretty pleased with the results!

Day 252...Urban Garden

URBAN GARDEN

In the middle of downtown St. Paul, someone took an abandoned lot of land and turned it into a little sunflower garden.  Today I wanted to have a relaxing lunch to enjoy one of the last days of summer.  The sun was out and it was warm out.  So as I walked out of Lund's, I saw the Adirondack chairs sitting among the sunflower fields and knew right away that's where I wanted to have my lunch.

It was difficult for me to eat my lunch without me thinking constantly of which shot of the flowers and the urbanscape would be perfect for my photo of the day.  I ate quickly, and then took my shots, and this was my favorite.  It's my favorite because of the circles, of course. 

Day 251...She's Got the Blues

SHE'S GOT THE BLUES

I love silhouettes as much as my friend Valerie does.  She is the one that too me to the Guthrie for my birthday!  When you're at the Guthrie, it's easy to get super cool silhouettes on the blue level and the yellow level.  My favorite thing about shooting these shots (like the one I did yesterday) is that you can see the city really well in the background but just with a cool tint.  

There are places you can look out over the stone arch bridge and if you go to the other side you can see the city skyline, and you can also see where the new football stadium is being built.  Just another one of those really great things to love about Minneapolis.

Day 250...Happy Birthday to ME!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

So yeah!  It's my birthday.  I'm just turning 35, and I love this age.  I met my wonderful "famous" friend Val for the farmer's market in Minneapolis and a little brat for lunch with my beautiful daughter.  

I've had the greatest birthday, seriously.  Lots of texts, messages, and Facebook reminders.  Went and got a few tattoos for my big day.  

Throughout this photo project, I have not done a SELFIE.   So today was the day!!!  And I owe serious thanks to Tiana and Valerie for helping me set the shot up.  Self timer, so it's not in the real sense "selfie. "  But it will likely be the only one I do in the project.

Peace out y'all.

Day 249...ZIPitty doo da

ZIPitty Doo Da

I know this is not the best focus, composition, etc.  But it's what I've got for the day.

I could wait until tomorrow but I'm trying to make certain that I keep up to date until the end of this project.  I tried today, and this is the best I got.  

The point is...it's like, the guy, driving by, action...with life in the background.  I don't know what else to say.

Day 248...Soccer Silhouette

SOCCER SILHOUETTE

Summer is truly my favorite season of the year.  It's the busiest time for soccer season.  But there's just something great about fall soccer.  

Tonight I was picking up my super athlete from her ODP training, and at the field next to her were all the mini soccer players who were just starting their first season of the sport.  It's so adorable, and there's just something I like about watching soccer at the time of the night when the sun is starting to go down.

I've always wanted this shot of her playing her sport.  Now I have it!!

Day 247...Big Sis, Little Sis

BIG SIS, LITTLE SIS

This one is from a recent portrait session I did that I just got done editing.  As I've stated in my bio and often in my blog posts, doing portraits of people is my favorite!  After this session, I realized this is the first time I've had to shoot someone who would not stop moving.  It was a fun challenge.  These sisters were both so beautiful and it was such a pleasure to take photos of them, especially together watching the love of the big sister with her baby sis.  

During my project, I have explored many avenues of photography, and I've not taken a ton of time on my blog to showcase portraits because it's something that I KNOW I love and want to continue doing.  I wanted to explore other things during this project to see if I would want to expand beyond portraits and sports.  

I haven't decided yet and will solidify my conclusions when the end of the project is closer at hand.  

Day 246...Dear Dahlia

DEAR DAHLIA

The dahlia, one of my favorite flowers.  When I had a flower garden, I grew them, and they were easy to grow.  The come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and petal counts and arrangements.  They're fairly easy to care for in a garden, and they're magnificent to photograph.

This lovely was spotted in a little bouquet at the Wabasha farmer's market in St. Paul. That occurs on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer.  

This particular beauty caught my eye because of the tinge of pinkish purple at the edge of its petals.  I bought a bouquet to keep on my desk at work that had a few different dahlias in it.  I love buying myself flowers.

Day 245...Mr. Ed

MR. ED

Well, Mr. Ed is actually Ms. Shelby.  But I really thought this photo looked like Mr. Ed.  Remember that show?  I miss things like that.  

But today I took my daughter to a friend's house who owns horses, and my super sweet friend took my daughter riding on her horses.  I am not a big horse girl.  I will ride one if necessary but I don't go out of my way to ride them.  However, I do think they are one of the most beautiful creatures and the deserve to be photographed.  

I surely could have taken the time to compose a beautfiful photo of the lovely Shelby, but I don't often get the chanc to be super close to an equine beauty such as her so I took advantage of getting a close up of her.  

I'm sure my friend will let us come back again and I'll do Ms. Shelby justice with something more beautifully done next time.