Electric

They caught my eye through the store window. This won out for today's photo because I couldn't resist the color! Thank you to Nick at My Music Store for letting me come in and start shooting!

Moving Day

This is my Gram. We moved her into an assisted living apartment today. The first item off the truck was her beloved chair. In this photo she's still sitting in her wheelchair because her chair was "too cold to sit in for awhile". I took about 4 shots and two were the exact same except for the distortion in this one from my lens movement. I liked this one better, because the focus is on her instead of the bare white walls.

Sun Peaks Out

I had taken an impressive amount of photos and was heading home to unload my equiptment and regroup for the evening, when the sun peaked out and I grabbed my camera for this shot. (No, I wasn't driving!) I like it so much because you can't really tell where you are or what year it is. I like that the street signs and cars are all in shadow.

BelAir

This old car stuck out like a sore thumb to me today. I pass the same gas station daily and today they had this oldie sitting out front with a for sale sign in the window. I got out to take a few shots and ended up really liking this one with all the rust and the intact BelAir logo on the side.

Glass Art

Today I'm continuing with the abstract theme. This is looking outside through a glass block that people often use in their basement windows. What you're seeing is a distorted view of the snow and a bit of the house next door in the upper left corner.

On The Fly.....

This is 4 wine glasses in a row, against an orange wall in my office, lit from under my desk with a cheep yellow light I found around the house!

I was planning on going to a concert tonight at First Avenue after work and thought I'd get some great shots, but when I got there they told me I couldn't bring my camera in. (you know where this is going) A woman on a 365 day mission to take her camera with her wherever she goes had to go home and get creative!


Voila! I hope you all appreciate my efforts!

Young Love

I saw this young couple kissing and laughing on a street corner earlier today and took several shots. When I saw them on my computer screen tonight, I knew the scene was a magical one. I loved the guitar right away, but I liked it even more when I went to black and white and the background reflections faded. It feels rock and roll and sweet at the same time, doesn't it?

Better Take The Car.....

Happy President's Day to all!
Especially those of you who had the day off because of the holiday.
I found the streets to be pretty empty for a Monday around 3:00 - could have something to do with the 15 inches of snow that's been dumped on us in the past 24 hours!

This bike was chained to a pole at the apartment building where my husband lived when we met, so it probably won out for todays' post more for sentimental reasons than anything else, but I still liked the feeling of it.

Sunday snowfall

A blizzard in Minnesota? In February? Oh yeah! I took this in my car, as the snow was melting on my windshield. I loved the silhouette of the woman through the water droplets and the pop of the blue umbrella.

Swirling Staircase

I happened upon this staircase in the old bank building downtown. I instantly knew this would be my blog photo of the day! The architecture was so beautiful without people, but I had my daughter run up and down a few times so I could see it with some movement - and I like this better! (Kennedy complained a bit, but I think she will enjoy being a part of the outcome)

16 days in and I'm starting to feel a little rhythm!

Glenwood Plant

This is how everything looks to me right now.
Ugly. Grey. Dirty.
February in Minnesota, what can I say?
Tomorrow's another day -
I will try for something more alive.

February Fog

I woke up to the fog and flew out of the house like a kid on Christmas morning! Pajamas on and out the door! This shot is at a park not too far from my house. Everything looked spectacular and there wasn't a sound to be heard! I took about 100 pictures in all and it was harder than usual to choose the winner today. I picked this one because the small tree in the foreground stands alone and is beautiful and haunting all at once.

Icey Plunge

I took this behind glass and underwater, but it still won out for today's blog picture because he was so mesmerizing to watch!
This polar bear was playing with his ball non-stop the entire time I visited, and I captured both! I love the action, the ball, the bubbles, and the lighting - very heavenly.

Diner Love

This was taken at the new restaurant Cafeteria in Uptown. My friends Jeff and Jesi asked if I would like to take some engagement photos for them. Although there were quite a few great shots of their faces, this one was more interesting for my blog. I love the high color saturation and the "old school" feel of the diner stools.
Thank you everyone at Cafeteria for letting us come in before your opening and mess the place up!!

Gertie May

I'm not a big Valentine's Day fan, but in trying to represent the holiday, what better than puppy love?

Oil Spill

The sun was out and the puddles were many! This is my own reflection in an oil filled puddle taken earlier today. I love the colors, even though it's kind of gross. . . . ,

Campus Bridge

I'm sure some of you are surprised it took me over a week to post my first black and white photo!
I took this just after sunset looking West and the sky was layered with yellows and blues, but when I converted to black and white, I liked the moody look it took on, especially with the puddle reflections.

Friday on the swings

I am desperately searching for color and fun, so I went back to The Mall of America (the perfect place for both), to get some "people shots", which is often my favorite kind of photography. After a couple hours in the amusement ride area, I had plenty to choose from and was starting to feel like the parents were a bit uneasy with this woman taking pictures of their children - with no kids of her own!!
This photo captures the energy of the mall on a Friday afternoon perfectly. Crazy, busy, fun, and very colorful!

Angels' Eyes?

I was in a parking garage this morning and saw this huge smoke stack spitting out big white plumes right in front of the sun. I got out of my car and started snapping at different angles. I love how the smoke moved off to the side and the sun streaks were made into colorful prisms here. It felt pretty magical in person.
I had something else planned for today, but I'll take a happy accident any day of the week!

Goodmorning!

This photo was taken at 7:42 AM this morning. It was -5 degrees out, and I must be out of my mind! I came upon this scene a week ago in the middle of the afternoon when the sun was high and there were no interesting shadows or dimension to the landscape, so I decided to get up at the crack......and see if it was more interesting.

I still like the scene, but this morning there were footprints and ski marks everywhere - not quite as "Arctic- looking" and untouched as I had hoped. I think the feeling still comes through - It's COLD and Summer on the lake seams like forever away!!

Baby, I'm a Star!

It's Me in lights! I was at the Mall of America before work this morning, took several shots I thought were presentable, and was walking out - when I noticed one of the long, gorgeous, crystal chandeliers that are in the South mall entrance. I took a couple photos just for fun, but when I got home tonight and saw the image on my computer screen, I thought it was really unique and decided to go with it! If you look really close, you can also see a seating area surrounds me.
Sometimes it's the unexpected that turns up the winner!

A Crying Day

This photo is very much representative of my day. It's been a hard one and I want to cry! My 2 year old laptop has been having issues and today it has decided to give up the good fight! Can you imagine embarking on a brand new challenge (this blog) and having your workhorse die on day 4? The only thing worse would be if my camera went on the blink. . . . . .probably shouldn't have actually typed that out. Ahhhh - tomorrow's another day. With a new day, comes new possibilities!!

Super Bowl Sunday

In honor of Super Bowl XLV, and the rich tradition of
football Sunday in my family -
today's post had to be associated with the big game!
This is what that looks like to me.
I had ideas about going out on the town to snap some pictures of the hyped-up fans, but my laziness (and a bit of left over heartbreak about the Bears being knocked out of contention) won over. I took this at home this afternoon and now I can spend my last Sunday on the couch in front of the TV until late August - when the cheering begins again!

To all of the Packers and Steelers fans out there: GOOD LUCK and may the better team win!
Cheers!

Minnehaha Falls

Saturday afternoon in February in Minnesota - and it's above freezing - what to do? Took the kids to explore Minnehaha Falls! Russano and I were there last weekend and enjoyed it so much, we decided to let them look for themselves. Amazing in every way! It's a bit tricky to get down to the river basin and then up to where the falls would be falling if it was Summer, but well worth the risk, as you can see! This photo is unretouched. I think the blue color is from silt and polution, unfortunately, but it sure is gorgeous!

So there! day 2 is a wrap.

Beauty Blooms in Minneapolis

Ahhhh - day one of 365! I found myself next door to a florist while I was grocery shopping this morning, so I decided to go in and get some inspiration. It didn't take long! Gorgeous flower arrangements were everywhere, so I asked if I could take some creative shots of some of the bouquets. They were kind enough to indulge me. I took about 15 shots, but this one was the clear winner! Thank you friendly folks at Indulge and Bloom!

Welcome to my blog! My goal is to take all of you along on a year long photography journey. I intend to take - and post, a photo a day for 365 days of someone, someplace, or something that I happen upon in my everyday life!

I hope you enjoy all of my hard work, insights, personal growth, and above all - my photos! The journey begins on Friday, February 4th!