March 12, 2010
Photography: Olsons Home in IR
This is an experiment I did last weekend in IR photography, taking a photograph of the Olsons home, where I now live.
My co-workers called the photograph, which I used for a desktop background one day, "spooky".
March 5, 2010
When is it Photography and When is it Photoshop?
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/photoshop-and-photography-when-is-it-real/
Last week in the NY Times, David Pogue posed the question that, for purposes of a contest, where does the line get drawn between a photograph and "photoshopping".
A subject I've mused about before...
I've been recently reading Michael Frye's book: Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters
I've been dying to try out some of the ideas here, but I discovered aspects to Adams' process which has made me re-evaluate what exactly allows a photograph to be still considered a photograph rather than digital art. Certainly his ability to expose and overexpose to highlight things in his pictures is well known. (And that was a motivation for
me reading the book).
But did you know he did extensive dodging and burning during the development process? (The photoshop techniques come from photography, not the other way around). Even more interesting is the fact that Adams did photographic retouching that is common and easier in photoshop.
It turns out that local teenagers had painted white rocks to spell out "LP" in the mountains in this photograph. Adams used a technique on his negative to blot out those letters from the final image.
Is Ansel Adams' work art (and NOT) photography, then?
Me, I think that photography ends and digital art begins when you start adding elements not present in the original scene. For example, if I took a picture of President Obama, and digitally added my mother to the scene, that would be photoshopping. A little dodging and burning, or even combining a couple of images to get high dynamic contrast (which I haven't managed it--no good copy of photoshop) isn't *quite* photoshopping, in my book.
February 13, 2010
Post Processing Photo fun
Let's talk photography a bit, okay, and post processing.
One of the pictures from my North shore, trip, as you may recall. Nice, huh?
Now, thanks to Amazon, I discovered the work of Harold Davis . He had a small article on Amazon about how he post processed an image using photoshop to make it more dramatic in black and white.
I had to try the technique.
The process was simple:
Take the base image.
Convert the color type to LAB.
Equalize the colors in the image
Convert to B&W
Here is that same image after those simple steps:
What do you think?
January 31, 2010
Ice on Gooseberry Falls
And to cool you off, here is a picture of some ice at Gooseberry Falls, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota
January 4, 2010
Minnesota 44 NYG 7 and my NFL Predictions
Well, I went to see the Giants-Vikings game in person with my former Fed co worker and still friend Kevin Pachl (he has season tickets to the Vikings).
The 44-7 rout was much more fun for him than it was for me. I tried to take a few pictures...
A picture from the romp of the Vikings over my Giants on Sunday
Anyway, with that out of the way, its time for my predictions for the upcoming NFL Playoffs!
Finishing strong is important, and getting that bye week is a mixed blessing. With that in mind, I think that the Vikings will revert to form sometime during the playoffs and crap out, the Saints will continue their skid, and (Heaven help us), the Dallas Cowboys will emerge to win the NFC Championship.
The AFC side is even wilder. I don't trust the Colts not to underachieve again. The Patriots will hopefully get beaten by SOMEONE, and the Jets, Bengals, and Ravens can all be had. So I am going to go with the "sexy pick" of the San Diego Chargers to represent the AFC, and take home its first ever Super Bowl victory.
San Diego 27 Dallas 21
January 1, 2010
Minneapolis at Sunset
Your first photo for 2010...one of the last I took in 2009...Minneapolis at Sunset on December 31st. I've also decided to be more regular with my photo taking in 2010, and get serious about getting good enough at it so that I could maybe make a few shekels doing it.
December 30, 2009
Russia
Via my friend Kevin Brady, here is a blog entry on English Russia on the "Seven Wonders of Russia"
It's a mixture of human and natural wonders. Beautiful photographs of all of them. My favorite has to be the Geysers. Did you know that while Yellowstone has most of the Geysers in the world, many of the rest are in Far Eastern Russia?
Anyway, go and see the Seven Wonders. You could probably do a "Seven Wonders" meme for any sort of polity, countries, states, even cities.
December 23, 2009
Dani at the concert
I took a few pictures at Dani's school concert. The kindergarteners like Dani were only a small part of the program, but Dani was enthusiastic, especially in playing with instruments not intended for her grade...
More concert pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157622932548875/detail/
December 12, 2009
Aphrodite in Monochrome
The MIA in Minneapolis doesn't have a world class Greek and Roman art section. For that, the nearest place for me to go would probably be New York City (unless the Art Institute in Chicago does).
Still, the MIA has a few nice pieces, such as this head of Aphrodite that I photographed in Monochrome.
December 9, 2009
Dani and the Orchid
Last Sunday, I went to the Conservatory with Felicia, Dani, Katie (one of the Exalted players) and her two children. I took tons of pictures of the kids (not so many of the conservatory as a whole).
Here, we have Dani looking at an Orchid...
More photos are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157622963912280/
December 8, 2009
My 2009 Best Shot?
Now this is tricky.
Flickr has a group that you can submit precisely one photo to. It's called "Your Best shot 2009". They have been highlighting some of the submitted photos on their blog:
Vanishing Point
Black and White
So, I can add a picture to this pool, too, and maybe if its good enough, get it on one of these blog posts. But out of all the pictures I took and uploaded in 2009, which one is the best?
Any ideas, readers?
December 6, 2009
NYG 31 Dallas 24 and the rest of my weekend
And my beloved Giants show some life, as they beat (and thus sweep) the Cowboys, 31-24 today.
I watched this at the Olsons, having spent the weekend with them in gaming D&D on Saturday, doing some photography with Felicia in the early afternoon, and then watching the end of the Saints-Redskins, the Giants game, some "Dogs 101", and some of the "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" special on the Discovery channel.
D&D went well, we reached the end of a storyline with the D&D, and we'll resume for a while at the very least with Exalted before returning to it. I've not GMed live in a while, and I am overdue for a chance at a hand at the tiller!
Photography was a mixed bag, we took Dani, our friend Katie, and her kids to Como Park's conservatory and had them pose amongst the plants in the greenhouse. Felicia's camera did not like the heat and humidity but I think I got some decent shots.
The Giants never made it easy, and really, two big plays made the difference in the game, but we'll take the win. Romo had high numbers of passes and yards, but it was in the end, all for naught, and that's what counts for me.
So the Giants win was a pretty nice star in the firmament of my pretty good weekend. What feels even better is the opportunity to go back to work tomorrow.
November 28, 2009
Castle Cake
This is a Castle shaped chocolate cake that My Friends The Olsons™ made, appropriately enough, on Black Friday. Due to the lack of lighting, in order to avoid using the flash, I had to have the aperture open as far as it would go, providing a shallow depth of field.
November 22, 2009
The Mystery of the Goat Lick pictures solved!
As you all know, I have an extensive collection of pictures on Flickr.
Now, some of my pictures are pretty good, and some are popular. None are anywhere near as popular, though, as a couple of pictures I took a few years ago in Glacier National Park at a place called the Goat Lick.
In a couple of days, I accumulated thousands of hits for these two pictures. I figured it was a glitch or something. They aren't particular spectacular photos (they are pre-DSLR, too).
Now that its happened again, I've discovered what happened. No glitch.
Apparently these pictures have been Digg-ed on a story about a Mountain Goat. This story is apparently popular, and in the context of the story, someone found my Goat Lick pictures as some of the best of the area. And thus, the spate of visits to my pictures.
Weird, huh?
November 4, 2009
Badlands Bluff
I've neglected my blog and livejournal lately, especially after my unemployment. Let's have some photographic action goodness, just like I do on Twitter and FB. This is one of tbe bluffs in the North Dakota Badlands, taken in June 2009
October 27, 2009
Giving my camera a superpower
I've decided to experiment a bit with infraed photography, giving my camera the ability to focus
on near infrared light.
While my pictures aren't anywhere near as good as some you may have seen, take a look...
Here is a base ordinary picture...
Here's what it looks like under false color infrared.
Here is what it looks like under monochrome infrared
And here is what it looks like when run through photoshop
-----
October 23, 2009
Minnesota Parks
We here in Minnesota have a pretty good set of State Parks. No, they aren't "National Park" class parks (although Minnesota has two NPs, a couple of Monuments and a Waterway too).
It usually costs $5 for a resident to visit a park for a day.
However, Minnesota's DNR has an insane deal: A year pass costs $25.
I have such a year pass and this year have really used it.
This year, I have visited 18 of Minnesota's State Parks:
Grand Portage
Judge Magney
Cascade River (twice)
Temperance River (twice)
Tettegouche
Split Rock Lighthouse
Gooseberry Falls (several times)
Jay Cooke (several times)
Scenic
Itasca
Mille Lacs (twice)
Father Hennepin
Banning
Interstate (several times)
William O'Brien
Fort Snelling
Minneopa
Forestville Mystery Cave
It turns out that out of the 7600 items I have uploaded on Flickr, 1500 of them I have tagged as being in a state park. I think a few of these might be state parks elsewhere, but the vast, vast majority are Minnesota.
All of my Flickr State Park photos
If the weather holds, I will visit my 19th State park of the year, Frontenac, tomorrow to get one last glimpse at fall color.
And some of these parks can be pretty in the winter, too...
October 3, 2009
Fall Foliage at Interstate State Park
A splash of Fall Color foliage at Interstate State park!
September 23, 2009
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is one of the most picturesque drives in the entire U.S. Here is some photographic evidence.
September 14, 2009
Sunset in September in Minnesota
Pretty sky, don't you think?
I used my prime EF 50mm so I didn't need a flash.
August 16, 2009
The Photocrashing Squirrel
You've probably seen the cute picture of the squirrel who "photocrashed" the photo
taken at Lake Minnewanka (Up in Canada. I've been there!)
It seems this has become a meme with the magic of photoshopping.
As I have said and thought, a lot of good photography can be atttributed to factors which are purely serendipitous. The original photo is a perfect example of that.
June 28, 2009
2009 Vacation Photos!
Finally, after a lot of work, I have completed choosing, editing and uploading my pictures from my June vacation to Yellowstone and points beyond.
I uploaded a total of 633 photos from my trip. The entire collection is here.
But don't despair if that sounds like too much. Taking the excellent advice given to me by Carl on my last photographic venture, I have chosen 50 representative pictures from my trip. They may not necessarily be the best, but they give the width and breadth of my experience. So why not take a look at those?
The Highlights from my trip are available here
So, go, enjoy, and let me know what you think.
June 22, 2009
Mama, they took my Kodochrome away
Kodak announced today that it will stop selling the film after 74 years on the market:
Sales of KODACHROME Film, which became the world's first commercially successful color film in 1935, have declined dramatically in recent years as photographers turned to newer KODAK Films or to the digital imaging technologies that Kodak pioneered. Today, KODACHROME Film represents just a fraction of one percent of Kodak's total sales of still-picture films...
As part of a tribute to KODACHROME Film, Kodak will donate the last rolls of the film to George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, which houses the world's largest collection of cameras and related artifacts.
Paul Simon is wrong about one thing though. Everything does NOT always look worse in black and white. I like some of my monochromatic shots, thank you.
June 21, 2009
June 17, 2009
Paul at the Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance to Yellowstone
Standing in front of the Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
May 25, 2009
A relatively dry Minnehaha Falls, May 2009
This is Minnehaha Falls, as taken on Sunday, May 24 2009.
As you have liked noticed from previous pictures of this waterfall in the heart of the city, this part of Minneapolis is very much in a drought.The waterfall should not look this dry for another couple of months at least.
May 23, 2009
Gooseberry Falls--What a difference 2 months makes!
What a difference 2 months in Minnesota makes!
On the left, Gooseberry Falls as I photographed it on Feb 8,2009
On the right, Gooseberry Falls as I photographed it on my trip up the North Shore on April 24,2009
Bagpipers at the Scottish Fair
Bagpipers at the Scottish Fair in Minnesota
Caber Tossing
Caber Tossing--the sport as exciting for the fans as it is for the participants.
I took this photo at the Minnesota Scottish Fair.
May 17, 2009
The power of post processing
I like the idea of taking images as they are, rather than "doctoring them" to show stuff that isn't there.
Still, I have been persuaded to experiment a bit with the .RAW format on my DSLR and adjust images in software to sharpen stuff up.
On my recent trip with the Olsons to the Scottish Fair, I set the camera to take "RAW + JPG", allowing me to have the best of both worlds.
So here is a picture of Dani in a cutout, in the jpg form:
And here she is after I cropped and adjusted and played with the RAW image in DPP and exported it to jpg.
May 8, 2009
May 5, 2009
They Like me, they really like me
One of the producers of Minnesota Public Radio, Julia Schrenkler, has a blog on the MPR site. She ran into
my photos and liked them enough to post a link to them on the blog:
A little bit of egoboo!
May 3, 2009
North Shore Photo "Sampler Pack"
Thanks to Carl for suggesting this.
500 pictures is a lot to get through. So to make it easier for you all to get a sense of my adventure, I created a "sampler pack" of photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157617574273909/
Photography: My North Shore Vacation Photos!
Now they can be seen. My photos from my North Shore Vacation are now up and available!
A few select samples:
See the entire collection:
My Mosaic of Pictures on Flickr
March 30, 2009
Shattered Visage
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert.
Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away
Poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Photography by Paul Weimer
February 8, 2009
The Ice Fishers
One more picture...this is of the Ice Fishers I met at the French River.
The fish were not biting, and they weren't happy about that.
More Pictures Available Here
Middle Falls of the Gooseberry
This is the Middle Falls of the Gooseberry River, which you have seen in a number of my pictures. This is what it looks like in the dead of winter, completely frozen over.
More Photos available here!
Lake Superior Shoreline
Near the French River outlet on the North shore, I got some good shots of the Lake Superior Shoreline, frozen out for a reasonable distance. As you can see from the photo, I am actually standing on the lake at this point. (The ice fishers seen in a couple of photographs are behind me)
More Photos available here!
Ice as Modern Art?
Ice on Lake Superior which has broken and wind carved into Modern Art.
More Photos available here!
December 7, 2008
Winter is Here
The Starks in GRRM's Game of Thrones series say "Winter is coming."
My friends and readers (who live mostly in warmer climes)--as far as Minnesota is concerned, Winter is Here.
It's cold, but its awfully pretty.
November 23, 2008
James Hill House
Once it was the largest private residence in MN. Now its a museum. This is the James J Hill House in St. Paul, MN.
It was a dreary day and perhaps this does not allow the house to be seen in its best light.Since flash was not allowed, my interior shots are not very good, either. But you can look at them, if you like.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157609828116742/
October 13, 2008
Vacation Photos 2008
Okay, I took way too many photos.
In point of fact, I uploaded over 1000 photos from my trip to South Dakota...
And now you, gentle viewer, can see them all, or a portion that might interest you:
Sioux Falls Waterfall
This is one of the Waterfalls in Falls Park, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
(This was my penultimate stop before my car started acting up)
Nicollet Expedition carvings
This is the inscription made by Joseph Nicollet and his expedition in 1838 at Pipestone. They were the first US Government expedition of explorers to reach the area.
October 11, 2008
C-45 Expeditor
This is a C-45 Expeditor at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum
October 5, 2008
Vacation Photos Day 5: Minuteman Control Room at Delta-09
On Day 5, I went through the Badlands, North and South Units, and also to the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. This is a picture of the control room where the two officers who controlled the missiles would, mostly, be very bored waiting for instructions or messages.
September 30, 2008
Vacation Photos Day 4: Me at Devil's Tower
On Day 4 I headed west to Devil's Tower and then headed down to Jewel Cave. This is one of the very very few pictures of me on my entire trip.This is me at Devil's Tower National Monument.
September 28, 2008
Vacation Photos Day 3: Mt. Rushmore
On Day Three of my adventures, my adventures were in stone: Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wind Cave. This is the classic photo view of the famous Gutzon Borglum carved Mt. Rushmore. I took the loop and got a lot of pictures around the mountain at different angles, and even found a turn off on the road west that allows a profile of George.
However, I thought it was most appropriate to choose the classic look here for my picture for day 3
Vacation Photos Day 2: Spearfish Falls
I've been accused of loving waterfalls. No bad thing in my book.
As you might have heard from the phone post and other methods, on my second day of the trip, my car battery died not long after a climb on a path in the Badlands. Once I got a new battery, the auto parts place strongly recommended that I drive for at least an hour.
So rather than "stop and go" driving in the badlands, I got myself on the highway and drove more than an hour west. I found myself in Spearfish, South Dakota, at the head of the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. I naturally took pictures, especially once I learned there were waterfalls to see...like Spearfish Falls, as seen here!
September 27, 2008
Vacation Photos Day 1: Badlands
I am slowly choosing and uploading pictures from my vacation.
This is a picture from day one, when I took the Badlands Loop on the way to Wall.
September 14, 2008
Pictures from the Mississippi River Cruise
Few of my night shots actually came out decently because of the lack of a tripod, but I took plenty of pictures on the cruise before it was too dark to see well. This is on our way back, my workplace, the Federal Reseve, and the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. More pictures, including of the new I-35 W bridge are available here.
September 7, 2008
Pictures from the RenFaire
A picture from my 2008 visit to the MN Renaissance Faire
More pictures available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157607166700345/
August 17, 2008
The Placid Rum River in Monochrome
Although I didn't intend specifically to take pictures on World Photography Day today, I did go take pictures in Peninsula Park, a small city park up in Anoka, MN where the Rum River meets the Mississippi.
Rife with historical significance as well as geohydrological, I went around the park and took pictures. :)
More pictures from the park are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157606790748563/
August 9, 2008
Dragon Gate
A pair of dragons form the gates to a private road in Blaine, MN. I've never seen the house at the end of this road, and I've never met the owners, but these gates have been here since I've moved up here.
More pictures of the dragon gates:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/tags/dragongates/
July 2, 2008
Picture a Day 07-02-08: Evening Cloudscape
Another seriously gorgeous slide toward night for the skies of Minnesota.
July 1, 2008
Picture a Day 07-01-08: Bird on a Wire
A bird pictured on a wire near my apartment building
June 30, 2008
Picture a Day 06-30-08: Copper
A piece of elemental copper that I bought in Canada during my trip to Alberta.
June 29, 2008
Picture a Day 06-29-08: Lino Lakes Water Tower
A Water Tower in Lino Lakes, MN. I particularly like the font of the lettering on this one.
Bear Fight at the Minnesota Zoo
And now its time for pictures from my trip last week to the MN Zoo. This is a picture I snapped of two bears at the new Grizzly Coast exhibit wrestling with each other.
More pictures from the zoo available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157605880350561/detail/
June 28, 2008
Picture a day 06-28-08: Around the Table
Food and relaxation at the Olsons table, after a session of Exalted.
June 27, 2008
Picture a Day 06-27-08: Weather Vane
A weather vane on a roof near my apartment building.
June 26, 2008
Picture a Day 06-26-08: Early Morning on the Hennepin Avenue Bridge
A look at the Hennepin Avenue Bridge in the early morning.
June 25, 2008
Picture a Day 06-25-08: Basilica Ad
An ad for the yearly Cities 97 Basilica Block Party
June 24, 2008
Yoda and friends
I finally organized my pictures from the science museum trip I took on Saturday, highlighted by my visit to the Star Wars exhibit.
More pictures available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157605801895075/
Picture a Day 06-24-08: Metro Transit Ad
A strange Metro Transit Ad at the 95th Avenue Park and Ride in Blaine, MN.
June 23, 2008
Picture a Day 06-23-08: Dandelion
A closeup of a dandelion.
June 22, 2008
Picture a Day 06-22-08: Bear Rumble
The two male bears at the new Grizzly Coast exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo get into a bit of a rough and tumble.
June 20, 2008
Picture a Day 06-20-08: Cloudscape in Lino Lakes
Cloudscape in Lino Lakes, Mn
June 19, 2008
Picture a Day 06-19-08: Lost in a Good Book
Felicia's son Damion flips through his new copy of Exalted: Lunars
June 18, 2008
Picture a Day 06-18-08: Downtown Minneapolis in the Early AM
A view of a bit of Minneapolis in the early morning.
June 17, 2008
Picture a Day 06-17-08: Greenery and Clouds
A shot at some greenery and cloud formations not far from my apartment.
June 16, 2008
Pictures from the North Shore
I've chosen and uploaded my pictures from the North Shore trip I took on Father's day.
This picture, one of my favorites, is a monochrome shot of the Upper Falls of the Gooseberry River in Gooseberry Falls State Park.
More pictures from my expedition, including pictures of the lake, and even long distance shots of Split Rock Lighthouse are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157605630176628/
June 15, 2008
Picture a Day 06-15-08: Fifth Falls
The elusive and not as well known "Fifth falls" at Gooseberry Falls State Park, on the North Shore in Minnesota.
June 14, 2008
Picture a Day 06-14-08: Closeup of the Water Tower
Showing off the power of my new zoom lens on the water tower.
By comparison this is a shot of that tower with my standard lens standing in about the same place:
June 13, 2008
Picture a Day 06-13-08: Borders
A picture of the Borders store in St. Paul, Minnesota.
June 12, 2008
Picture a Day 06-12-08: Scott and Dani on the backyard Playset
Scott and Dani take time out from playing to pose for a picture.
June 11, 2008
Picture a Day 06-11-08: The Old Fed Building
Before it moved to its current home in 1997, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis occupied a few floors in this building in downtown Minneapolis.
June 10, 2008
Picture a Day 06-10-08: Bamboo Betty's
Bamboo Betty's, one of the two local watering holes.
June 9, 2008
Picture a Day 06-09-08: Stella Scooter
Intersection signs of the closest corner to my apartment building.
June 8, 2008
Picture a Day 06-09-08: Stella Scooter
A Stella Scooter spotted in a shopping mall in Falcon Heights. (The same one where the Source Comics and Games is located)
June 7, 2008
Picture a Day 06-07-08: Dani drinking
In a lighter moment during Game day, Dani drinks a drink pouch.
This was before she and Katie's son went to play out in the street while we were distracted with the game.
June 6, 2008
Picture a Day 06-06-08: Tree in the Stormy Wind
A cool wind blows this afternoon against a cloudy background across a tree, and I was struck by the tree's reaction and contrast to it enough to snap a photo.
June 5, 2008
June 4, 2008
Picture a Day 06-04-08: Mississippi River Sign
The new National Park Sign marking the Mississippi River crossing of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is visible in the rear right.
June 3, 2008
Picture a Day 06-03-08: A political car
I couldn't resist taking a snapshot of this car emblazoned so boldly with its political/social statement on its rear windshield
June 2, 2008
Picture a Day 06-02-08: Dawn in the Park and Ride
Dawn comes to the North Twin Cities Metro.
June 1, 2008
Picture a Day 06-01-08: Statue
And so we start June with a picture of a statue of a deer in a shopping center near my apartment, in Blaine.
May 31, 2008
Pictures from the Stone Arch Bridge Area
The beautiful Guthrie theater. Atter crossing the Stone Arch Bridge, I climbed up and went to that observation platform you see sticking out. It's called "The endless bridge"
This is the theater that I tried to, unsuccessfully, get tickets to see Ian McKellen play King Lear last year.
More picture from the Stone Arch bridge are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157605357677645/
Picture a Day 05-31-08: Stone Arch Bridge in Monochrome
Taken from the "Endless Bridge" at the Guthrie, a Monochromatic look at the Stone Arch Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
May 30, 2008
Picture a Day 05-30-08: Rebel Rebel
My old camera takes a picture of my new one.
(BTW, my old camera is slowly dying. It's having problems with its lens opening)
May 29, 2008
Picture a Day 05-29-08: Loaner Car
A Dodge Avenger, the car loaned to me by my dealer while they work on my taillight and brakes.
May 28, 2008
Picture a Day 05-28-08: The Wallpaper beneath
A tear in the wallpaper in my apartment building reveals another layer beneath it.
May 27, 2008
Picture a Day 05-27-08: Lions Field
Lions Field in Circle Pines,MN
May 26, 2008
Picture a Day 05-26-08: Me in the Japanese Garden
A picture of me in front of the Tea House in the Japanese Gardens of the Como Park Conservatory in St Paul, MN.
May 25, 2008
Picture a Day 05-25-08: Hailstorm
A storm, with hail, blows through Blaine. This is part of the storm that eventually spawned the tornado to the east in Hugo, and a (brief but no damage) tornado to the west in Coon Rapids.
May 24, 2008
Picture a Day 05-24-08: Minnehaha Falls
I decided to take my camera to Minnehaha Park. You will recall I took pictures there with my digicam in Sept 2006.
One thing you will notice in this picture , the water level in the creek, and thus in the waterfall, is pretty high.
May 23, 2008
Picture a Day 05-23-08: Tree
One of the trees near my apartment building
May 22, 2008
Picture a Day 05-22-08: Pot
A plot with flowers in it at the entrance to my apartment building
May 21, 2008
Picture a Day 05-21-08: Fire Hydrant
Sometimes called a fire plug, just a simple fire hydrant is our photographic subject du jour
May 20, 2008
Picture a Day 05-20-08: Dandelions
A close up of some dandelions in the grass near my apartment building
Picture a Day Non Photo 05-19-08
In my race for power and glory yesterday (and some inclement weather), I didn't take any pictures. While I won't have any discrete Picture a Days posted while on the trip, and I might not have any in the last part of this week as I get packed for said trip, I still missed taking a photo.
May 17, 2008
Picture a Day 05-17-08: Bird at the Feeder
A colorful bird whose species escapes me stops at one of the Olsons bird feeders during game day.
May 16, 2008
Picture a Day 05-16-08: Cloudscape
The clouds were beautiful this evening, so I pulled out the DSLR and got some practice with some shots of the sky.
May 15, 2008
Picture a Day 05-15-08: Pepper plant
The Olsons love to grow peppers on the sill of their deck. This is one of their pepper plants, up close and personal.
May 14, 2008
Picture a Day 05-14-08: River and Bridge
Looking upriver from the Hennepin Avenue Bridge at the railroad bridge just upstream.
May 13, 2008
Picture a Day 05-13-08: Fleet Farm
Still under construction, a new Fleet Farm at I-35W and Lexington in Blaine, MN, not far from my apartment building.
Fleet Farm can be thought of as an agricultural themed Walmart-like superstore.
May 11, 2008
Picture a Day 05-11-08: Tree on the Lakeshore
A slowly budding tree on the shore of Lake Josephine, in the Twin Cities North Metro.
May 10, 2008
Picture a Day 05-10-08: The Kitten who vomited on me
Katie, from the Amber game I am in (and Exalted game I run) poses with her brand new kitten Leia. My introduction to Leia, unfortunately, resulted in the poor kitten throwing up on my shirt.
May 9, 2008
Picture a Day 05-09-08: Grain Belt Beer Sign
A landmark of Minneapolis, the Grain Belt Beer Sign stands on Nicollet Island.
May 8, 2008
Picture a Day 05-08-08: Meet the Neighbors
With the DSLR, I couldn't resist taking a picture of a woman, her three kids, and their little red wagon.
May 7, 2008
Picture a Day 05-07-08: Dejected Quest
The Olsons dog looks unhappy that the chinese food Felicia brought for us is not being shared by her.
May 6, 2008
4 DSLR pictures
The four pictures I took, arranged by focal length.
(I love Corel Draw, it made it so easy to arrange these into a table)
Picture a Day 05-06-08: Water Tower Experiment 4
I experimented with the DSLR this afternoon, taking a picture from the same spot, using auto focus mode, adjusting the focal length each time.
May 5, 2008
Picture a Day 05-05-08: Meat
Browning some beef and pork in preparation for making chili tomorrow at a potluck at work.
May 4, 2008
Picture a Day 05-04-08: Roads and Boats
Steve of the indiegamers makes a move in Roads and Boats. I finished third out of five in the game. Sadly, this is *better* than I usually perform in board games with the group.
May 3, 2008
Picture a Day 05-03-08: Quest and Dani
Dani poses with Quest at the top of the stairs in the Olson household.
May 2, 2008
Picture a Day 05-02-08: That's a Knife
My Calaphon chef's knife.
May 1, 2008
Picture a Day 05-01-08: Felicia
With my new DSLR, a picture of Felicia, with her laptop
April 30, 2008
Picture a Day 04-30-08: Fern
A study of a small plant in a rock "garden"
April 29, 2008
Picture a Day 04-29-08: City Park
A small playground in a city park in Lexington, MN
April 28, 2008
Picture a Day 04-28-08: New Bus
My bus route got to have one of the brand new Buses bought by the transit system today. Less than a 1000 miles on this beauty.
April 27, 2008
Picture a Day 04-27-08: Greek Fast Food
Dino's, a small chain of Greek fast food in the Twin Cities. This is the branch in Falcon Heights, across the street from the strip mall that contains the Friendly Local Gaming Store, The Source Comics and Games.
April 26, 2008
Picture a Day 04-26-08: Late Season Snow
Evidence of Late Season (April 26th) snow in the Twin Cities, outside my apartment building.
April 24, 2008
Picture a Day 04-24-08: Gloomy Spring Day
A gloomy, drippy spring day near my apartment building. Suits my mood.
April 23, 2008
Picture a Day 04-23-08: Second Avenue
Second Avenue (at the intersection of 4th Street) in downtown Minneapolis, looking South.
April 22, 2008
Picture a Day 04-22-08: Archery Range
An Archery Range at Marsden Lake in Ramsey county, Minnesota
April 21, 2008
Picture a Day 04-21-08: Dairy Queen
A true sign of spring in Minnesota...Dairy Queens are open again. (Yes, they close for the the winter here)
April 20, 2008
Picture a Day 04-20-08: Ammonite
For my picture of the day today, I decided to show off one of my Ammonite fossils. I got this on the Canadian Rockies trip, when we stopped at Kehoe's Agate Shop in Montana.
April 19, 2008
Picture a Day 04-19-08: Theater
The AMC Theater in the Rosedale Shopping Mall, Rosedale Minnesota.
April 18, 2008
Picture a Day 04-18-08: Bridge
A look at the Hennepin Avenue bridge, looking Southbound from the northern end.
April 17, 2008
Picture a Day 04-17-08: Dani and the Recorder
Dani poses for the camera with her recorder, in Scott's car.
Picture a Day 04-16-08: ING Bank
Another mostly failed experiment with a "night shot", this is the online bank ING's HQ in Minneapolis.
April 15, 2008
Picture a Day 04-15-08: Pond and Water Tower
View across a pond near the Circle Pines City Hall, looking at a copse of trees and the Circle Pines Water Tower.
April 14, 2008
Picture a Day 04-14-08: Water Towers
Two Water Towers, one for the city of Blaine (foreground) and one for the City of Lexington (background)
April 13, 2008
Picture a Day 04-13-08: Melting Snow and Ice
Picture a Day April 13th: Some lingering snow and ice in the parking lot of a Coon Rapids shopping center near Best Buy.
April 12, 2008
Picture a Day 4-12-08: Dani and Quest
Dani peeks around the corner as I try to take a picture of Quest, the Olsons' yellow Labrador Retriever.
April 11, 2008
Picture a Day 4-11-08: Library
The Central Library in downtown Minneapolis on Hennepin Avenue.
April 10, 2008
Picture a Day 4-10-08: Precipitation on 129th Ave
Snow/sleet/rain falling outside the Olsons home on 129th Ave.
April 9, 2008
Picture a Day 04-09-08: Intersection
The Intersection of Lexington Avenue and Lake Drive in Lexington/Circle Pines, MN.
April 8, 2008
Picture a Day 4-08-08: (Not Fighting) City Hall
Although my mail is addressed to Circle Pines, technically I live in Lexington, Minnesota. This is the back of the very modest City Hall building.
April 7, 2008
Picture a Day 04-07-08 Disembarkation
Passengers disembarking from the Express Bus at the 95th Avenue and I-35W Park & Ride in Blaine
April 6, 2008
Picture a Day 04-06-08: Playing Underground
Shane, Chris and Steve of the IndieGamers ponder the Underground board game map on a rainy day at the Source.
April 5, 2008
Picture a Day 4-5-08: Dani blows bubbles
Another Dani picture for a Picture a Day.
April 4, 2008
Picture a Day 4-4-08: Bus Stop in the early morning
Showing I have a lot to learn, a somewhat blurry picture of the 95th Avenue Park and Ride bus stop in Blaine, MN. This is before dawn and the stabilization of holding the camera for the time needed for the flash and fstop to work were not great.
April 3, 2008
Picture a Day 4-3-08: Setting Sun
The Picture a Day for April 3rd is the setting sun, setting over a field near the Olsons' house in Blaine.
April 2, 2008
Picture a Day 04-02-08: Hallway in B&W
Picture of the Day today is the hallway outside my apartment door, in Black and White.
April 1, 2008
Picture a day 4-1-08: Snowy Tree
Picture a Day for April 1st is not an April's Fool--its a little tree outside my apartment building.
March 31, 2008
Picture a Day 03-31-08: Snowy Street
The Picture a Day today is the street outside my apartment building, during our snowfall today.
March 30, 2008
Picture A Day March 30th: Library
My picture for March 30th: A Library in Blaine, Minnesota on County Rd 242
March 29, 2008
Picture a Day 03-29-08: Highway 35W
This picture of the day is a B&W picture of Southbound Highway 35W at exit 36 in Minnesota.
March 28, 2008
Picture a Day 03-28-08: Train
The Picture a Day for today is of a Train parked on a train line near the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. This is a pay parking lot near the Bank that I often use when I drive into work.
March 27, 2008
Picture a Day 03-27-08: Dani
My Picture a Day for today is appropriate since I commonly visit the Olsons on Thursday evenings. This is their daughter, Dani.
March 26, 2008
Picture of the Day 03-26-08: Window View
I've decided to take a picture a day, every day. Its to improve my skills, practice, experiment, and show you all my world.
This first POTD is the view out of one of my windows in my apartment.
December 22, 2007
They Like my photo!
This picture of mine has been selected for inclusion
in the 4th Schmap guide to Minneapolis!
http://www.schmap.com/minneapolis/home/#p=226606&i=226606_6.jpg
July 8, 2007
The Federal Reserve Bank
Where I work!
(Actually, this is the tower portion. I work in the other half of the building, not seen...)
Another picture from my set of pictures taken yesterday. I was careful when I took pictures of work to take pictures of things that were public. I did not take pictures of the entrance, the guards or anything restricted. I just wanted to show the architecture.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvstin/sets/72157600700986349/