Minnesota

A picture-perfect sailing regatta

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The 2009 Inter-Lake Regatta was held this weekend on White Bear Lake, with eight participating yacht clubs.  This event dates back to the late 1800’s with a challenge regatta between the White Bear Yacht Club and the Minnetonka Yacht Club.   The weather for Saturday’s races was cool and windy with wind gusts between 25 to 30 mph, with clouds and intermittent sun.   We had the good fortune to be welcomed onto a pontoon boat owned by Peggy & Craig, who are both avid sailors and who were very generous in sharing their knowledge and information about the regatta.  Plus, they were able to position their boat  by the finish line, giving us a perfect perspective to see the maneuvering that took place right at the end.  The clouds in the sky and the sun glistening off the lake and illuminating the sails made for some wonderful photographs.  My thanks again to Peggy & Craig for their White Bear Lake hospitality!

Minnesota State Capitol Building

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MN State Capitol Building
MN State Capitol Building

This past week I joined the Minneapolis Photographic Society on a field trip in downtown Saint Paul.  The weather was threatening rain and it was quite windy, but a group of about 15-20 photographers braved the elements.  Earlier in the evening we stopped by the Capitol building, photographing it with a dull, gray sky.  The images were documentary, but nothing to draw a viewer into the photo.  As we waited and chatted, the skies got darker and eventually the lights on the building were lit, giving the image a delightful and beautiful glow.  Adding the bright petunias in the foreground gave the image some additional color and interest.  The Capitol Building was designed by local architect Cass Gilbert, and was opened in 1905.  It sits prominently overlooking the city of Saint Paul.

McNeely Conservatory summer flower garden

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50253One of my favorite places to go, whether to photograph or to soothe my soul is the McNeely Conservatory in Como Park.  The Sunken Garden flower shows are a feast of color to the eyes and a treat to my sense of smell.  Right now the summer flowers are on exhibit in the garden.  I was fortunate to be there one night this past week when there were only a few fellow photographers.  It was peaceful, calm, and very quiet except for the water flowing at the base of the sculpture.  This bronze piece is titled “Play Days” and was created by Harriet Frishmuth in the early 1900’s.  On this night the young woman was surrounded by a beautiful reflection of the evening sky and the blooming flowers of summer.

Coneflower blooms

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Under the coneflower 50052The heat of summer brings the purple coneflowers into abundant bloom.  And one of the best places to photograph these delights of summer is in my own backyard.  Most photographers understand how important it is to be in close proximity to what you choose to photograph, allowing you to be there when the light changes, when the scene changes, and to observe and “see” the subject in much more detail.  So my backyard is the perfect practice-field for me.  Last night we enjoyed a beautiful evening — nice light, no winds — a perfect setting for photographing.  This bloom was calling to me to sit on the ground and photograph upward, capturing the opacity of the petals, and colors of the entire plant, and to see it from a different perspective.  Little did I know that there was a small insect hiding underneath too, posing just as I snapped the shutter on the camera.

Clematis

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40044It is a beautiful time of year right now — our garden is in full bloom.  I try to walk through the gardens each morning, allowing myself to observe the changes in the flowers and plants and to marvel at the new ones that have just bloomed.  Our roses have burst into bloom, the hydrangeas are coming along, the lilies are budded, but right now it’s the clematis that are stealing the show.  We have over a dozen different varieties, and each is unique in its sun & shade requirements, its bloom time, its size, and its color.  This photo is of one of the newer clematis – silver moon.  It’s bloom is large, soft, and of the palest color – almost as if whispering the shades and hues of its petals.  With a garden in full bloom it’s easy to overlook the cold and snow that Mother Nature sends to us in winter — this makes the wait all the more worthwhile.