Forged

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I've been neglecting my blog for most of the summer. But, for a good reason - I have been busy working on my business interest in race/sports photography. Well, I took a weekend off and we took a family camping trip up to Jay Cooke State Park in Duluth, MN. Had a great time, and I was able to take photos of something other than sweaty athletes!

ABC Wednesday - P is for Patina

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A statue (or fountain, in this case) with a nice patina is like a magnet for your eyes.

Monochrome Weekly - Wrought Iron Gate

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Any wrought iron work is like a magnet for me. I found this gate at a community park.

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Skywatch Friday - St. Thomas

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I'm struggling to adapt my image processing to Adobe Lightroom. I think I'll like Lightroom, but this learning curve is a steep one! It was good to take a break from file management and look at a photo of St. Thomas.

Monochrome Weekly - Dominica Door

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An abandoned building on the island of Dominica.

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Skywatch Friday - Coki Beach in St Thomas

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The rocky end of Coki Beach on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

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ABC Wednesday - L is for Lady Barbados

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This Lady hasn't been in the water for some time, but she still is a Looker as she patiently sits on the beach.

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Skywatch Friday - On Deck

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I'm back from a fantastic vacation in the South Caribbean. I won't convert all of my photos to B & W, but I like this one.

Skywatch Friday - Lake Shore 2

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A shot from our camp site on Lake One in northern Minnesota.

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ABC Wednesday - I is for Ice Fishin'

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A couple photos of a dad and daughter ice fishing outing. They both looked like they were enjoying the sunny day on the ice.

Hopefully, this will be one of the last Winter shots for awhile. Minnesota is starting to warm up and most of the snow has melted!

ABC Wednesday - H is for Hook

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I took this shot while "exploring" an old fishing boat docked on the Mississippi River.

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ABC Wednesday - G is for Groovy

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Sometimes, you just stumble across a beauty like this! It's like winning a little photo op lottery.

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Monochrome Weekly - Thin Ice

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Fortunately, open water is starting to peek through the ice and snow covered lakes. Spring is coming!

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ABC Wednesday - F for Freezin' Fun

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6" fresh snow

1 fast snowmobile

1 long rope

1 tube sled

2 kids

Mix together to create FUN.

Monochrome Weekly - White Birch and White Snow

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I went for a walk a couple days ago and found that the overcast sky made everything look white. Especially these white birch trees along the bank of a frozen lake.

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Skywatch Friday - Partly Cloudy Over Snow

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It's been a long, overcast winter, so partly cloudy skies are reason enough to get outside for some photos.

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ABC Wednesday - E is for Elevated

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A bridge that appears to extend off to the horizon. I've rode across this bridge since I was a child, but never viewed it from this perspective before taking this photo.

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Monochrome Weekly - Awning

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I stumbled across this old loading dock over the weekend in the Dubuque, IA warehouse district. The structural supports caught my attention.

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ABC Wednesday - D is for Drift

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Walking in the park was the only option this day.

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Skywatch Friday - Skating in Black and White

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A few brave people were out ice skating in the extremely cold temperatures. Just a couple skaters, and some goof taking photos.

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ABC Wednesday - C is for Cut

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I went to a High School skiing tournament this week and watched many, many excellent skiers.

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Monochrome Weekly - Ice Fishing

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Under the snow, there's ice. Under 12" of ice, there's a lake of water. In that water, hopefully, there's hungry fish.

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Skywatch Friday - Lifeguard Off Duty

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I decided that some of us could use a summer beach scene - it's -5 degrees F here in Minnesota! I took this photo on a much warmer day last summer, shooting into the sun at about 7:00pm.

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ABC Wednesday - B is for Big Top Circus

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I'm pretty sure that this Big Top Circus ran its course many years ago, but the wagon lives on.

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Monochrome Weekly - XC Skiing in the Woods

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It was a beautiful day for the cross country skiers.

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Skywatch Friday - A Little Color

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I set out to take a few winter photos with my new Zuiko 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens, but the sky didn't cooperate with me. This is a typical January sky in Minnesota. I am pretty happy with the new lens though.

Monochrome Weekly - Handrail Finial

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Taxi Off Duty

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An old taxi buried in a recent snow storm.

Monochrome Weekly - Stars in a Row

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An architectural detail on a building in downtown Minneapolis. Sometimes, it's all in the details.

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Monochrome Weekly - Cleat

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Monochrome Weekly - Grace of Ballet

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Dance photos can be very difficult if the lighting folks are working against you. Fortunately, I was able to get this shot just as the dancers were perfectly inline with each other.

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Skywatch Friday - A Frosty Dock

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Not many bright colors left here in December, but that's winter in the North.

ABC Wednesday - V is for Vivacious

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Vivacious - adj - lively; sprightly; animated.

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Monochrome Weekly - Minneapolis Skyline

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A cold day in downtown Minneapolis, but a good day for B&W.

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Skywatch Friday - The Pumpkin Field

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I always feel a little sorry for the pumpkins that didn't get picked in time for Halloween.

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ABC Wednesday - T is for Trail

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Why build a boring straight walkway? Curves are cool.

Monochrome Weekly - Silo Sign

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A company sign adorns a grain silo in Farmington, MN.

Skywatch Friday - Sunset at the Foshay

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I took this photo through the window of my hotel room in the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis. The Foshay Tower building held the honor of being the tallest building (32 floors) west of the Mississippi for 40 years. A couple years ago, it was completely remodeled and became the W Minneapolis Hotel - very modern decorating within a historic architecture shell.

Monochrome Weekly - Autumn in Monochrome

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Late autumn colors converted to monochrome - why not?

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ABC Wednesday - R is for Ragged

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I love white birch trees - especially when the bark is peeling and curling. I took this photo on a dreary, overcast day and then did a little digital darkroom work on it to enhance the detail.

For more ABC Wednesday shots click HERE.

Monochrome Weekly - Wheel Spokes

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An old metal wheel discarded behind a machine shop. The contrasting textures and shadows caught my eye.

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Skywatch Friday - Colorful Portage

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A beautiful autumn day on a Minnesota lake. A "Portage" is a designated path to carry a canoe or kayak from one lake to another.

Monochrome Weekly - Black and White Birch

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The autumn colors are gone here in Minnesota, but while hiking last week I found this group of White Birch trees willing to pose for a monochrome shot.

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ABC Wednesday - P is for Pluck

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A musician plucks the strings of a harp. Beautiful music from a beautiful instrument.

Monochrome Weekly - Gargoyle

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A gargoyle stands guard over the architecture that it he alone must defend.

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Skywatch Friday - Blue Skies over Bloomers

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A colorful array of bloomers hanging on the clothes line.

Monochrome Weekly - Henna Tattoo

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The henna tattoo artist is deep in concentration as she draws the sun design on my daughters shoulder.

Skywatch Friday - Glass and Clouds

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Architecture made even more interesting by the clouds. Rochester, MN.

Monochrome Weekly - Curves

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A curving handrail adds a nice touch.

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