The Minnesota State Fair

Many people can hardly contain their excitement when they begin discussing the Minnesota State Fair.  

For some people it is the food.  For others, they enjoy the rides.  While others see it as the last opportunity for a summer holiday.

I take the position that I take when I visit Las Vegas.  I have hardly arrived and  I find myself mentally counting backwards for when I can leave.

it isn't that I don't enjoy the fair, but more a matter of not enjoying the full frontal assault on all of my the senses, simultaneously.

But if you can filter this sensory overload, you will discover all kinds of terrific photography opportunities.

Beer haiku

Shoot what you know.

Summer is winding down and it is time to pay tribute to a summer favorite.  

Beer tastes best in the summer, either after mowing the yard or playing darts with close friends in a bar.

The traditional Japanese haiku is three line poetic form with 17 syllables, in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. 

Technically, it should also include a juxtaposition of two images or elements and a seasonal or time reference.

A simple hiaku tribute to the golden nectar.

R.I.P. Casino Bar?

"No Coors, No Bud. Get Over It." 

This was the sign over the bar and summed up perfectly the beautiful contrarian style of The Casino Bar in Downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin.  

Don Padesky was the owner and ran his business on pure instincts, right or wrong.

Usually wrong.

WPA art

Breaking news: artists need an income to buy food, so that they can eat, so that they can create more art.

Ok, that was probably way too sarcastic sounding for any professionally run business.  But it becomes exhausting how the definition of art is becoming so finely parsed, especially between 'fine-art' and 'illustration art'.

Art is about creative expression. Period. 

Film grain vs. digital noise

There is no disputing the benefits of the digital image age.  It provides instant feedback, greater creative control, cost, etc.

However, as good as digital is, there is a singular drawback.  Film produces grain, digital produces noise.  They might look similar, but they are completely different animals. 

And for many photographers, film grain was a desired effect that rarely exists any more.

Shadows and silhouttes

Contre-jour is a photography technique in which the camera is pointed towards a light source.  This creates a backlit effect and hides details, causes a stronger contrast between light and dark.  It emphasizes forms and shapes and minimizes details.

Shooting in shadows is similar, but it considered more of a low-key effect as opposed to a true silhouette. 

In any case, it forces the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the details that cannot be seen.  And any photograph that forces the viewer to think just a bit longer is an effective photograph.

The flood run

Weekend bad boys and bad girls.  They are loud, kind of obnoxious and it isn't uncommon that somebody might get killed in an accident each year.  And yet, it is one of my favorite photo opportunities each year.

The Flood Run is a motorcycle event that occurs twice each year (spring and fall) and has a route around Lake Pepin, but the police on the Minnesota side are unfriendly toward the event, so the bikers tend to stay on the Wisconsin side.

What makes this an especially fun photography event is the opportunity to be really creative in composing the photos.  Whether you shoot long or short, direct or reflective, it just inspires trying things a bit different.

Various and sundry

Enough about technique, style and technical minutia.   This entry is about the fun of photography.

Everyone of us who enjoys photography does it because we enjoy photography.  That might seem like a redundant statement, but it isn't, if you think about it.

We like looking at photos we have taken for any number of reasons, but the bottom line is it creates a feeling of satisfaction.

So, what is so special about the photo above?  It is only special to the photographer and that's okay.

The idea that the town of Richland Center, Wisconsin would use lasers to enforce speed limits might seem a bit harsh, but you probably shouldn't challenge it because the consequences are probably too high.

What are some of your favorite photos?  What about these photos made them special to you?

114 degree heat index

It is miserable hot this week.  The dew point heat a record high and the heat index has been between 112 and 115 degrees.

Since very little can be done about the weather itself, it was decided to post a few photos from winters past. 

The above photo was taken this past January.

-25 degrees was about as cold as I can remember, which is about a 140 degree swing from today.

Leading Lines

Leading lines are a favorite photography composition technique.  It pulls the viewer into the image and creates drama that might nor otherwise exist.

Leading lines are everywhere and easy to find.  You just need to be aware of how a slight adjustment of your photography point of view can include or accentuate a leading line.