Recent Work

Grandpa’s Woodwork

My grandfather passed away recently. His greatest craft/hobby was woodworking.  From functional items like tables, cabinets, beds and other furniture, decorative items like vases, cups and teapots all the way to toys like Jeeps and trucks for his grandchildren, he spent much of his time working with his hands creating beautiful pieces from blocks of wood, with his loyal shop cat always nearby.

His memory will live on with each person that has one of these finely crafted pieces of artwork and craftsmanship.  Through the hours and love that he poured into each item throughout their creation and giving, he will not be forgotten.

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Split Rock Moonrise

I made my way over to Duluth to meet up with some friends last week, and took the opportunity to photograph the moonrise behind Split Rock Lighthouse.  The better day to take a shot at this would have been the night prior, but unfortunately it was cloud cover across the shore that day.  Next month is the next chance at this image, and I will be hopefully trying again if the weather holds clear that afternoon.

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DC Day 3

On the last full day we spent in DC, I took the shuttle to the National Mall with Val, and then took the DC Circulator bus over to the Monuments and Memorials.  I started at Lincoln, hoping to catch the right light as the early morning sun would light the inside of the Memorial.  From there I went to Washington Monument, where I discovered the Elevator to the top was out of service waiting on repair.  After some checking out the area and some photos, I went to the Jefferson Memorial.

After Val got out of class, we headed down to the Lincoln Memorial as well.  It is beautiful when lit up at night, but there were far too many people.  The warm morning sun lights the front of the memorial nicely.

The trip to DC was the first time I have tried to use my Tilt Shift Lens off of the tripod.  I found it easy to manipulate the controls and focus through the viewfinder (which was my biggest concern), but I had a heck of a time knowing if I was perfectly level.  When this lens is on a tripod, I use a bubble level in the hot shoe to make sure everything is level.  It made for an interesting challenge,  but by the time I was done, I felt I was getting pretty good at it.

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DC Day 2

Day 2 started with Val heading to class, so I headed over to the Smithsonian Castle, Air and Space Museum and finally the National Gallery of Art.  I spent far more time in these locations than I had originally thought I would.  The National Gallery of Art is quite massive, and the large collection of works from around the world make it easy to lose track of time.  This took me well into the afternoon.

Once I left the Gallery, I headed over to the Supreme Court.  I really wanted to tour the Court, but there was a large group of students that were going through, and I didn’t want to fight the crowd..  So I decided to go to the Library of Congress, and I am glad I had time for it.  Externally it is a very elaborate building…but the interior has to be one of the most amazing structures I have ever been in.  The detail and artwork overwhelms you.  I, again, spent far more time here than I anticipated…only this time I actually took a number of photos.

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DC Day 1

About a month ago, my wife found out she needed to attend a training in Washington DC for her work.  I was able to take the time off and go along.  While it was a fairly short trip, I did manage to get a number of the sites I wanted to visit completed, mainly along the National Mall.  Our first day, we were able to get to Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard.  While walking through heading to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we noticed that they still had a splash of color in the trees…something that had long disappeared for us at home.  I decided to leave the DSLR for the first day, and all of these images were made with a Canon S120 pocket camera.

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Split Rock Lighthouse Lighting

Every year on November 10th, Split Rock Lighthouse is lit in memory of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  I tend to make my way over to shoot whenever possible, as it is the only official time the lighthouse is lit.  This year I worked closer to the lighthouse, shooting from the shoreline.  The weather was overly nice, pushing 55 on the shore with no clouds and very little wind.  The Moonlight did affect the beam, as it would wash out the sky a bit. 

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