This is a repost of a blog originally published 10/25/13.

How do you like to travel?  Do you pick a destination and then spend every spare minute researching what to do and where to go and what to eat?  Sometimes that is the best way to make sure nothing important is missed.  A lot of people have one opportunity to get to a location in their lifetime and no one wants to get home to find out they missed the Grand Canyon when they were in Arizona or Mount Rushmore when they drove through South Dakota.  The internet has made trip researching and planning easier than ever with the advent of such sites as TripAdvisor and Google.  Experiences by other travelers are openly shared on the internet helping to point the compass in the right direction.

I decided to approach my last trip more like a wandering nomad with only a general sense of driving west or east today, north or south tomorrow.   It went against every grain of Type A personality planning that I have carried around since birth. This was not easy...at all.  I find comfort and security in plans.  I know what I'm doing.  I don't have to worry about what might happen if...    I decided to do it because someone I admire a lot used to travel that way.  That person was Ernst Haas.  He talked about it in his film documentary "To Dream With Eyes Wide Open":

Could this really be true, I wondered?  Had I been behaving like a banker my whole life and worse yet, on my photography trips?  Taking out every ounce of creativity as I marched through my itineraries, checking off my to-do list one by one?

I decided to put my trust in Ernst Haas.  Just once.  I took comfort knowing that if it didn't work, I wouldn't do it again.  I knew where I was sleeping at night and that was it.  I let the car do the driving and if something piqued my curiosity I explored it, letting myself be available to any whim that arose.  From the very first photo of my trip, it lead me to off the beaten track places like this:

to the very last photo of my trip.

Was it successful?  I don't know, but I felt like this method of travel worked out very good for me and I will definitely try it again.  On repeated occasions I remember thinking how lucky I was and being grateful for every moment I had and working like crazy before the clock ran out of time.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I thank you very much for coming by.  As you may have noticed I am test driving a new logo.  Comments are open so feel free to let me know your thoughts.  Thank you!

I  don't know about you guys, but winter is going way too fast for me. I have a lot of projects that I was planning on getting done before Spring arrives (such as transfer all those home movies to DVD and get the kids' scrapbooks updated from when they were 5), they still aren't done and I have a busy couple of weeks coming up.  Unless we have a really snowy April, by the time my upcoming plans have taken place, we will probably be wearing shorts and hanging out in the yard because it will be nice enough to do that.  Then new projects will have a way of politely announcing priority, such as gardening and yard work, planting flowers and making rhubarb crisp.  If they don't get the proper attention at the right time, we all know who moves in: the Weed family and it is extremely hard to evict them once they've established residency.

I realized after a closer look at the calendar that I will miss seeing Charlie Parr when I am in  California.  He's actually going to be there the night before I arrive and then the next gig he has is in Los Angeles.  My workshop will have started by then and even if I was open, I am WAY too chicken to drive a car in Los Angeles.  I've never been there but I have heard stories and I am pretty sure I should never operate a motor vehicle there unless something weird happens and I move there or something.  I'm not even sure Minnesotans are allowed in L.A.  Except if you're a celebrity like Charlie.  So that is a bummer but maybe by some bizarre coincidence he will fill his open night with a show in the town I am staying in.  That would be pretty awesome and amazing.  I will be sure to tell you if it does happen.

I am back at the Minneapolis Photo Center these days scanning more film.  I have to tell you, I am still a big believer in film.  Even though I love the instant gratification of digital cameras, when I can force myself to use the film camera, I am always happy with the results.

Last Fall when I was up north, I set my alarm for way too early and hardly slept a wink because that's what happens when I know I have to shoot in the morning.  I am so worried that I am going to sleep through my alarm or that the alarm won't go off that I toss and turn all night  and am usually relieved when the clock finally says 4:30 or whatever time I need to get up.  So anyway, here I am, my first morning and I get all my stuff and get to the parking lot and start walking out in the dark.  I find a spot to plunk down the tripod and what do I see blasting right through the sunrise sky?  A big, old uninvited contrail. This one was of the variety that sticks around forever and ever.  So this guy announces that he's staying till at least lunch time and I'm wondering what to do now?  So I decided to do a little experiment to blog about.  I shot that big ole' contrail sunrise with all 3 cameras I was lugging with me.  We'll talk about why the 3 cameras another time. So the question is...which is better: 35mm film camera, medium format film camera, or digital camera.  Of course the scans don't look quite as good as the originals, they are a little darker so I'm not sure this is a fair comparison.  Also, slightly different lenses on each camera.  At any rate, leave your comments if you'd like and weigh in your opinion.  I would love to know what you think.

Ok, here are the identities revealed:

#1 is medium format with Velvia film
#2 is digital
#3 is 35mm with Velvia film

Last January I was on a photography expedition and headed out one morning at about 5:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise. That's pretty early for winter, but there was a full moon and I knew I'd be able to catch it setting before the sun came up.  I was fully outfitted with multiple layers, very little skin showing, and toe warmers to buy a little extra time before I had to come in and warm up.  My biggest concern was being all alone on the lake and possibly getting sized up as a tasty bowl of Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal by a traveling wolf pack.

It really wasn't working but there were some other filters I was able to try.  That's about when I realized how much my toes were starting to hurt.  The toe warmers seemed like they weren't doing anything.  I knew I had to get back to the car and fast.  When I got there, I took a self-portrait to show the frozen hair that had sneaked out of my cap and scarf.  That's the same culprit that was creating havoc with my filters.

I sat in the running car hoping it would generate some heat so I could thaw out before had to face the hike back across the lake to camp.  Even the car didn't want to warm up, so I finally headed back encouraged by the warmth the lodge would bring.

Now that I am about to embark on my next journey up there, I am a little wiser for the wear.  My trusty old Sorel boots which I have worn since college won't be going with me on this trip.  I have invested in a pair of Steger Mukluks.  This pair. Some of the warmest ones they make.

I bought the extra wool and reflective foil liners for maximum heat retention. They were expensive but I don't ever want to end a photography gig again due to frozen toes.  Word out there is that these are the best and I'm about to put them to the test.

In the meantime, here is a link to Steger Mukluks:

http://www.mukluks.com/

Until next time, I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day and thank you for stopping by.

The last morning on my trip up north in October, I was at a location for sunrise that was near a bay in Lake Superior.  I was really struggling photographically with the contrast in the scene, despite having and using my split filters, and decided to back off and shoot some video.

There are two videos, one showing the beautiful sunrise and one shortly after the sun came up.  This is a sunrise that photographers dream of when they are on trips so I was very aware of how lucky I was.

The highlights of these videos are the bird songs that can be heard.  Towards the end of the first video (at about 1:02), you can hear but not see a bird flapping its wings so loudly that I think it might have been related to a pterodactyl.

As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit again soon.

How do you like to travel?  Do you pick a destination and then spend every spare minute researching what to do and where to go and what to eat?  Sometimes that is the best way to make sure nothing important is missed.  A lot of people have one opportunity to get to a location in their lifetime and no one wants to get home to find out they missed the Grand Canyon when they were in Arizona or Mount Rushmore when they drove through South Dakota.  The internet has made trip researching and planning easier than ever with the advent of such sites as TripAdvisor and Google.  Experiences by other travelers are openly shared on the internet helping to point the compass in the right direction.

I decided to approach my last trip more like a wandering nomad with only a general sense of driving west or east today, north or south tomorrow.   It went against every grain of Type A personality planning that I have carried around since birth. This was not easy...at all.  I find comfort and security in plans.  I know what I'm doing.  I don't have to worry about what might happen if...    I decided to do it because someone I admire a lot used to travel that way.  That person was Ernst Haas.  He talked about it in his film documentary "To Dream With Eyes Wide Open":

Could this really be true, I wondered?  Had I been behaving like a banker my whole life and worse yet, on my photography trips?  Taking out every ounce of creativity as I marched through my itineraries, checking off my to-do list one by one?

I decided to put my trust in Ernst Haas.  Just once.  I took comfort knowing that if it didn't work, I wouldn't do it again.  I knew where I was sleeping at night and that was it.  I let the car do the driving and if something piqued my curiosity I explored it, letting myself be available to any whim that arose.  From the very first photo of my trip, it lead me to off the beaten track places like this:

to the very last photo of my trip:

Was it successful?  I don't know, but I felt like this method of travel worked out very good for me and I will definitely try it again.  On repeated occasions I remember thinking how lucky I was and being grateful for every moment I had and working like crazy before the clock ran out of time.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I thank you very much for coming by.  As you may have noticed I am test driving a new logo.  Comments are open so feel free to let me know your thoughts.  Thank you!

Originally published Oct. 29, 2011

Minnesotans are enjoying some mild weather with days in the low 50s and lows in the 30s.  While many of the poplars and birch dropped their leaves a couple weeks ago, some trees are just now displaying their color.

The area I live in has a forest of red and white oaks and there are lots of deep reds and rusts in the trees right now.  Some maples have started to turn their brilliant oranges, yellows and reds.

Looking out my window I am captivated by the show of those colors against the October blue sky or the occasional steely gray sky that rolls through.  I find myself wishing I could transfer those colors into a room in my house so I could enjoy them all year long.

I never really think too much about the color gray because it, well it reminds me of November and the relentlessly gray skies that hang around.  But seeing the gray sky or the gray rocks of the north shore of Lake Superior against the rust or orange leaves of Oak or Maple or the deep reds or even yellows is really beautiful.   I could enjoy a fireplace of gray stones surrounded by orange, yellow, red, or rust decor.  What do you think?