Johnathan Paddleford

How can this be?  I am running out of photos.  There are so many things to shoot this time of year. Just about everything looks better without snow and ice in it.

Eagle Street Grill

Another roof top shot. I admit I got carried away with this one.  it is made from three shots and well I went too far with it but I had fun and that is all that matters.  The Eagle Street Grill is across the street from the Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN and was really hoping the night of the Santana concert.

6th street station

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I was up on a roof with a wide angle lens.  this isn’t what I was there to shoot but I liked the view.  Kellogg blvd. is to the left and I managed to get the history center and state capitol building in the background.  Too bad about the cathedral though but the sun was almost right behind it and the best I could have hoped for was a gray silhouette.

Xcel Energy Center

I got this one from a roof top.  Lucky me who practically passes out if I get two feet off the ground.  I find that when I am holding a camera I am fairly fearless.  A wide angle lens usually isn’t the roof top shooters first choice but for this shot it worked well because I was able to get the entire building in one shot which isn’t easy.  I got some better shots from the ground later on that evening. Light makes all the difference and it was too sunny when this one was taken.

After the fireworks

I love to photograph the Mississippi river at night.   With the colors and the reflections it never looks the same twice.  I took this one just after the July 4th fireworks in St. Paul. I like the boats and the barges.   I have a rule about shooting downtown and that is that the 1 must be lit up on the first bank building.  It blinks on and off and I delete the shot if it is off.  I did get some shots of the fireworks too but amazingly they look the same every year.

Municipal Grain Elevator

This was too much fun.  The 4th of July was one of those muggy cloudy days with big dark clouds.  The photo is made from three bracketed  shots and I gave it the most extreme HDR treatment that I could without making a total mess.  . . or maybe it is a total mess but I had fun with it and that is all that really matters.  The photo was taken down in the River Park in St. Paul and is of the newly restored Municipal  Elevator.   We have the most beautiful parks in St. Paul.

Fireworks over the Misssippi River in St. Paul

I take pictures of fireworks every year but I may skip it this year.  These are from the Taste of Minnesota on Harriet Island.  Most years there have been fireworks several nights in a row and the rumor is that this year there will only be fireworks on the 4th.  For tips on how to shoot fireworks . . and I think it is challenging here is an article on the DPS web site.   The biggest challenge for me has been the bright spot lights on Harriet Island. Good luck!  and be careful out there.

My newest Lily

I have enjoyed gardening my entire life. In recent years the demands of my business have made it hard to start the garden because spring is my busy time.  This year went a little better than usual because there was a longer spring.  I grow a lot of lilies because they are low maintenance and easy to grow and they spread but not so fast that they get out of control.

My lily habit started shortly after we moved into our home when a neighbor gave me five red lilys.  Then my mother gave me some and over the years my collection grew and I have given them away to neighbors and friends.  I never had one like this before and it is the first one that I ever bought.  I remember thinking at the time that I don’t need another lily. It just opened up a couple of days ago and is growing in between my yellow lilies and the red ones and I was wrong about not needing it.

Burger Moe's Patio

This is the patio at Burger Moe’s which according to Moe is going to open today.  It is across the street from the Downtowner Wood Fire grill on West 7th.  I plan on checking it out and I will report back.  For those who don’t know Moe he also owns the Downtowner so I have high hopes for his new burger joint.

urban fruit tree

I would call this the tree of marketing.  On the other side of it there is a 7Up logo and a Coca Cola label and the silver objects are made by Hershey. I like the sculpture though.  It is on the sidewalk near the Chicago art institute and was created by Jean Wells.