Ornaments

I like to put away the holiday decorations on New Years day.  I am almost done.  The ornament in the front is from the year 2000.  I photographed the ornaments because the world is going to end before next Christmas and this will be our last Christmas and our last new years day for that matter.  lets make the most of it.

The other picture

There is always the other picture I took that same day that i did not like because it wasn’t as good as the other pictures I took that day.  This is one of those photos.  Downtown St. Paul not far from the skating rink with the St. Paul hotel as a back drop for the travelers insurance Christmas tree.

Marjory McNeely Conservatory at Como Park

I photograph the sunken garden every year.  The flowers change with the seasons and I always enjoy it.  I like to think my photographs of it have improved over the years.  There are millions of photographs like this.  There are a few photographers in this photo too.

Well Fargo Building -downtown St. Paul

I had fun with the HDR processing on this one.  I will probably get some more like it before the holidays are over.  It is easy to find trees like these in most any mall.  I enjoy the holiday season a little less each year.  I would like to celebrate it differently.  For me the perfect holiday would be on a beach some place with a cold drink and my camera.

The Bus

I went downtown early one morning to photograph holiday lights.  I plan on going back in the evening when there is some activity and more lights on.   There were others out taking photos in the dark which is unusual at 5:30 in the morning.  They were trying to get shots that were less “urban”.  I understand really I do but part of urban photography is vehicles, lights, signs, trash cans, power lines and people.  . . . or maybe a bus speeding right through the photo.

Ornaments

This is a different photo than the other ornament photo I posted.   It looks like a good December 1st type picture.  I am in a first of the year kind of mood. I am looking forward to January but I have no idea why.  Maybe because January isn’t December?

Fall or winter?

Rice Park in downtown St. Paul before the snow comes.

Lights in Rice Park

Rice Park looks a bit more festive when there is some snow but I could not pass up a rare opportunity to photograph the park without any cars parked along the street.   It was too windy to photograph the lights at night so I waited until dawn.  I am sure I will be back for more photos.  The lights stay up until some time in February so I am sure there will be plenty of photo opportunities with snow.

Ornaments

My reflection is in each picture.  What was I thinking?

Winter Flower Show

This concludes 2010. It has been an interesting year with lots of changes for me.  None of them seem like changes for the better but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and sometimes what seems like a bad thing at the time turns out to be a good thing.  We just don’t see it right away.

I want to wish you all a happy 2011 and thank you for stopping by.  This site is a hobby and I get a lot of enjoyment from it and I know it wouldn’t be as much fun if no one ever left a comment.  St. Paul Photos will be two years old in a couple of days. I have been looking through it and I can see improvement in my photography. My WordPress skills have also improved which is a good thing.   WordPress, photography and blogging go together very well and I plan to continue.