Its fall & its in Minnesota. What more do you expect? 😀
Minnesota
Split Rock..
Split Rock is one of the oldest lighthouses in USA. Built in 1910 at a cost of $75000 it boasted an advanced lens/light system imported from France. I took this shot around 6 in the evening… and the smooth water is the result of a 76 second exposure..
Read more about SPLIT ROCK
And check out the color version here: Flickr
Fall Heaven
Rise and Shine
Heres a shot from a trip i went last weekend. I did post a few shots highlighting the vastness of lake superior before. But what caught my attention in this shot is the sky. Dense clouds, sunrise, a tiny boat and a vast lake… makes one dramatic combination 🙂 Sometimes shots such as these remind me of how tiny we are when compared to elements of nature.
I am often confronted with the question of drawing a line between the amount of post-processing and showcasing an image as I saw it on location. For this one, I hardly did anything, except for a slight bump in brightness and contrast. Just to give you an idea of how much more dramatic the image can be, take a look at this edited version:HERE. I am sure some of you ask the same question to yourself before sharing, where do you draw a line? Do you like processing the shots or do you prefer to share images as shot, straight out of the camera? I would love to hear your opinions in the comments below! 🙂
1 cycle
Found this cycle parked behind one of the apartments near my house. Somehow the placement seemed very interesting to me, especially with brick wall as a background…so snapped a few shots 🙂
Check out an alternative composition HERE
The Red House…
… wonder how this house will look in winter 🙂
The Laughing Buddha
Budai(in Chinese) is often depicted as having the appearance of an amply proportioned bald man wearing a robe and wearing or otherwise carrying prayer beads. He carries his few possessions in a cloth sack, being poor but content.
His figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a representation of contentment. His image graces many temples, restaurants, amulets, and businesses. I am sure many Indian homes also possess it for the same reason 🙂
Amongst Westerners new to Buddhism, Budai is often confused with the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. However, the two are visually very distinct. Gautama is commonly depicted as being tall and slender in appearance (although since no images of him from his lifetime exist, this depiction of him is unverifiable and possibly idealized); Budai is short and overweight. (Buddha means “one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment” and there are several people who have been given the title.)#Source
Tunnel of gold!
Searching my archives, i found this gem. Minneapolis has a well established light rail transit system and this is one of the stations at the MSP international airport. The tunnel walls are not actually gold as the title suggests (duh! :P) but its the result of a 5 exposure HDR created from a single file. HDRs work best when you want to emphasize colors and textures in a scene.
Minneapolis Aquatennial Fireworks
Minneapolis Aquatennial is the official civic celebration of the city of Minneapolis. Featuring a whole bunch of events in various categories, its a week long celebration held every year on the third week of July which is traditionally considered the driest and warmest part of the year# Source. As always, it concludes with a spectacular display of pyrotechnics which lasts for about half hour. I shot this from the top floor of my friends apartment.
Noisy Pilgrims 