Minneapolis Photo Blog

Hiatus

2008-11-18T21:40:00.001-08:00

So I have been totally failing at the daily post, so I have decided to take an official hiatus until the semester is over about a month from now. It is cold anyway, and I need time to adjust to the temperature change (and buy a pair of gloves that I can shoot in). But I will be back, before Christmas, and hopefully stronger than ever. Thank you to everybody who has put up with my inconsistency. I will be in touch soon.

Warm Sunlight

2008-11-12T22:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what this is.

Another Fall Scene

2008-11-10T07:14:00.001-08:00

Between the 50 degree drop in temperature and the total lack of leaves and constant grey skies, I am very nostalgic for last week. So, in celebration of our one week of autumn, I will continue to post pictures I took last week until my body adjusts to sub-freezing temperatures and I can go out shooting again.

Creek

2008-11-08T11:17:00.001-08:00

This is by Minnehaha Falls, a park with a waterfall at its south end. The stream was incredibly low, even non-existent at points.

Life Lesson

2008-11-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my laptop's hard drive died. I was unable to rescue any data and I lost the original versions of most of the pictures I have posted on this site. So remember, ALWAYS BACK UP!

Vote!

2008-11-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

11th Ave

2008-11-02T15:04:00.001-08:00

Falling

2008-10-27T20:17:00.001-07:00

I used some heavy post-processing on this one. I converted to monochrome with a yellow filter, cranked the contrast all the way up, and added some vignette.

Claustrophobia

2008-10-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

So I don't like to toot my own horn too often, but I really like this photo. I took this last weekend when the weather and light were much kinder than they have been this weekend...

On a side note, I have finally escaped the evils and inconsistent service of Qwest and signed up with the City of Minneapolis' public wireless service. Certain presidential candidates may call it socialism, but its half the price and the IT support has been very friendly and helpful. If you live in range, I highly recommend it.

River Lights

2008-10-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dive

2008-10-22T22:02:00.001-07:00

I love the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and have posted several pictures taken there. This is another one, though I forgot to write down the sculptors' name, I love the perspective a wide-angle lens provides.

Sunflower

2008-10-18T13:47:00.001-07:00

I usually don't shoot flowers & insects, but I was surprised to see this since we have started to have frosts this past week.

Rorschach

2008-10-17T07:31:00.001-07:00

Once In A Lifetime

2008-10-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

I went to see David Byrne play tonight at the State Theater, it was amazing. He played only songs that he worked on with Brian Eno (who unfortunately is not part of the tour), which includes a good chunk of the Talking Heads catalogue. Even the songs on their new album that I haven't heard yet sounded incredible. The only weird thing is that everybody around me was at least 10 years older than I am, first time thats happened to me at a concert. I only had a point & shoot, and a balcony seat, but I think a couple of the shots I got came out all right, this is the best of them.

Stone Arch Abstract

2008-10-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

All of this color photography is taking up too much space on my non-pro Flickr account! I might have to have a monochrome revival just to stay functional this month.

Block E Blur

2008-10-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

This is the Block E shopping & entertainment center downtown. It has a nice theater in it, but I would have rather seen the old buildings downtown be renovated rather than torn down for this fancy new structure. This is also another of my experimental shots, which I have a couple more of to post over the next couple days. I should note that pretty much everything I have posted from these night sessions have been straight off the camera with minimal post-production, I just alter the exposure, and usually dial in a small amount of contrast, saturation and sharpness. The colors I get at night are too cool to mess with!

Gold

2008-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

7th St Entry

2008-10-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

The Twin Cities have a rich musical history, and this club plays a big role in it. Bands like the Replacements and Husker Du got their start here while Prince was playing at First Avenue, which is attached to this (and also the setting for Purple Rain). Traditionally bands will sign a star on the outside of the club when they play it, you might recognize a name or two in this photo :)

Bar Fly

2008-10-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Bar Fly is a fairly skeezy club downtown, I was playing around with focus effects on this one.

Pantages

2008-10-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

People downtown are surprisingly friendly when they see you have a camera set up on a tripod, this girl was one of several people that stopped and chatted with me and a friend about photography while shooting a couple nights ago in the theater district.

Mill City Museum

2008-10-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is part of the outside of the Mill City Museum, dedicated to the history of flour milling that used to drive the Twin Cities' economy. The restoration work is very impressive.

My post from a couple days ago, "Guthrie Hilltop", was chosen as one of Wired Magazines Editors' top 10 favorite Fall pictures in their recent contest. I was also promptly dissed in the comments. I'm still proud, even if it wasn't my best effort.

Hard

2008-10-05T13:17:00.001-07:00

I have been playing around with zoom and focus effects lately, they are really fun to do at night.

Guthrie Theater

2008-10-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

This is our brand new performing arts center, the Guthrie Theater. I like it, but I think it looks kind of like an Ikea.

City Portrait

2008-10-03T15:10:00.001-07:00

To try to get back into a regular rhythm of posting, I went out by the Mississippi RIver a couple nights ago. It is so pretty down there that the scenery does just about all the work for you, you just throw your camera on a tripod, hit the shutter release, and wait the 20 or so seconds for the exposure to capture. I'll be posting a few from my outing, hope you enjoy them.

Oops... Belated CDP Theme Day: Lines

2008-10-02T16:46:00.001-07:00

I must have been so busy celebrating post 100 that I forgot about theme day! Sorry! Here is my photo, a day late. This is from the RNC protests at the beginning of September.

Check out everyone else:
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Guthrie Hilltop

2008-10-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Leaves

2008-09-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Magically in the past three days fall has hit, 80 degree temperatures have crept down to the 50's and the leaves are starting to change.

This is my 100th post, I would like to thank everyone who has visited, and all of those regulars who put up with my posting inconsistency and internet outages.

94 West

2008-09-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

I took this picture with my cameraphone on my drive home from Wisconsin a week and a half ago, and just rediscovered it yesterday when I plugged my phone into my computer. Creeeeepy. Next post is my 100th!

Cookout

2008-09-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

It has been unseasonably warm here the past few days, so I have been trying to make the most of the last days of "summer" before the bitter cold hits. Last night I barbecued with some friends, my friend Anthony brought over his D300 (jealousy...) and we tried out some weird flash effects, some of them turned out pretty cool.

Ordway

2008-09-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

Last night I saw Il Trovatore at the Ordway Center in St Paul, it was incredible!

New Bridge

2008-09-20T22:35:00.001-07:00

The new 35W bridge opened this weekend, I drove across it this evening en route to the Opera (via dinner). It was a little creepy, but apparently our traffic woes have been resolved.

Lamps

2008-09-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

Chez moi. My classes are taking up a lot of time, but I love them. Hopefully I'll have some time to get out and shoot over the next couple of days.

Bush Doctrine

2008-09-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

The Bush Doctrine, satirized on a float at the Liberty Day Parade the day before the RNC.

On a more somber note- Rest In Peace, David Foster Wallace

Walker II

2008-09-12T17:27:00.001-07:00

This is the back side of the Walker art museum, which I previously posted here

On a different note, I have now been listed by VFXY, so welcome to any new visitors!

9th & Nicollet

2008-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is Nicollet Mall on a sunny fall day. The tall building with the cloud reflection in the background is the IDS center, the interior of which I posted a couple days ago.

With school starting I haven't had as much time to shoot as I would like. I will be out of town this weekend, so I will post a couple pictures from the RNC, which was the last time I really got to shoot.

Decisions...

2008-09-09T20:58:00.001-07:00

Picking a book at James & Marie Laurie Booksellers, home of rare books and WWII era military posters.

IDS

2008-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is the indoor courtyard of the IDS center, the tallest building in the city. I was yelled at by security for taking this, second time that has happened in a week (though the first was during the RNC).

Returning...

2008-09-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

The Foshay Tower (reflected), which has been vacant for sometime, has recently re-opened as a snazzy W Hotel. So snazzy that a lot of the big shooters in the Republican Party and the media stayed there over the past week. This picture is fitting as today my internet service has returned after being vacant for sometime! I should be posting regularly again from now on, unless Qwest fails me again...

Tension

2008-09-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is the single-pole suspension bridge for bikes & pedestrians across Hiawatha Ave, a major artery through south Minneapolis.

I am getting closer to straightening out my internet situation, hopefully I'll be back posting regularly next week.

User Error

2008-09-02T10:57:00.001-07:00

I am currently having problems with my home internet connection so I have been unable to post. I'll try to get this fixed up asap, in the mean time, here is one of my favorite pictures from the RNC protests in St. Paul yesterday (this is an AP photo, I didn't take it). I'll have some of my own to post once everything is resolved.

Washington Ave. Bridge Concern

2008-08-27T15:41:00.001-07:00

Hennepin County found some structural concerns during a routine check and has decided to reduce foot and bike traffic to the center of the bridge. They fear that if enough people stand on the edge, the bridge will collapse. This will pose a lot of problems with classes starting next week (the bridge is a major artery connecting the two campuses separated by the Mississippi River), and add anxieties over our infrastructure. Very frustrating.

Lake of the Isles

2008-08-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

I know, you can't see the lake, so you will have to trust that it is beneath this tree.

Elephant

2008-08-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

When I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts this weekend several event planners and decorators were setting up "Plant Animals" for a private party. This elephant was the center piece, but there were also monkeys (unfortunately no pix of them came out) and peacocks, all were very impressive. This elephant was at least 10 feet tall.

Sebastian Joe's

2008-08-24T17:14:00.001-07:00

Sebastian Joe's is a great ice cream shop on the corner of Franklin & Hennepin.

Gallery

2008-08-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

This was taken from a gallery in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Turbulence

2008-08-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

Menacing skies like this have prevented me from taking a lot of pictures this past week, hopefully it clears up this weekend...

Computer Science Building

2008-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is the Computer Science building on the U of M campus, it's really weird but it somehow fits in with the more classic architecture that surrounds it.

Nike

2008-08-20T21:23:00.001-07:00

This is just about the saddest bit of graffiti I have ever seen. This is also my first post taken with a cameraphone, taken in uptown next door to the CC Club.

Tree at Night

2008-08-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Music & Movies in the Park

2008-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the last "Music & Movies in the Park". Califone played, and we watched the original "Manchurian Candidate". Both were awesome. This event draws quite the crowd, as you can see, I'm sad that they are done for the summer...
This was taken with my new lens, a Tokina 12-24 super wide-angle, a great early-birthday present!

Seward Panorama

2008-08-17T14:37:00.001-07:00

This is the intersection of 22nd and Franklin in my home neighborhood, location of Pizza Luce, Tracy's Bar & Grill, Welna II Hardware and Seward Cafe. 5 shots from today, an absolutely gorgeous afternoon. I'm going to do a couple more of my favorite intersections in the near future, but I'm also going to return to some non-panoramic photography as well.

Dinkytown Panorama

2008-08-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

The red building on the far left used to be a coffee shop that I spent a lot of time at, about 2 years ago it closed and turned into a Potbelly's. If you look at the the cars crossing the street, you can see them waiting for the light, weird Gondry-esque result of stitching photos.

Stone Arch Panorama

2008-08-15T07:27:00.001-07:00

I've got a serious addiction here. I'll probably do a couple more of these, just to get it out of the system. Anyways, this is the view of downtown from the Stone Arch Bridge, probably the most photographed scene in Minneapolis. The bridge used to be used for trains to move flour across the river back in the milling days, but now is a pedestrian bridge. This panorama was made with 5 shots.

Northrup Panorama

2008-08-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Northrup Mall at the University of Minnesota, 8 shots merged. This was also the subject of one of my first postings

Cedar Bridge Panorama

2008-08-13T06:12:00.001-07:00

I just discovered the "Photomerge" operation in Photoshop CS3, I can't believe how easy it is! I remember trying to line up pictures in Photoshop 7, now it does it all for you and makes the seams invisible. This was taken from the U of M pedestrian bridge looking the other way from this. You can see (from L to R) Downtown, 35W construction equipment, the stone arch bridge and the mill district.

Ominous

2008-08-12T18:37:00.001-07:00

Finally some rain tonight!

Dinkytown

2008-08-11T21:47:00.001-07:00

Dinkytown is a neighborhood just south of the U of M campus that has a lot of restaurants and shops, I spent way too much time in this particular complex during my undergraduate years.

Farmers Market

2008-08-10T18:04:00.001-07:00

The University of Minnesota's Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday throughout the summer, with all produce coming from within a 70 mile radius of Minneapolis.

Forbes Co

2008-08-09T17:13:00.001-07:00

Near the stone arch bridge.

Gold Medal

2008-08-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

Bookshelf

2008-08-07T13:09:00.001-07:00

I think this is the first picture I've posted taken inside of my house. The "Birds of North America" book is a gift for a friend that is now a year overdue, oops!

Grumpy's

2008-08-06T17:20:00.001-07:00

The legendary Grumpy's bar on Washington, yet not as legendary as the original in Northeast, I'll have to shoot that sometime.

Metal 3

2008-08-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

Shipping container for a local metals factory.

Seven Corners

2008-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

One of the craziest intersections in the city, where downtown, the U of M, 35W, I-94, and Cedar-Riverside meet.

Metal 2

2008-08-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is part of a rusted structure at the Mill Ruins Park.

Mirror

2008-08-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Theme Day- Metal & 35W Anniersary

2008-08-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today's City Daily Photo theme day is metal, and today is also the one year anniversary of the 35W Bridge Collapse. Structural engineers have been trying to piece back together parts of the fallen bridge on the west bank of the U of M campus since the collapse, here is a view from the bridge by the Educational Sciences building. Incredibly, the new bridge is nearly complete, it may even be done by the time of the RNC at the beginning of September. I guess a quarter billion of federal funding goes a long way... I had a couple other contenders for this theme day that I will post later this week.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Blocks

2008-07-31T10:41:00.001-07:00

A series of benches behind the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Fuzzy Transmission

2008-07-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Reflection of a satellite dish in a puddle near my house.

Blue

2008-07-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

I forgot what skyscraper this is, I think it might be Ameritrade, in any case it is somewhere on third avenue downtown.

Uncommon Grounds

2008-07-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

After a long weekend in Virginia seeing my cousin get married, I once again have internet access! It's good to be back... Here is a picture of one of my favorite coffeshops in town, near 28th and Hennepin.

Puppy Pile

2008-07-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Sculpture in the dog park north of Loring Park

Renovations

2008-07-22T15:01:00.001-07:00

A building along the St Anthony Main strip of old warehouses and flour mills that appears to be under renovation, hopefully not into condos as the area is already becoming over-saturated with new residential developments.

Ninth and Third

2008-07-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

The IDS Center, Foshay Tower, and TCF Tower

Lightpole

2008-07-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

I went down to the Stone Arch Bridge last night for the Red Bull Illume exhibit. I failed to get any good pictures of the exhibit but I got this about 5 minutes before they turned the lights on.

View South from the Franklin Ave. Station

2008-07-19T09:44:00.001-07:00

I love the light rail, it gets me downtown quickly for cheap without having to worry about parking. And now it is apparently partially run on wind power! Win-Win! Does your city have good public transportation?

Back Alley

2008-07-18T06:17:00.001-07:00

What is this?

2008-07-17T14:59:00.001-07:00

I see these things everywhere in south Minneapolis, does anybody know what they are? I think it might be a centipede.This guy was about 3" long.

Looking North on Harmon

2008-07-16T06:05:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite streets in the city, partially because it is one of the few where parking meters expire at 6pm

Fountain

2008-07-15T06:18:00.001-07:00

Fountain at the north end of Loring Park, I want to try to shoot this again

Oops...

2008-07-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

Unfortunate design for a playground toy at the University of Minnesota

Power

2008-07-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Popcorn!

2008-07-12T17:59:00.001-07:00

On The Road Again

2008-07-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Biker/Bus

2008-07-10T06:14:00.001-07:00

Palmer's

2008-07-09T06:14:00.001-07:00

Landmark

2008-07-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Pillsbury A

2008-07-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

Hennepin Bridge

2008-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

35W

2008-07-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Downtown Sky

2008-07-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sewer

2008-07-03T06:20:00.001-07:00

St. Thomas

2008-07-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

Haze

2008-07-01T06:31:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis Institute of Art

2008-06-30T06:23:00.001-07:00

Murray's

2008-06-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

I want to eat here someday...

Nicollet Mall

2008-06-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

TCF Tower 2

2008-06-27T06:09:00.002-07:00

TCF Stadium

2008-06-26T10:26:00.001-07:00

TCF Tower 1

2008-06-25T06:25:00.001-07:00