Light, just different.

I have been thinking a great deal about taking photos in Minnesota as I am worried a bit about being perceived as a one-trick pony, a photographer who can only take photos off his deck or if there is a waterfall or a mountain in front of him. Saturday provided a nice opportunity to begin the process of documenting my new home, as it was a beautiful day for photos. Great light, wonderful frost on the trees, so nice you might almost forget that it was zero when I woke up.

Photography is obviously all about light, and there is light here, so I need to quit complaining and start photographing. Interestingly enough, in all those trips to Europe and beyond with students, and even the many trips by myself, I often remind others (and myself) that what you see and experience in a new place is not necessarily better or worse but simply different. I'd best heed that...this is different light and it shines on different things, but it is not necessarily better or worse. Just different, and still pretty good. At least it is something to start with as I rediscover the Midwest.

The broader scenic with the trees is near Collegeville, NW of St. Cloud. The frosted pine trees are near the Stearns' County offices. Interestingly, the larger vase in one of the previous posts was made by a friend's uncle, and this very good potter works with glazes that once fired look like crystals, and while more the vase is more colorful, the pine tree is actually is pretty similar to those patterns. The vertical is the alley by my house, and the horizontal of the branch and the open sign is of my "local." My local bakery, that is, which is but 63 steps from my front door. My mouth waters by the time I hit the last step, and my blood sugar starts spiking. It probably isn't as good as Meeks' in Defiance, another fine bakery that I frequented, but the pastries and donuts are literally as big as your head. More about my friends there, soon.