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This is a picture of Heidi posing in her robe with the help of Mommy. I thought it turned out pretty cool. I used the lasso tool in Photoshop and created a vignette around Heidi by adjusting the levels. Then I adjusted the curves into a 'S' pattern which helped Heidi pop out more in the image. Then some texture in the background. Done.

Old Skool

I'm in the process of scanning over a thousand picture slides that my Dad has taken over the years. Some slides are over 45 years old. This is a so much fun going through all of these slides.

This is a picture of me at 2 months of age.




This is one of my favorites so far. This is after a snow storm back in 1967 in Michigan City, IN. Check out the old Clark and Texaco gas stations. It kind of reminds me of the movie A Christmas Story. OH FUDGE!

What I am rocking out to

Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Chuck Lorre Productions

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #270
Jillian had a urinary tract infection... again.

That sentence appeared in my head a few days ago, just as you see it above. I have no idea what it means, other than the obvious, and I don't know anyone named Jillian. Regardless, I thought it'd be interesting to begin a vanity card with it and just see where it goes.

Jillian had a urinary tract infection... again. Her doctor liked to abbreviate the condition to UTI. She liked to abbreviate it to TMH - Too Much Humping. Regardless, the road back to vaginal happiness was always the same: cranberry juice and abstinence. Thankfully, her boyfriend, Dudley, was always very understanding. He'd just smile, hold her in his arms and say, "Well, babe, when one door closes, another one opens up." She'd always giggle and blush when he'd say that, but deep down she wished she had the courage to cover his mouth and nose with a chloroform-soaked rag, and then, while he was unconscious, snip off his testicles with the little scissors she uses to groom her schnauzer.

All of which explains why the next sentence popped into my head recently.

Nobody sang Bee Gees songs on karaoke night like Dudley.

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Hastings, MN

On Saturday I drove to Hastings to takes some pictures of Vermillion Falls Park, Ramsey Mill and Old Mill Park. Link to all pictures.

Quick history of the area.
The Ramsey Mill was built by Alexander Ramsey and Dr. Thomas Foster in 1856-1857 on the Vermillion River in the town of Hastings in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The river had a head of 19 feet (6 m) and a width of 50 feet (15 m) near the 4 story gristmill. An addition included a cooper shop and storage facility. Although Ramsey sold his interest in 1877, it retained his name. Maximum output was achieved in 1894, at 125 barrels per day. On December 22, 1894, the building burned, possibly due to arson.

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ConAgra Foods Inc Hastings, MN

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Happy Thanksgiving!

The Hunt

After walking WMA fields the past 3 weekends and not kicking up any pheasants it was a time for a change (Yes I know Pete, we could drive 5 hours to South Dakota and pay $110 for a license and find some birds but none of us have the time or money for that) so we found an alternative. The five of us pitched in $20 bucks and bought 16 Chukar Partridges to place in the fields. We placed 4 birds at a time in the field and let the dogs kick them up to shoot. It was a lot of fun! The 56 degree November day was also a bonus. We shot 13 of the 16 birds. This was only my second time hunting and so far I really like it. Its nice to get out, walk the fields and enjoy the weather that Minnesota has to offer.

Here are some pictures from the last couple hunts.

Open This!

Like its cheesy cousin Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Velveeta Shells and Cheese boxes are also impossible to open. "Insert thumb and lift to open", if only it was that easy.

After decimating the side of the box you finally get to the goods.

Who's Da Mastah?

Does anyone else remember this classic 80's movie filled with so much awesomeness that you have to wear a nuclear radiation suit so you don't catch a fever?

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Messing around with texture.

What I am rocking out to

Not something I would normally listen to but this album is catchy as all hell. It kind of reminds me of Veruca Salt if they went pop.

Morningwood - Diamonds and Studs

Long Exposure

These were taken in the Minnesota Valley Natural Wildlife Refuge, also known as the Bass Ponds, along the Minnesota River.

101 second exposure.

71 second exposure. The streaks of light are two planes landing at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International.

Random Picture...My Baby Girl

I was fooling around with the 50mm 1.4f lens and flash today. This is one of my favorite pictures of Heidi so far. You can see the complete set of 6 Month pictures HERE.

Trains, No Planes Or Automobiles

A couple days ago Aimee and I were driving down Kenwood Trail AKA Co Rd 50 through Lakeville and I saw a boxcar with a picture of Marge Simpson so I had to go back and take some pictures. You can view them all HERE.

Rocking the Suburbs...

...or should I say downtown Minneapolis. Aimee and I went to see Ben Folds at Orchestra Hall Saturday night. Only a couple days prior to the concert did I realize that Ben was playing with the Minnesota Orchestra. I figured he was playing at Orchestra Hall because of the venue size and didn't think anything of it. We sat in the middle of the first row in the first tier. Orchestra Hall was a beautiful venue but more equipped for instrumental music (Duh). The vocals were not loud enough so you could hear Ben over the Orchestra. It was a very good concert but very toned down to what you would expect from a Ben Folds concert until the encore. Ben came back out and performed 3 encores. The 1st encore with the Orchestra which was obviously planned. Then the fans clapped and chanted for a couple minutes, the orchestra left and he played Rock this Bitch and Army. The energy in the room was through the roof. After he left the stage the crowd was chanting "Ben, Ben, Ben" and clapping for another 10 minutes straight until he came back on stage and played Rocking the Suburbs. At this point the crowd went nuts! Everyone on the main floor stood up and rushed to the front of the stage. You got the feeling that everyone was craving for the piano smashing vulgar language Ben to show up that night but got the toned down church lady version. Never the less the show was really good and the Minnesota Orchestra was a fine tuned machine. I will definitely be watching to see if Ben returns to Minneapolis, hopefully to First Ave this time.

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Heidi Bear

Berger Family Portraits

Along with Senior Pictures Aimee's coworker wanted some family portraits. We started at 10am but the sun was out in full force. I tried my best to find some shady spots to reduce any harsh shadows on their faces. I did manage to get a few decent shots off. Also trying to shoot with a dog was interesting.

I thought this was one of the best pictures because of the height advantage of the shot. Plus this might be the only picture with somewhat of a smile on Taylor's face. The rest of the pictures are HERE.

Minneapolis Uptown

Link to pictures

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Senior Portraits

Aimee's coworker asked me to do her daughters senior portraits. This is my first attempt with any portraits, or at least by myself. I learned a lot from doing these portraits that will definitely help me with future ones. Lenses used were a Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM & 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. I shot most of the pictures at the Mill City Ruins in downtown Minneapolis. Here is a link to Rebecca's Senior Portraits.

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"how you doin'?"

Schell's Brewery

We took a small detour to New Ulm on the way back from Mankato on Sunday to check out the Schell's Brewery tour. The last time Aimee and I stopped at Schell's they did not have the tours that day. I must say that I was pretty disappointed with the Schell's tour. The tour starts in the museum with a 10 minute intro and history of the brewery. Next you go outside and they give you some history about the brewery grounds such as the houses and the creek where they got the water for the brewing process. Then you go inside one of the builds which looked like it was patched with Mighty Putty. I mean this building was very rickety and they should give you a hard hat to go inside. Inside the building you only get to view one copper kettle and you are pretty much done. Of course you get to do the taste testing but I wanted to see more of the inside of the brewery. The most entertaining part of the tour was the crazy long haired hippie lady that clearly had long-term psychoemotional effects from her years of LSD addiction. Heck, she may have been tripping balls during the brewery tour, who knows.

All of the pictures can be viewed HERE

Snow?

It's October 12th and we already have snow. There is 2" on the ground and the snow flurries are still falling outside. Winter (with snow) is my favorite season but it would be nice to still enjoy the fall colors that have yet to peak. Hopefully this snow will not ruin that.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations to Eric and Liz James!! Beautiful wedding, beautiful reception, beautiful couple!!

Link to PICTURES

A Canon of a Lens

I rented a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens for 10 days for playing around with at Eric and Liz's wedding and taking some Senior pictures for a friends daughter. I just got the lens today and this is one beefy lens. Retailing for $1349.99 this lens better take some exceptional pictures. Here is a quick taste of what it can do.

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Nothing exciting, just the path in front of our townhouse. I setup the camera on a tripod, used the wired remote and held the shutter open for about 7-8 seconds. I was hoping to find an overpass and capture some traffic but laziness got the best of me. Maybe next time.

What I am rocking out to

The Wombats - A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation

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Who dat? Who dare? Are use a pugs?

Arizona Visitors

My sister Rori and her daughter Molly came up from Phoenix, Arizona for a visit this past weekend. I have only seen Molly once before and she just turned 3 years old. Too bad they had to endure our crappy rainy weather for 5 days. We went to the Mall of America a couple times, MN Zoo and the Children’s Museum. We all had a great time and can’t wait to see them again at Christmas. Here is a link to all of the pictures

Merry-Go-Round at Nickelodeon Universe. Molly also loves the log flume ride.



Molly was NOT thrilled with this ride. The ride seemed calm but it whips you around the corners. She kept on saying, "Mommy off! Mommy off!". This ride traumatized her for the next few rides.



As you can see...traumatized. This was just a little train ride. Nice and slow.



Molly playing with the ping pong ball water pressure tube thing at the Children’s Museum. She is one cute little kid.



Molly working on her M's.



Molly cooking up something tasty in the kitchen.



Look at that smile!

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand

2016 Olympic Games goes to Rio de Janeiro, sorry Chicago you have been owned by a higher crime rate city. Even Oprah could not work her Harpo magic. Oh don't cry Chicago, now you can get back to enjoying a normal life and contributing to society.