Guardian Oak

Hillside Cemetery, Minneapolis.

Its the end of May; all we have to show for May was the memories. May proved to be cold, damp, and windy. The Minnesota Fishing Opener was delayed in northern Minnesota due to the lakes being locked in with ice. The ice finally receeded mid May. More cloudy days than sunny with below normal temps. A sign global warming is over? We shall remember this cold dreary May 2008 as the year we didn't go fishing on the Opener.

Yep, another HDR image, this time in black and White:

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/45 - Autoexposure Bracketing 0

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/125 - Autoexposure Bracketing -1 1/2

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/15 - Autoexposure Bracketing +1 1/2

Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6

Autoexposure Bracketing 0

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 17.0 mm

White Balance Mode Daylight

High Blue

Water water everywhere, too much to possibly drink. High water season, too high for adding the deck onto the dock.

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/50

Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 28.0 mm

White Balance Mode Daylight

Ledgerock

From the rocky shore of Lake Vermilion.
Yes, this is another HDR photo. I need the practice at this type of photography. I will spare you the intricate details or tutorials. Other fellow photographers and bloggers have excellent tutorials you can search out. HDR can be taken to two extremes; over saturated and tonemapped for a surreal cartoonish look, or processed in a realistic manner.
There is a place for HDR photography when there is a high range between the dark and bright areas in the subject you wish to shoot. Such as this photo. No, its not a great composition or photo, but a good example of bright and dark. The camera senses the brights skyline, but the rocky foreground will become a black blob shadow.

I wanted to show the rocky shoreline with the cracks and crevices in the rock against the bright pre-sunset lakeside sky. I took 3 photos, information shown below, and merged them into one image. That's where the tonemapping fun begins with Photomatix to bring out the details. But there is a fine line to watch for, otherwise you will cross over into the cartoonish look seen in this Arbys photo post.
I do find it fun to create a cartoonish image, I prefer the realistic look that shows more detail that would be lost to the shadows.

Three photos taken at:

Tv( Shutter Speed ): 1/13 - Autoexposure Bracketing 0

Tv( Shutter Speed ): 1/50 - Autoexposure Bracketing -2

Tv( Shutter Speed ): 0.3 - Autoexposure Bracketing +2

Av( Aperture Value ): f11.0

ISO Speed: 100 Focal Length: 17.0 mm

White Balance Mode: Daylight

HDR merged into one image via Photomatix

Colored Textures

Variety of moss on granite.

Blue Skies Over Paris

Concorde Fountain

Arc de Triomphe

Memorial Day

Fort Snelling National Cemetery - Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Today we celebrate Memorial Day and honor those who served our country. Each Friday at the start of the long Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I make the rounds to the local cemeteries and visit our departed relatives. Two of my uncles (one my Godfather) along with my Grandfather, (who served in WW I as a pilot), rest here at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Over the hill behind them is the airport, a fitting place to rest for both Grandfather and his son. My uncle worked at this very airport as a jetliner mechanic.

For more information, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Snelling_National_Cemetery

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/125

Av( Aperture Value ) 11.0

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 17.0 mm

White Balance Mode Daylight

Memorial Flowers
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60

Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 85.0 mm

White Balance Mode Daylight

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Collerville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France.
The cemetery is located on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach (one of the landing beaches of the Normandy Invasion) and the English Channel. It covers 70 ha (172 acres), and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. The graves face westward, towards the United States.

For more information, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/60

Av( Aperture Value ) 11.0

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 66.0 mm

White Balance Mode Auto

2 Things Challenge - In the Sky / On the Ground

Finally, I am getting back on schedule. This week's 2 Things Weekly Challenge is In the Sky and On the Ground. The scene is from Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota.

A couple of things to see; In the Sky; clouds and trees stretched upward into the sky. And On the Ground, once again trees, (forest) and water, (lake).

Shooting Mode Manual Exposure

Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/20

Av( Aperture Value ) 11

ISO Speed 100

Focal Length 17.0 mm

White Balance Mode Daylight

Loggerhead

More wood waiting to be split. Fire wood heats you three times; once when you cut it, once when you split it, and finally when you burn it.

Circular Rust

Dock pipes waiting to stand another season in the lake.

Av( Aperture Value ): f5.6

Tv( Shutter Speed ): 1/500

ISO Speed: 100

Focal Length: 33.0 mm

White Balance Mode: Daylight

One Year this Weekend

This weekend, May 25th , Dusty Lens will have been online for one full year. A milestone for me as I never thought I would make it a full year. Early on, I all but gave up on this daily photo idea. But MK saved this blog and demanded I get back to this photo work. A big thank you to MK, aka Kakeroo. Grazie, Merci!

And thank you, the viewers of the North Metro blogspot, for your interest and viewing this humble photoblog.

I started out as simply a photo blog, a way to improve my photography skills and techniques. Then I met the wonderful world of City Daily Photo. After much time living in the north metro, I am finding that there is more to photograph than in my hometown. I will continue to upload photos from the north metro as I also add photos from other areas of my travels.

Which brings me to you, the viewers of this photo blog. I'd like to make this a more interactive site. What is it you would like to see here? Please post suggestions of what you would like to see on these pages. I will try to accomplish your task.

Rusty gears

Years of service, holding the dock up all winter long. Cable winch to raise the cantilever dock.

The Wood Pile

Back in September , I posted about my frightening experience with an enormous spider at the wood pile. This past weekend, I once again set out to tackle the task of splitting firewood.

Going back to the wood pile to grab another log to split, I grabbed something soft that started squeaking.I grabbed thing little fellow's wing.

Carefully, I set it back on the woodpile, then covered it with birch bark. The bat was quite lethargic as it was chilly outside; only 44 degrees F, 7 degrees C. I hope he survives. These little creatures devour more mosquitoes than we can swat.

Hmm, another springtime project, building bat houses.

HDR Views

Eiffel Tower over the River Seine
Queen's Theatre, Versailles.

Old White Pine

Gnarled and weathered, standing stately near the lake shore. Some time decades ago, lightning struck the white pine, breaking it a third of the way up. Now this tree has an unique appearance.

Avant Garden Espresso Bar

Order and pickup, sandwiches and coffee to go in Anoka.

Cold Morning

But Doree seems content on our deck railing.

Dining at Grandma's

Grandma's Saloon and Grill on Washington Ave. A great place for happy hour and burgers, the stuffed wild rice mushrooms are quite tastey too.

Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame at night. Construction started in 1163, finished in 1233 on the site of a Roman Temple.

Main alter of Notre Dame.

Minnesota, 150 Years of Statehood

Minnesota, located in the midwest; south of Ontario amd Manitoba Canada. This year we celebrate 150 years of statehood. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"; those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named, together with state and national forests and parks, offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.

Minnesota's state symbols:[119]
State bird: Common Loon
State butterfly: Monarch
State drink: Milk
State fish: Walleye
State flower: Pink and white lady slipper
State fruit: Honeycrisp apple
State gemstone: Lake Superior agate
State grain: Wild rice
State motto: L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North")
State muffin: Blueberry
State mushroom: Morel
State photograph: Grace
State song: "Hail! Minnesota"
State tree: Red Pine also known as Norway Pine
Nicknames:
"Land of 10,000 Lakes"
"North Star State"
"Gopher State"
"Land of Sky-Blue Waters"
"Bread and Butter State"
"State of Hockey"

For more Wiki-information, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota

Black Coffee

Espresso, real coffee, (not tea) and elegant in a jet black mug and saucer. From Cafe' Le Bosquet, Paris.

Green Stump

A stump in the woods.

Pizza Time

Punch Pizza in Northeast Minneapolis.

Flat Venice

Flashback.

Venetion lagoon in downtown Minneapolis? But where is Flat Stanley?

Across the Pond

Garden view, a reflective peek.

Tour Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower.

The last 10 days were spent exploring the beautiful city of Paris, France. And yes, I am still suffering from jet lag.

City Daily Photo community has a number of resident bloggers depicting this beautiful city. My "2 for Tuesday" will simply be a tourist's perspective of Paris.

Please visit Paris, France through the eyes of Parisians:

http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/

http://bebelog-lulupo.blogspot.com/

http://parissetmefree.blogspot.com/

http://anidem.typepad.com/

Corner Coffee Shop

Daniela's in Forest Lake sereves coffee, espresso, imported treats and candy, but best of all gelato!

We Have Returned

Scenes from the north land

But from where?

New for the format; we will depart from the North Metro on Tuesdays and change up the submittals of our 2 for Tuesday theme to bring you this post on location project.
Stay tuned for Tuesday.

Goldy

Scenes from the north land

Common Goldeneye