Snowy Floral

The return of winter?
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Geese 'O Landing

Geese coming in for a landing with a noisy ruckus. The serene turtle pond is disturbed by these honking geese.

Gabby and Abby

"Hey, don't look back, but there is a biped stalking us".
A bit of anthropomorphizing but have you ever wondered what our subjects think when we are in their space trying to get that perfect photo?

Green Morning Light

Mississippi River backwaters on a bright sunny morning. Yes, once again, I have taken yet another photo from the Coon Rapids Regional Park. There are plenty of hiking trails to enjoy. Some are paved and others are not. A nice walk through prairie fields that give way to forested areas along the river. Earlier in the morning, (and again in the late evening) are the best times to capture stunning colors. It also helps to use a circular polarizing filter to enhance the colors as I have done here. This is not an HDR image.

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Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/15
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Partial Metering
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 28.0 mm
Image Quality RAW
White Balance Mode Shade

A sports note; congratulations to FC Barcelona. Yesterday, they won the Champions League in Rome Italy 2-0 over Manchester United. A recap, Manchester United owned the match and played superior football, (soccer) in the opening 10 minutes. That is when Barcelona scored. Afterward, Barcelona controlled the match, catching Manchester United flatfooted and unable to put anything together.

The Canal

Minneapolis - City of Lakes

The canal between Lake of the Isles, seen beyond the bridge to the north and the Calhoun Lagoon and Lake Calhoun to the south.

Memorial Day

Actually, the day after Memorial Day. We're back in town now after a weekend with my family in northern Minnesota.

Normandy Beaches

American Cemetery, Normandy, France
Photos from the archive. These photos were taken in April of 2008.

Two Years

Today marks the second anniversary of the North Metro Blogspot. I've been at this photo-blogging for two years, here is my first post. The direction and scope has changed a number of times and I think I have improved in this hobby. I hope to continue to keep this fresh with new ideas and techniques. In the meantime, please enjoy these egret photos.

Great Egret

Kermit?

Gotta' Scratch

I tagged along behind this deer for 15 minutes. She didn't seem to mind my presence, but always tried to keep a tree or shrub between us.

Turtle Log

The sun's warmth draws everyone out to bask in it's glory. Unfortunately, it is rush hour in this pond.

R & R

Rest and Relaxation.
These suburban deer are quite used to people walking the trails through the park reserve. She kept a wary eye on me while continuing to rest in the ferns.

Lake Harriet Bandshell

The bandshell and pavilions on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.

Morning Light

One of many large lakeside summer homes in northern Minnesota. Lake Vermilion.

Roma, Italia

Travel Tuesdays

Last Friday, Mrs. DL and I went to see the movie Angels & Demons. We both agreed it was an excellent movie, typical for the works of Ron Howard; I shall rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are a few graphic scenes, but overall, not over the top. Best of all, the viewer gets a quick tour of Rome. We enjoyed reliving our past trip to Rome by viewing this film and hope to return to that wonderful city. So in honor of this movie, I give you Rome for Travel Tuesday. (Please excuse the low quality of these photos. I took these in 2006, before I knew how to photograph).

St. Peter's Basilica

Castel San Angelo

Entanglement

Yes, a repeat of sorts, I've already shown you Riverbank Roots. Well, here we go again, I thank you for your patience. I find these tree roots along the Mississippi River fascinating. The tree clings to the banks; the water is it's life. Yet in time from spring time floods and erosion, water is it's death. Anyway, I liked the details and thought it worth a second look.

Two Things Challenge - Work / Play

This week's Two Challenge is Work / Play
Need a break from downtown? Try these Lake Calhoun rentals in Minneapolis.

Peregrine Falcon

Raptor Release at Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. This handsome falcon posed for us photographers.

Pavilion

Where many a concert and picnics have taken place inside.

Mother Goose

Out for a brisk walk

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Tagged

Christopher of Denmark tagged me yesterday.
The rules are simple: Tag and link back to the person who tagged you. List six (un) important things that make you happy. Tag six bloggers and let them know they're “it”. We all feel this blogging community to be one of inclusion and friendship.

My six (un) important things that make me happy:
a hike with my camera
post processing photos
the smell of fresh baked bread
veiwing a Manchester United match
baseball
a bicycle ride

My six tagged bloggers :
Chandler A to Z
Babzy Photos
Emm in London
Just Roaming the Cities
Photography by Alex
Cheltenham Daily Photo

Egret Fan

Practice with panning. Now if I can get him to stand still in a pond for a reflection photo.

San Gimignano, Italy

Travel Tuesdays

Dragons of San Gimignano

Sweeping the Streets

Medievale Passaggio

Riverbank Roots

Synchronized Sunbathing

The next Olympic Event

Tables and Trusses

Concert Pavilion at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park along the Mississippi River.

Rocky

Great Horned Owl chick. We quietly walked through the woods and spotted this owl chick. We were a considerane distance away using a focalpoint of 300mm. I also had to crop the image. I'm really wishing I had that 500mm to eliminate the cropping process.

Mr. White

A sports break; congratulations to Barcelona yesterday's match against Chelsea. UEFA Champions League. Barcelona scored in the 90 +2 mark to tie the match and proceed to the finals. I've been following this League on ESPN most of winter and spring. I'll wager anyone a Guinness on a Manchester United win in Rome on May 27th.

White duck in Mississippi River. Friendly duck, the only white duck in the area. He spends his time with three other drake mallards along the island shore, and o course me on this day.

Mississippi Overflow

Coon Rapids Dam

Osprey

Osprey in flight.
Notice the split wing. He suffered this injury years ago from a fight with a Bald Eagle.

Nesting pair, he brings wood material for nest building on the platform. Since this photo, they moved to their other nest on the power tower. More to come.

iphone

An old relic seen nearly everywhere but no longer used, the pay phone. I wonder what will replace the cell phone.

Doe, A Deer, A Female Deer

Ray, a drop of golden sun...

I've been spending a lot of time at the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, lately. Many mornings, I meet up with fellow Osprey viewing regulars to check on the progress of the nesting pair. On a side trip along one of the trails, we spotted these three deer. Matter of fact, there were nearly 20 deer around us. Check out Ron's nature report here; Nature Walks and Thoughts. Ron has wonderful bird photos, a wealth of knowledge and has a knack for spotting and pointing out birds for us to photo-shoot.


View Larger Map

Jet Stream

White Egret streaming in flight

The Chase

May Day! May Day!
Round Two. A Bald Eagle chases an Osprey across the Mississippi River from where I was standing. This Osprey was previously injured in a battle with a Bald Eagle years prior. He is easily identified by his torn but healed left wing. Stay tuned, more Osprey pics on Tuesday, and probably more afterward.
This was my first attempt at panning while shooting an image. Needless to say I need more work on panning.