Mike Houge

Brighton Beach revisited:

This is an image from several years back that few folks have seen that I captured at Brighton Beach, one of my favorite places images along Lake Superior. It was one of those below zero mornings that just called out my name as I drove by. Most winters there is ice along the shore but the lake is usually open but this time the weather was calm and cold so ice formed over night.

Unlike the lakes in northern Iowa, Lake Superior seldom freezes over so it's an odd feeling to be in the middle of winter and be along the shore line listening to waves. I think that's one of the many reasons we're drawn to the area in the winter. If you're a winter person and haven't taken a trip north, I think you'd like it. Unlike northern Iowa- the wind is much calmer, which makes being outdoors more enjoyable and mentally having open water it seem less like winter.

We've always enjoyed snowshoeing on the trails and it's not uncommon to find folks camping in the state parks. The Brighton Beach area is a very popular rocky stretch and always bustling with folks hiking or just enjoying the outdoors and is just a short jaunt north of Duluth.

Well as you can tell, I can't wait to make a trip north- thanks for stopping by and have a great week. 

Dreaming of Duluth,MN

I suspect the first winter snow of this winter season finds you dreaming of somewhere warm. For those of you that know me or have been following my blog for a while, you know that I'm dreaming instead of the areas of northern Minnesota. My wife and I have been going to the arrowhead region of Minnesota over Valentines weekend now for several years.

Yes we tend to do things backwards from most people in this area but it's been calling out to us louder each day. For anyone that has fallen in love with the north shore you will understand what I'm talking about, if you haven't, then I hope that someday you give it a chance.

 Someone recently asked me what the draw was and it tried to put into words the feeling I get when I'm along the big lake and as silly as it sounds- it's almost spiritial. Not only is it a quiet place but it's a combination of air that smells of pine, of a big lake that seldom freezes over , of snow that falls straight down and a big blue sky.

The image above is of a view that I find timeless, taken on a walkway overlooking the Duluth skyline from the north. If you're familiar with Duluth, I think  you'll recognize it, if not I hope someday you'll be intrigued enough to want to visit.

Thanks for letting me rant-have a great week and as always thanks for stopping by.

Bringing in the new year:

As a final good by to the holiday season and 2011, I wanted to leave you with one last Christmas image. The above image is of our Christmas cactus in front of the tree as we are about to box  up for the season. This cactus has been handed down from my grand mother to my mother and now to our family. Some years it flowers during Christmas and some years not until Easter but it always manages to flower with or without our help.

For several years now I've tried in vain to capture it's beauty and I never quite accomplish my goal. As a photographer and as in life, it's great to set goals that not only takes us on that magical  journey but continually challenges us to do better and not settle for "good enough". I hope 2012 is full of wonderful journeys for you and your family and again thanks to all of you that have been following my journey the last couple of years. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

Christmas is in the air:

It's been a busy time around the Hedge household and also for many of the folks I've visited with. Dan Ruf and I had our "Throught The Lens" reception last Thursday evening at Arts On Grand and I would like to thank all of you that were so kind to stop by and see our work. For those of you that had conflicts and would like to see our work, it will be up until January 7th.
I will make this quick this week but did want to share some Christmas spirit with you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I want to that all of you that have taken time to visit this site and thank you for your kind comments.
The pink flamingo above is a special gift for our friends Greg and Laurie in Des Moines. We've had a lot of fun over the years with the traveling flamingo and we just never know where it might show up.Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful holiday season.

 

Transitions:

The transition from fall to winter each year has been a had one for me. This year I've decided to make a conscious effort to kick my self out of the nice warm house and get out and capture some winter images. Saturday we had our first ice storm, so today I went out and captured the first of what I hope will be a series of nice winter images.

As a photographier I've found out that that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes and sometimes you just need to open your eyes and pay attention. I have struggled with this for sometime now but I'm finally starting to catch on.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Final fall thoughts:

Two weeks ago, my wife and I headed to NE Iowa for a fall color shoot. The problem-we were two weeks late, fall had come early to NE Iowa this year. So for the next two days we drove to SE Minnesota and NW Wisconsin- only to find fall was early there also.

Looking for some good in a bad photographic journey, we were able to scout some new locations and visit some areas we hadn't been in for some 30 years. For anyone that hasn't visited NE Iowa- it is a beautiful part of the state. There are still small farms every mile or so and some beautiful rolling hills. The river area has lots to see with the towering bluffs and the magnificent Mississippi river. It is a great place to enjoy mother nature.

Also mark on your calendar December 15th- Dan Ruf and I will have a reception for the "Thru The Lens" showing at the Arts On Grand, in Spencer,Iowa. It will give you an opportunity to not only see what Dan & I have been upto this year but also have a chance to visit with us one on one. Hope to see you there, have a great week and as always-thanks for stopping by.

Fall beauties:

Occasionally when you're out shooting an image looks so good in the view finder that you find yourself saying- WOW- out loud and you can't help smiling to yourself. That doesn't happen to me often but this last trip to Minnesota it happened twice, and the two images this week are the wow shots for me. The above image is of a mountain ash tree using an attachment called a lens baby. The following is just a nice image of a birch tree with maple leaves in front. I want to thank you for stopping by this week and I hope you've been able to get out and enjoy fall in your area.
 

Time for play

Having a little extra time to work on some my images, I've been working on a few favorite images I've taken with the idea in mind to add textures and work towards a water color effect.  I was raised with a ink pen and a brush in my hands- going as far back as I can remember - along with a needle and thread (although I don't tell many people that story), so playing with colors seems more natural to me than one might expect.

The images on this weeks blog represent some fun time just playing with the possibilities and seeing where they lead. My trip up north this fall allowed me some time to branch out into the macro area and I have to admit- it was fun.

I hope you have as much time viewing these- as I had creating them. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

2011 fall colors

This September I was able to make my annual fall pilgrimage to northern Minnestoa and after the poor fall color in Iowa this year, I'm sure glad I did. As it worked out I met my friend Dan Ruf at Gooseberry Falls State Park, which we used as our base camp. The farther north we went- the better the colors were.

The above image was captured at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. I was on my way back to the truck when I was struck by the beauty of this scene. There wasn't another person close and all I could hear was the rustle of the wind through the leaves and the smell of fall was definitely in the air.

                    
 
This image was captured at Banning State Park, just north of Hinkley, Mn.Thanks to Dan, this is now a regular stop for me on my way north. My internet is working better now so I hope I can share some more fall images for you soon. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Field Of Dreams:

 
I would never have dreampt that someone in my neighborhood would plant a field of sunflowers, but that's the words out of my daughter Heathers mouth one Sunday as she was back home visiting. It has become a very welcoming sight every morning on the way to work- those large yellow faces greeting the sunlight each and every day. So the other evening I took a small ladder (the flowers are over 6' tall) and my camera gear and walked into the field to see if I could capture their beauty. Little did I know what a challenge it would become, as I've never been surrounded by a large field of flowers and wasn't sure where to start. As it turned out I had a lot of fun with them and from the images you'll see here, I've tried several techniques which I found very entertaining. The above was captured using a lens-baby attachment, which blurs all but the spot you select.

 
The above image was processed in Photo Shop using several different filters. I couldn't help but remember a sunflower painting I think Van Gogh made famous. I love the way the sun highlighted the petals of the flowers.

I had a couple more images to share but the internet tonite is really bad so I'm stopping before I loose what I have already. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great week.