Mike Houge

Mothers Day Weekend:

One couldn't ask for a nicer weekend for Mothers Day. The weather was perfect and we didn't even have that horrible wind blowing in our face. We spent the weekend with our daughters and grand daughters and just really had a great time. Last night was especially nice as we had a camp fire and roasted marsh mellows after a hard day of playing out side.

With everyone home I got up early and cooked breakfast for the mothers and grand kids and this evening we cooked out over the fire and spent a nice relaxing evening. The above Iris is from one of our many beds and I waited all day for the light to be just right before capturing it around 7:30 this evening. I'm not sure which variety of Iris it is- but it's much larger than the other ones and we all thought it was quite striking.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Flower Gardens:

It's so enjoyable to again be outside and capturing images of what's growing outside my own door. We have spent alot of time landscaping our acreage over the years and it is finally starting to pay off. As they say- anything worth well is worth waiting for- or something like that. The above image is of a bleeding heart and I used onOne software for the textures and border.

The above Iris is from in front of our home and again I used the same software for the textures and framing. As you've most likely noticed- I've been having alot of fun using textures to add something extra to the images I've captured. I think myself, like a lot of photographers, are looking for a way to make their images more personal and right now textures fill that gap. It's truly a work in progress.

The above monarch butterfly put on quite a show for me Sunday morning so I spent about half an hour chasing him around the acreage. The image effect was created using Snap Art softwares water color effect and onOne software for the border. I haven't identified the flower yet but the hummers, bees and butterflies sure liked it.

Thanks for stopping by this week and I hope you're finding time to get out and enjoy mother nature.

Working with flowers II:

I must give a big thank you to my youngest daughter, Ariana, for thinking of me by passing on several of the flowers in this weeks images. Once again, mother nature has been working against me and I've had to work inside rather than outdoors taking flower images. I should also thank my wife Pam, for letting me use several of her scarves , not to mention the dining room table this week.

Still life's aren't what I do best and I'd be the first one to tell you that I have a lot of learning ahead of me - but as they say- practice makes perfect ( or at least better). I have a lot of respect for those people that seem to be able to make something out of nothing and just seem to know what works with what. All the books say simple is best so that's what I've been working on. The top image has a wine bottle in the background and the above image has a white bird cage . The textures in this weeks images were from onOne software and a few other resources.

The above image was taken in July of last year and shows some cone flowers from one of our beds here at home. I hope you have enjoyed this weeks images and as always- thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Working with flowers:

My good friend Dan (www.danielruf.typepad.com) and I were visiting about the direction photography sometimes takes us. There's a tide we sometimes find ourselves fighting against and that's the pull between capturing images that the public purchase ( often landscapes) and the others- for example flower and still life images.  I told Dan that I couldn't wait to get over to Orange City when the tulips start to bloom and how much fun I've had the last couple of years capturing the beautiful variety of flowers they plant.

I can't remember the last time I've had someone purchase a flower image but one of the things I look forward to the most during spring and summer- is capturing flowers in a new and exciting way. Now there's also the beautiful sun rises and sunsets, the water falls and streams, not to mention the butterflies- the list goes on . I captured the above mums on my deck- as it was to windy to shoot anything outside.I used an old barn window for the backround of the top image and one of my wifes scarves for the other.

Well, I suspect you get my point- spring is here- lets all get out and enjoy it in our own special way.Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.   

An early spring:

Here in northwest Iowa, we've had one of the warmest winters on record which has caused spring to come much earlier than normal. Last week I couldn't wait any longer for flowers to bloom, so I went to the store and purchased a nice multi-colored bouquet of mums. That was the best $10.00 I've spent in a long time, I should be able to shoot those flowers for a good week or so.

After capturing several images I was happy with, I decided they needed something done with them that would make them stand out from other mum images that I've taken in the past. The above smoke effect I used is from onOne software and is just one of hundreds effects from this software package.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find time to get out and smell the flowers.

Nobles County Pioneer Village:

Last Friday, my friend Dan Ruf ( danielruf.typepad.com ) and I took off for Worthington, MN in hopes of finding out who to talk to about getting in to Pioneer Village to take pictures. Little did we know there would be someone working  that would be kind enough to take time out of their day to not only let us in but to help educate us on their cause.

The Historical Society started with one building around 1968 and now have 2 1/2 acres and 49 buildings, 36 which are available for viewing. For anyone wishing to be carried back to the past, I highly recommend this trip. This little village has it all-  from the train depot, post office, school, church, general store- you name it- anything a small town in the early 1900's would have is here for you to visit.

The above image is of a blue 1942 Ford  that was in fantastic shape - there is also a beautiful 1923 wooden truck that you can visit on Dans blog. There was also a small collection of vehicles including a firetruck and a couple old snowmobiles. They are open from Memorial Day thru Labor Day and are open Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5 and charge $6.00 for adults and $1.00 for kids 6yrs thru 15 and kids 5 and under are free. Also free will offerings are welcomed.

I hope you've enjoyed this little travel -log and will consider supporting this good cause. Thanks for stopping by and have a good week.

Vintage images:

My friend Dan Ruf (www.danielruf.typepad.com) and I met at the Peterson Homestead along Ingham Lake last week and spent a couple hours capturing images of the past. It's always more fun shooting when you can share the experience with a fellow photograper.

I debated for several days how to best show these images and what you see above was first processed in color, then to black and white and finally run through onOne software with three different layers. I hope you like the old time feel.

Have a great week and as always- thanks for taking time to comment-it's always appreciated.

Gooseberry Falls State Park:

I've been dreaming about a trip up north, so to fill those needs I've been revisiting some images from past trips that I haven't found time to process.These two images are fromm Gooseberry Falls State Parkwhich is about an hour north of Duluth, Minnesota and is one of the most popular state parks in the state. My family has fallen in love with Gooseberry and over the years I've taken enough images of this area to make a good sized book. There are five falls in this park and the above image is of the fourth falls

The above image is an angle of the middle falls that I've never taken until this fall when for some reason the angle of the trees really hit me. As I mature as a photographer, I'm learning to see more shapes and textures in nature that four years ago would have been oblivious to me. I give my friend Dan Ruf some of the credit for this, as we often spend hours discussing the ins and outs of photography techniques.

Both of these images were processed to resemble oil paintings and given a border to set them off. If you haven't been to Lake Superior or the northshore drive and you like to spend time enjoying nature- I highly recommend this area. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

New and Old:

I've been spending time this week improving my skills at using textures on images. It's a time consuming adventure but one I get a lot of satisfaction from. The above image of a cone flower heads was taken earlier this week, simplistic but I feel it offers a glimpse of what's outside this time of the year.

The above image is of an old friend-revisited. This old fishing boat was along the shoreline of Lake Superior but vandals have since destroyed it and this is the only workable image I have of it. I've visited this spot many times and had always hoped to get a good capture of it with an early morning sunrise with some really cool clouds-but I'll have to settle for the spider web. As my friend Dan has heard me say all to often- it's all about the journey not the destination. 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and your comments are always welcomed. Have a great week.

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.