Mike Houge

The Joy Of Photography:

The image above is not the one I was hoping to show you this week. I went out this morning with a prop and had hoped to capture some of the local song birds sitting on the pine branch I had cut off one of our many pine trees. I had that perfect image in mind and was sure I'd come home with it. After all- how hard can it be-you see those perfect images all the time of the black-caped chickadee turning around and almost smiling at the photographer and saying look at me- here I am.

Well I didn't get that perfect image, in fact all the images I brought home- I deleted. Now some folks would be upset and have all kind of reasons to be mad or why it went wrong but you know-I really had fun. It was quiet and the birds actually put on quite a show for me. There were flickers ,goldfinches , chickadees , downy woodpeckers ,of course sparrows and a noisy squirrel.

I was reminded of a friend of mine that just recently purchased a new camera and is just having a ball taking shots of everything she can. Fern helped put things in perspective for me- we sometimes have to remember why many of us started capturing images to begin with "it's fun" to capture what we enjoy . So Fern- if you're reading this- keep having fun capturing those things you enjoy-your excitement has been addictive.

In regards to the above image- it's from Amnicon State Park in Wisconsin and the bridge in the background is a 100 year old bow bridge. The image was processed to look like an oil painting and had a border added.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great week.

 

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.

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.

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.

Minnesota follow-up :

 
This image was taken at Two Harbors, Mn 2 weeks ago. Everything was coated in ice and it was cold and windy but the greenish color to the thick ice and the handrails leading out to the lighthouse attracted me to this image.

 
It was a little warmer this morning so I didn't get the fog I was hoping for but the sunrise with the sun dog was eye catching. The ice shards were found in the bays where the wind would push them up along the shore but even then they were hard to find. This image was just north of Duluth about three miles.

 
This was taken at Canal Park in Duluth, MN. Very similar to last weeks leading image but without the tree and bench. It took several shots to capture all the lights and reflections in the fog but I thought this was a keeper. I would like to thank you for stopping by and I hope we have a warmer week.

Playing Inside:

 
The weather in NW Iowa today is nasty-icy and windy with the power going on and off- so it was a good day to play inside. If you've been following my blog, you know I've been learning how to use textures with my images. The above image is from Chester Park in Duluth, MN and one of my regular haunts.It has it all, water, bridges and trees- you can't get better than that.

 
This shed is on Stoney  Point north of Duluth and I've photographed this poor shed over a dozen times, trying to capture what my minds eye sees. This is the closest I've come to that image yet.

 
This image is from Gooseberry Falls State Park just north of Two Harbors and is one I visit often. I seldom get any winter images from here as it's very slippery and dangerous to get around and it often has a dirty look. This bridge and the steps behind it looked like a good opportunity and I'm glad it turned out. Thanks for stopping by and have a good week.

A Sweet Gift:

 
For several years now my wife and I have given each other for Valentines Day- a trip to northern Minnesota. We usually stay at a cabin where we can cook our own meals and one that is centrally located to an area I wish to photograph. This year we stayed near Knife River at Island View Resort and even though it was bitter cold at times, we had a nice relaxing time. The image above was taken at Canal Park in Duluth and the -14 degree weather made for some awesome fog. The sunrise was beautiful that morning and the fog rolled in for hours.

 
This image was taken at Leif Erickson Park just a mile or so north of Canal Park. I had been down at the lake taking ice shard images and as I was crossing a walkway to leave -I did a double take- this scene could be in the 1930's as well as today, truly timeless.

 
This final image was taken at Amnicon Falls State Park in Wisconsin. I've captured this bridge from several angles over the years and I'm still trying to get it just right. Amnicon Falls is a lovely smaller park with lots of trees and running water- my kind of place. I hope you all had a great Valentines Day and thanks again for stopping by. Have a great week.

Winter fun:

 
Winter for most people in NW Iowa is a time to slow down and enjoy family for a few months, before life gets hectic in the summer months. In our family we tend to have more comfort foods, drink more warm beverages and we spend more time reading our favorite books.

Photographically, I use the winter months to learn new techniques and skills. There has been a reaction growing over the last several years against the ultra-sharp modern day perfect images. I've been resisting this trend quite honestly because for the last several years- a sharp images is what I've been striving for. But after six years of honing my skills, I think I'm ready to branch out and try new (old) ideas.

 
What you see represented here is a technique called texturing. It's a creative way of taking your images back to the early days of darkroom processing and attempting to duplicate the flaw or charactor of yesterdays process. Feedback is always welcomed and I'd love to know your thoughts on this subject. If you have an interest in this medium go to www.triciamckellar.com , she has this technique down to an art or go to www.flypapertextures.blogspot.com and you'll find some great images and blogs.

 

Thanks for stopping by and remember to have fun out there- winter is now half way over.