Mike Houge

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.

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.

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.
 

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.

A work in progress:

 
Photography for most people I know is a constant work in progress. You have to continually be trying something new and pushing your abilities or you get left in the dust by the multitudes if new photographers. I know what I want my work to represent but I don't always get the result I envision, so as my title states "it's a work in progress". The above image was taken on one of my few free moments this week and as mother nature wasn't giving me a calm moment , I decided to take advantage of the wind she was giving me.

 
Thanks to my friend Dan Ruf, I was directed to this new little spot in Spirit Lake that has a great selection of wild flowers. Needless to say I had a lot of fun on a hot humid afternoon in between rain drops- thanks Dan.

 
That's about it for this week, hope you're finding ways to stay cool. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

 

 

My little piece of heaven:

 
This time of the year for so many of us is a double edge sword-on one side we really love the summer season for the beauty and warmth it often brings but we also resent how busy this season can also be. Here on the Houge acreage we always seem to have a long list of things to get done but after 25 years of tweaking it's finally starting to become our little piece of heaven. We have a covered deck on the front of our home that we spend the warm mornings and evenings watching the humming birds and oriels and a three seasons room on the back of the home that we spend our time when its cool or rainy. I have built pathways to many of our buildings and have also built several arbors over the pathways for climbing vines.

 
The above barn cat ( 1 of 18 or so) was watching me as I was playing with my lens-baby lens, wondering what the heck I was doing on my belly in the flower garden. My wife's flower gardens also are constantly being tweaked but bless her heart- she tolerates me traipsing through them to get my shots. After playing around in our little piece of heaven for a hour and a half and taking 35 or so images- I ended up deleting all but these two. I guess its not all that easy even in heaven to take a good image- HA!

As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by and I hope you find time to tomorrow to remember those that have given their lives for our country and those family members of times gone by. Have an enjoyable Memorial Day!

Dreaming Of Flowers:

 
This weeks photo blog is for anyone dreaming of spring. Here in northwest Iowa, mother nature has been teasing us with some nice warm weather and then taking it away. On a trip to Storm Lake Friday, I couldn't help but notice  that they had no snow but here at home I still have some five foot drifts. Now today we receive more snow and the weatherman is predicting some nasty stuff for Monday and Tuesday- wow!

 

I'm hoping the flowers on this blog will bring some temporary warmth into your life and remind you that no matter how much nastiness mother nature sends us, she has never not  brought us spring. The images on this weeks blog have been created using Totally Rads software and  if it interests you check out www.danielruf.typepad.com or www.tonysweet.comfor some other variations of textures using a variety of software.

 
The first image at the top of the page was taken in Orange City, Iowa just after their Tulip Festival. If you've never visited their festival, I highly recommend it. The middle image of Lupines was taken at the O'Brien County Nature Centers prairie set aside, which is also a great place to visit- any time of the year. The last image is of a young cone flower and was taken near Lost Island Lake. I would like to thank you for stopping by and don't give up dreaming of spring- it will be here soon. Have a great week. 

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.