The dark side of the moon – er, capitol
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That last step’s a doozy
Obligatory capitol New Year’s Day photo
We spent New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house with a ton of folks from church, then came home to put the little ones to bed before midnight. I figured I’d just snap my capitol shots after dark on New Year’s Day. That didn’t go entirely as planned, however.
First it was snowing, which on a long exposure can ruin a shot. Then, once the snowfall tapered off and I ventured out, the wind picked up. Again, that’s devastating to a long exposure. I did finally catch a brief window of calm to get my rather generic 2013 shot.
I wanted to be all creative…after all, I’ve been discovering new angles all around the capitol grounds lately, but the cold and wind shut me down. I’ll try to brainstorm something for 2014 instead…and take the first opportunity to photograph it, not the last.
Now the windows will return to normal until Independence Day!
It’s always colder in Mandan – MUCH colder today
Or maybe it’s time to get something calibrated.
Midnight vigil – from a different angle
The sky was perfect, the weather fantastic, and Bismarck appeared to have drifted into a sleepy calm which is sadly uncommon these days. I roamed around for a couple of hours, and even found a new perspective on the capitol’s Christmas attire. Hiking along the walking path to the north, I decided to venture off into the snow a little bit and was rewarded with this shot.
I’m still on the mend from this nasty bug. I don’t think it’s influenza, but whatever it is I don’t recommend trying it. It deprived me of most of my Christmas vacation this year, but it couldn’t take it all.
I wish you a continued Merry Christmas, good health, and a Happy New Year!
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tenuous North Dakota holiday connection
I’ve been down for the count the past few days, sick and staying in bed with my Netbook and iPod. I happened to come across something extremely painful: an Arnold Schwarzenegger-hosted segment of a “Very Special Christmas” special from 1988. Don’t bother watching it…in fact, I only got through the first thirty seconds of it. What I did see, however, was apparently a champion granny bowler from North Dakota! If you’re a glutton for punishment, you can view the video here:
I make no apologies if you watched after the mention of the bowler from “Wanpeton”…you were warned. I’m starting to feel a little better, so rest assured I’ll try to find something more genuinely Christmas-like and far less horrifying than Arnold’s demented television disaster.
The ubiquitous leaf, revisited
There are three leaf logos in this photo, but there’s also a leaf on the Applebee’s sign obscured in the background…and Kirkwood Bank was just to my right as I took this photo. That’s five leaves within a one block radius, a new record in my book.
Liked it, found it, put my own twist on it
“Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes.” – Thomas Wentworth Higginson
A friend from our photo club posted a picture earlier this year that caught my eye. Not only was it very aesthetically pleasing, but it also drove me nuts wondering where it was. I knew that the venue of the photo walk that weekend was the capitol grounds, an area with which I’m intimately familiar. That’s what was so maddening. Where was it?
I finally recognized it as the scrolls of the capital of the pillars of the Liberty Memorial building, the home of the state library. I simply could not figure out the perspective of the original photo, however. No matter which angle I tried, it just didn’t work. That’s when I realized it wasn’t the outer scrolls I was looking at – it was the inner ones, facing the building rather than the capitol mall. Well, that was a game changer.
Due to growth of a few small branches over the summer, I wasn’t able to get a completely unobstructed shot; however, with the frost and snow we’ve experienced over the past couple of days, I think those pesky branches provide an excellent visual garnish to the photo. They make achieving the perspective of the original photo impossible, however.
While I will never be able to duplicate the original photo, that wasn’t my intent; rather, it was to figure out how that original photo was achieved. I consider that question answered, and was able to capture and present my own take on a brilliantly concieved photo.
One of the things about photography that appeals to me is the sensation of being in the right place at the right time. That’s how the original photo came about, and that’s how I was able to capture this one as well. The sun had started to poke through the haze enough to provide sufficient light, but had not begun to melt the snow and frost off the branches. Thus my photo is as unique as the original. How I found it is a matter of inspiration and even derivation, but from there I think I was able to take the idea and make it my own.
Cherry Monday
When I first got into photography I was doubtful that a North Dakota winter could provide many opportunities for the camera. I was quickly proven wrong. I have some other ideas in the works too, as time allows. I’ve just pulled through an extremely busy period (intact, I might add) and am eager to simply enjoy the remainder of the Christmas season.
Beacon of Christmas spirit, 24,000, and a map reminder
I love the fact that the capitol windows on the north and south sides are decorated with colored shades to celebrate the holiday season. Even better is the fact that we now have enough snow on the ground to technically enjoy a White Christmas! It just wouldn’t be the same without it.
www.tinyurl.com/bismarck-mandanchristmaslights.
I wrap up this week with a big live production and some studio time, then hopefully I’ll get a chance to load up the family and go out to investigate the Christmas displays as well!