Many of you who do not live in Minnesota may think Minnesota is a frozen wasteland much of the year. It may even be true that as I get a little older there are more and more reasons to agree with that description of this place. But even a frozen wasteland has its advantages. Once in a while we in Minnesota get to experience the amazing spectacle of God’s creation in the magic of hoar frost.

WHAT is hoar Frost?

Wiki defines hoar frost like this.

Hoar frost … refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air. A related effect is flood frost which occurs when air cooled by ground-level radiation losses travels downhill to form pockets of very cold air in depressions, valleys, and hollows. Hoar frost can form in these areas even when the air temperature a few feet above ground is well above freezing. Nonetheless the frost itself will be at or below the freezing temperature of water.

A week or so ago was one of those days when you knew the conditions would be ideal to have an incredible display of hoar frost. And they oddest thing about the frost event was that it stayed so long throughout the day. This just NEVER happens. The temperature stayed constant throughout the day and the dense moisture stayed the same to the frost persisted.

At 2:30 pm I was driving some 90 miles from my home and I still witnessed an entire forest covered with rich dense hoar frost. And then the sun came out and the whole scene exploded into a wintery magical photographers dream. The problem was I was driving on a very busy highway and I could not get off the highway or stop for the shot. Yes I missed probably a once in a lifetime shot.

So yes while Minnesota can produce winter depression and a sense of living in a wasteland, if you get out in nature you will have an opportunity to experience what is actually available to stimulate the mind and soul in this place we call home. Now get out and enjoy!!

Many of these images are available for purchase at the gallery.

2012 St Paul Winter Carnival

While you can enjoy a beautiful scene when you are looking upon it, even remember it almost as vividly when you are away from it, it is very hard to convey this wonder to someone else without having a physical example to show them. So capture the beauty in a photograph, and then you can display it on your wall so that your family, friends or work colleagues can admire it when they come over to visit, or have it as the background on your O2 mobile phone so you can carry it wherever you go. This way, the atmosphere of the image can be conveyed to more people, and the enjoyment will be spread wider than would be possible without a photograph.

As well as preserving images and feelings, photography can also be used simply to create eye-catching art. Different techniques can be used to manipulate images in creative ways and create a specific atmosphere. Colors can be enhanced and made brighter, lines can be blurred and specific objects can be made to stand out. So as well as capturing something accurately and allowing you to appreciate it, photography can also simply be expression, creativity and ideas that portray certain feelings to the viewer.

Wells Fargo Center Minneapolis

We at OxRun LLC, were out with our best client last night, Uptown Eye Care of Monticello MN engaged in a marketing strategy meeting.  The meeting was wonderful and we came up with a powerful marketing plan for the next yr. After the meeting was over we were greeted with this sight.  Amazing!!  One of my friends called this “the eye of sauron”  from the great book and movie “Lord of the Rings.”  I must agree that this is one of the thoughts I had when I was photographing this.

This is a reminder to you that whenever you see fog there is probably a great photo opportunity looming close by.  Always look around for interesting views and amazing light when you have fog.

This is also another fine example of the best camera is the one that you have with you.  I shot this with my Samsung Galaxy IIs phone camera.  I must admit I was shocked how this tured out.  What fun.  So get out and shoot with your camera phones.

Have a great day!

So this collection is what I have come up with.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed going through it.

Diana

Diana dreaming

You can see more images from the Diana session here.

Daniel

Daniel

More images from the Daniel session can be found here.

Josh

Josh

Aljets Family Portraits

Aljets Family Portraits

Shana and Tom Engagement

Shana and Tom Engagement

Tegan and Dan Engagement

Michael and Danae

Tegan and Dan Engagement

Michael and Danae

Morrison Family Portraits

Morrison Family Portraits

Forthright Runner - Band Photo Session

Forthright Runner - Band Photo Session

Forthright Runner - Band Photo Session

Maggie Benson Photo Session

Maggie Benson Photo Session

Maggie Benson Photo Session

Stephanie

Gates Family Portraits

Gates Family Portraits

Stephanie Portraits

Stephanie Portraits

Stephanie Portraits

Krista Sr Portraits

Krista Sr Portraits

Emily Sr Portraits

Emily Sr Portraits

Evan Sr Portraits

Evan Sr Portraits

Alex Sr Portraits

Alex Sr Portraits

Alex Sr Portraits

Kate Sr Portraits

Jodi Studio Session

Megan and Melissa Portraits

Cornerstone Commercial Session

Gus Professional

Cornerstone Commercial Session

See wasn’t that fun?

If you are in need of portraits please contact me and I would love to work with you.   Be well and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from the Moran's

Michael is a super senior in college this moving into the final student teaching part of his education this yr.  He has a school all lined up for starting student teaching this coming January.

Michael and Danae

His wife Danae graduated this December.  Danae already has her first job in Social work at Catholic Charities up in Fargo ND.  They joined in our family vacation this year and we had an enjoyable time.

Found on a visit to Duluth to see Nathan

Nathan is a jr. at UND studying software engineering.  Sounds like this next semester will be very brutal with three software engineering classes but if he survives this next semester he will be almost home free.

Nathan and Mark wanting to go para-sailing.

He took the initiative to plan a trip out to Hollywood this past spring to visit a close friend.  The trip was wonderful he reports, and he has a whole new appreciation for the beauty and culture of southern CA.

Nicole, All State Choir at St Olaf College

Nicole is a jr. in high school at Eagan High School.  She had some great musical success this past yr.  She was invited to All State Choir, a week of vocal training and practice at St Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She was given the honor of singing a solo at that event.  You can hear a recording of that here.

Nicole, Evan and teacher Nicole Marschall at NATS

She won 3^rd place in NATS, a state wide vocal competition at St John ’s University in Collegeville MN.  She was given the honor of playing Belle in Eagan High School’s winter presentation of “A Christmas Carol, A New Musical”.   Now she is starting to work through the issues of selecting a college.

Mark and his buddies on tech crew

Mark is an 8^th grader.  He has been involved in the tech crew for the play, band and speech.

Mark with the big guns

I think he would say the highlights for the yr would have been family vacation, going to a Twins game and certainly going to a Vikings game with his best Aunt.

Mark at a twins game

Anne continues being a very busy mom running kids around, volunteering in the community, working her fulltime job at LifeWorks as a Process Analyst and managing much of the house.

Family gathering for Duane's birthday

Her dad turned 80 this yr and we feel fortunate that both parents have great health and we able to celebrate the wonderful occasion.

Orchid show at Como Zoo St Paul

Her highlights of the yr are, all the great things with friends and family, going to the orchid show at the Como Zoo in St Paul, MN and our family vacation to South Carolina.

The beauty of Wilmington NC Beaches

Wayne quit is job, had some wonderful successes in photography, co-founded OxRun LLC, a web development and marketing company with his partner Dan Oksnevad.  There will certainly be many adventures to come.

Captured a water spout on the beach in NC

The best highlights for his yr were volunteering with MN Teen Challenge, the wonderful family vacation to the beaches of Wilmington North Carolina, and  the U2 360 Tour concert in Minneapolis .

U2 Concert Minneapolis 2011 360 Tour

So I am sure just like most of you, it was a very busy year.

My the blessings of the season be with you and yours for Christmas and all yr long!

Interior Panorama

This is one of those places in Minneapolis that can make you say, is this really in Minneapolis? It is that spectacular.

The church was organized as Hennepin Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in 1875 by about ninety members of Centenary church, which at the time was the only Methodist church in the city. The Quaker church organized the Sunday school.

During the 1960s, the ground around the Lowry Hill I-94 tunnel was frozen with special refrigeration equipment to protect the church from structural damage in case the tunnel walls should collapse during construction.

The church stands on land donated by T. B. Walker, a trustee of the church. Walker also donated several paintings to decorate the Sunday school. His wife, Harriet G. Walker, was a member.
Wiki

The Sign

If you know the skyline of Minneapolis at all, you know the magnificence of the towering spire which can be easily viewed many places on the western section of downtown anywhere close to Loring Park. The church is known for its Christmas pageant and its outreach to the community.

Interior

I know of the church because of its gorgeous architecture. I could spend weeks attempting to capture this amazing edifice but alas time is limited and I had a morning. I decided to focus on the interior. I knew I was going to be using a very wide lens, like say a 14mm but I also wanted to attempt some panorama images with an ultra wide lens. These images are the result of a morning of experimenting. I hope you enjoy them.

So if you have not been to investigate this incredible work of art I encourage you to put it on your calendar and get over there to see this majestic work.

These prints are available at the gallery.

Diana is Natural

So anyway, I ask Diana what type of pictures does she what or how does she intend to use them? She says that they have a friend who owns a leather business that needs people to model their products and they keep bugging her to submit some images to modeling agencies etc. I don’t know about you but I have met so many people that dream about being a model or something but it is not a realistic dream for many of them. So I must admit I had that idea in the back of my mind that Diana might be an idealistic dreamer with no hope of fulfilling that dream. Well, I was wrong again.

Natural Diana

We decided to meet in the lower town Saint Paul, the artsy section by the farmer’s market. This would be a jumping off location. I had not been in the area for a few weeks so I really had no idea what we would find. On the way there I was thinking of starting things off at the black dog coffee and wine bar http://blackdogstpaul.com/. They are artists friendly and the abidance is always great.

Diana Dreaming

Diana showed up and the moment we met I knew this was going to be a wonderful adventure. She arrives with several changes of clothes. She has a can do attitude and she is not put off the cold late fall weather that is threatening snow. So off we go to Black Dogs but when we get there I was a little bummed out that it was so full. Yes, Farmers market was still in full swing and all the cold shoppers went over to Black Dogs for coffee and refreshment.

Diana in Blue

So we had to think fast. The building that Black Dogs is in is called the Northern Warehouse. It is an old brick warehouse filled with artist’s studios, and entire vibe is very cool. So we started looking around and found great places to start shooting. All along Diana was an incredible trooper. But without the help of my trusty assistant Mark we would not have been able to work the place well because of some very low light conditions. Thanks for all the great help Mark.

Diana

I am going to let you see the rest of the results for yourself. I think you will come to the exact same conclusion that I came to. Diana is a complete natural in front of the camera. It turns out she is also a photographer and a makeup artist so she already knows so much about how to produce and capture emotion and beauty in an image. The morale of the story is yes, follow your dream.

Diana Winter White

In the Distance

You can see many more from the session here http://flickr.com/gp/waynephotoguy/t6t0d1
If you are looking to build your modeling portfolio please contact me. I would love to work with you.

This morning I experienced the pure joy photographing Diana. She is a complete natural in front of the camera but she is also a photographer and a makeup artist. What a gifted individual.

Thank you Diana, it was wonderful to meet you and work with you.

Mark, thanks for all the help.

This is a quick share of a little beauty for the day.. More to come with a complete write up of this project..