Wayne Moran Photography Blog - Page 3 of 52 - This is the website of Wayne Moran Photography. We discuss many topics related to photography especially travel photography.Wayne Moran Photography Blog | This is the website of Wayne Moran Photography. We discuss many topics related to photography especially travel photography.

Flowers in the Park – Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan MN

Posted on May 21, 2012 by waynem

Flowers in the Park - Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan MN by !!WaynePhotoGuy

Flowers in the Park – Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan MN, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

The other day I was out for a photo walk in Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, MN with Kristin Tintor from the OHC photography group. She had this great idea of under exposing an image so that the main subject would be the one thing that really stands out. Gosh I love what that does. Hope you enjoy it.

All of my work is copyrighted by Wayne Moran Photography.
Copyright Wayne Moran Photography 2012
All rights reserved

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Spring Flowers – Lebanon Hills Park Eagan

Posted on May 13, 2012 by waynem

Spring Flowers – Lebanon Hills Park Eagan, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

Spring Flowers – Lebanon Hills Park Eagan

Lebanon Hills is my favorite local park in Eagan. It is easy to get to and huge and I hardly ever get lost.. 🙂

All of my work is copyrighted by Wayne Moran Photography.
Copyright Wayne Moran Photography 2012
All rights reserved

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Mark A Quinley Model Portfolio Session

Posted on May 2, 2012 by waynem

Last week I received a call from a young man. He said he was way up in White Bear Lake and he was wondering if we could do a photo session to help him work on his modeling portfolio. I said sure, it sounds like fun. In my mind I was wonder how in the world did he find me.

Yes I have a web site and yes it has a modeling portfolio building section on it, but I am not advertising that at all. I eventually asked him and he said he was looking at a picture of the beautiful Diana Giebler that I had taken. Of course it had my brand logo on it so he looked me up from there. It is always funny to see how people find you. I digress.

Finally a nice spring day was forecasted so we scheduled our outing. I have a great spot at the Historic Sibley House in Mendota MN that I use for a safe get to know you place. It has great old brick buildings, gardens, a train track and a forest. It is perfect for many circumstances and occasions.

So we met. The day was perfect and it was time to get to know Mark a little bit better. Turns out he was brand new to modeling so I had to think fast to try to see what type of poses would work for a newbie. As I looked him over I was seeing this wonderful rugged almost Clint Eastwood look in him. That was one of the looks that stuck with me for the entire shoot. But then there was the Chris O’Donnell look from NCIS: Los Angeles. Both my assistant Mark PhotoGuy and I thought he looked like Chris. But weather it is Clint or Chris, either way it was the rugged look that would be the look we would be going for.

We only were able to spend about an hour and this is what we were able to do. My main focus in the early stages of capturing any model is to capture the eyes. To me the eyes are the most important part of any model. So that is the main focus of much of this session. Of course we have many more but this is some of the best of the best.

So, if you are interested in building up your modeling portfolio, contact me and let’s get together. Let’s do some brain storming to see what you are looking to do, what look you are trying to achieve and where we would need to go to capture it. I am all about working with you to capture the ideal you.

Let’s make it happen.

Contact me today.

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged Historic Sibley House Mendota MN, Mark A Quinley, Model Portfolio, Model Portfolio Session, Portfolio Photography Session, Sibley House Historic Site | Comments Off

How Bad is the US Debt Problem?

Posted on April 2, 2012 by waynem

Do you have any idea how bad the US debt problem is? Does it matter at all? I had those exact same questions so I set out to do a little research to try to figure this out and satisfy my curious little brain. This paper is the result of that search.

Many of you may know that a countries debt is measured in a ratio that compares current national debt to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We know from Wiki that GDP, ”refers to the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given period.”

So what is a normal Debt-to-GDP ratio? How about if we ask the question a slightly different way? What are the ratios of the countries that have terrible debt problems? These may be a bit easier to find and easier to understand.

So the first thing I did was look for a list of the countries with the worst debt. This is a list of the 15 worst Debt-to-GDP countries .

Japan – They had terrible debt since the burst of their real estate bubble. The
tsunami just made it worse.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Lebanon
Zimbabwe
Greece – They are in the mist of their crisis.
Iceland – Thye have already had a huge crisis.
Jamaica
Italy
Singapore
Belgium
Ireland – They already had a huge debt crisis.
Sudan
Sri Lanka
France
Portugal

Japan was a surprise for me initially. I know their economy has been terrible for almost a generation now but this bad? Not only had their huge real estate bubble devastated them but also add the recent devastating tsunami and you have a complete economic disaster on
your hands. One may wonder if they will ever recover.

Many of the countries in the top 15 list are no surprise at all. They are either a banana republic or they are countries that have been experiencing civil war for a generation or more.

There are some that have been in the news for either going completely bankrupt and defaulting on bond payments like Iceland and Ireland and Greece is currently going through their civil unrest due to some of the austerity measures being put in place to attempt to stave off defaulting on their debt.

So let’s take a look at some of the more interesting countries that might be a better comparison to the United States.

Greece Debt/GDP Chart

http://www.economicsinpictures.com/2011/09/greek-debtgdp-only-22-in-1980.html

It is somewhere over 143% now.

Italy Debt/GDP Chart

Italy Debt-to-GDP Chart http://www.tradingeconomics.com/italy/general-government-net-debt-in-percent-of-gdp-imf-data.html

Italy is sitting above 120%

Belgium Debt/GDP Chart

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/belgium/central-government-debt-total-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html

Belgium at 92%

France Debt/GDP Chart

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/france/general-government-net-debt-in-percent-of-gdp-imf-data.html

France is above 82%

Portugal Debt/GDP Chart

http://www.indexmundi.com/portugal/public_debt.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8404350/Portugals-economy-in-graphs.html?image=1

Portugal seems to be above 77%

Spain Debt/GDP Chart

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=3t8

Latest numbers for Spain that I could find have the debt above 47%.

US Debt/GDP Chart

So what is the damage for the US? We have heard of all the dire predictions
from the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) of Europe so surely the US
has to be so much better off, right?

Take a look at this chart. http://dailybail.com/home/chart-us-debt-to-gdp-1940-2015.html

This is incredible!!!
Why are people not yelling this in the streets? I have heard the arguments from TV talking
heads and “Smart Analysts” that America is so much stronger than all those
other countries and that this huge dept is not a problem for us. Excuse my French, but I believe that is complete crap.

Do you remember during the .com bubble, when all the “smart” analysts were saying that “the rules of investing have changed permanently”? They went on to day that “We do not have to value stocks the way we used to do it.” Well 2008 has proven them wrong and when the markets stop taking our IOUs and interest rates go through the roof these same “Smart Analysts” will be wrong again.

Conclusion

So the take away for this article is, what are you doing to
protect yourself and your family for when that day or reckoning comes? I am not going to tell you how to do it, but
I would encourage you to start preparing for that day. Prepare for the days of hyper inflation.

Footnote:

This chart shows total of several different countries. This is mind blowing.

http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10403-total-debt-to-gdp.html#axzz1qAHbC9LN

Posted in Business/Marketing, Cultural Commentary, Current Affairs, Investing, Wisdom | Tagged debt-to-gdp, france, greece, How bad is the US Debt Problem, hyper inflation, Japan, pigs, portugal, spain, us, us debt, worst debt-to-gdp countries | 2 Comments

Cathedral of Saint Paul – Preparing for Easter II

Posted on March 31, 2012 by waynem

Cathedral of Saint Paul – Preparing for Easter II, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

Cathedral of Saint Paul – Preparing for Easter

National Shrine of the Apostle Paul, Saint Paul, Minnesota

As we are in Lent preparing for Easter I had to get over to the St Paul Cathedral to attempt to capture they way they prepare for Easter in that magnificent structure. This is one of the images that I captured.

Notice how the dove (Image of the Holy Spirit) explodes with light at the top of the image. I had never noticed that before..

Check out their website www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/

Posted in Art, Photography, Uncategorized | Tagged Cathedral of Saint Paul | Comments Off

Google+ is dying! Do you care?

Posted on March 30, 2012 by waynem

I am willing to bet that many of you, maybe even most of you have heard of Google+. I hope so, they have been advertising like crazy on TV. It might even be that you have an account. But the real question is, is anyone actually using it other than Google employees and photo geeks (I can say that because I am one)?

In an article at OxRun.com Why Google Plus Failing and You Will Stop Using it, they show you what it is and why it is failing.

I have used Google+ quite a bit, I have what some would say is a pretty large following, but I must say I am getting to the point where I completely ignore it. It just is not interesting. But why?
Granted these arguments are pretty emotional and very subjective but hey, I am an emotive guy but I am also very intuitive and I am willing to bet many people will indeed agree with me.

Read the entire article.

Posted in Business/Marketing, Current Affairs, Web/Tech, Weblogs | Tagged Google Plus, google+, Google+ is dying! Do you care?, why is google plus a failure, why will google plus fail | 3 Comments

Spring flowers in MN.

Posted on March 25, 2012 by waynem

Spring flowers in MN., a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

Spring flowers in MN.

Posted in Art, Photography | Comments Off

First Attempts at Recording Video on the Canon 5D Mark II

Posted on March 22, 2012 by waynem

I have been shooting Canon for my still photography work for quite some time now. I may actually be somewhat of an oddity because I am mostly a landscape and architecture photographer and it seems to me many people chose Nikon as their camera of choice if that is what they shoot, but I guess I started with Canon and will probably stay there unless someone gives me a stable of Nikon gear. I must admit I do lust after that 9 image auto bracket when it comes to my HDR work but that is a much different story.

So being I am a Canon guy with the 5D Mark II there are always times when it would be nice to at least try to use the incredible HD video capabilities of the camera. I am not one of those geeks that have to try everything right when you get it so I have left the video side of the camera somewhat in the shadows. But my daughter was going to be singing with a group and I knew I really wanted to capture that video.

When the event came up I knew I needed to set the camera up on a tripod to shoot it nicely and use the best lens I could get my hands on. I did a few test videos in the room under the lighting conditions for the evening and I realize I would have to adjust the white balance so that the people and background were not too oddly colored. Being I was shooting in Aperture Priority AV all I had to do to set the white balance was select the WB button in the top of the camera and then cycle through the options until the color looked optimum. Turns out none of them looked good so I set white balance to the K (Kelvin Temperature setting) then set the specific light temperate. In this case I set it to 3200. I know this is crazy but light actually has a temperate (see more about light temperature setting on cameras).

So I finally shot the video. You can see it here.

As I look at the video I notice there are two problems:

When I shoot in an auditorium with low light the people seem to get overexposed (blown out) because by default the camera meters the light settings for the entire scene.
The on camera microphone does not do a great job of recording sound.

So what are the ways around these issues?

Overexposed People

I did not realize that you can actually shot the video in manual mode. What that means is that I can actually manually override most of the settings that would normally set if you were doing regular photography. There is a great article here that tells you exactly how to do all that. So now I am completely set for next time from a video quality perspective

Poor Sound Quality

Believe it or not, the sound on this recording is actually the best I had ever heard on my camera. It is decent in this case because the mics and the speakers were pretty well laid out in the room but they sound could even be better. I realized that I needed an off camera mic. But what in the world should I look for? I am sure there has to be a million options out there.

So I posed the question to my camera and video contacts. Again and again the answer came back; you need to look at the Rode Videomic Pro or the Stereo Videomic Pro. So I did some research. This video compares in camera mic with Rode mic side by side. The difference is so incredible.

Check out this review video here

Now it is clear to me, if I am going to be doing any more video work and especially recording music in a large loud room, it is time to get a real mic. Are you in the same place?

Check out the mic here…

Posted in Art, Film, Photography, Weblogs | Tagged canon 5D mark II, Canon 5D Mark II how to shoot video in manual, hd video, recording video, Rode Stero Videomic Pro, Rode Videomic Pro | Comments Off

Prints Tecumseh Poem from Act of Valor Movie

Posted on March 9, 2012 by waynem

Purchase Prints – Tecumseh Poem – Act of Valor Movie

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After the movie “Act of Valor” came out, a friend of mine talked to me about how powerful the Chief Tecumseh poem was at the end of the movie. After that discussion I went out and found the poem and posted in a previous post. The response for that post has been one of the most overwhelming responses of any article I have published since starting blogging in 2003. The combination of this movie and this poem strikes people very deeply and they are willing to express their thoughts on the movie to the world. I encourage you to go read the comments. Some are so powerful they may move you to tears.

Purchase Prints

Note: Watermark Wayne Moran Photography is not on final print.

Many of the visitors have been asking me if they can buy a print or some kind of wall hanging of the poem to hang on their walls in their home or office. So after many requests I contracted with the design team at OxRun LLC to come up with something that is beautiful and respectful of Chief Tecumseh, the poem and the movie. I would like to present to you the result of that process. We hope this is exactly what you are looking for.
If you would like some different design or option, please let us know.

You can buy prints, framed prints and canvases at this Online Store. Thank you for all your great feedback.

Let us know if we can be of any other assistance to you.

Thank you

Wayne Moran

Posted in Art, Cultural Commentary, Photography, Quote of the day, Religion | Tagged act of valor, cheif Tecumseh, prints, Purchase, Tecumseh, Tecumseh poem | Comments Off

Tecumseh Poem from Act of Valor Movie

Posted on February 26, 2012 by waynem

I saw the Act of Valor Movie awhile back. it is a great movie and I would encourage all to see it. It is a life affirming powerful film.

Act of Valor Trailer

Act of Valor Quotes:

“for all those who have been down range, to us, and to those like us, Damn Few.”

“You live your life by a code, it’s your shoreline, it’s what guides you home. And trust me, you’re always trying to get home.”

“No one’s stronger than a man who can harness his emotions and his past.
Use it as motivation to write the most important letter of your life.”

Chief Tecumseh Poem

At the end, it had this amazing poem by Native American Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh.

The poem moved me very deeply and the first friend I spoke with today also mentioned the poem so I had to find it and share it. I hope it encourages you, lifts your spirit and helps you to strive for the greatness that you were created for. Respect others and demand that they respect you. Work hard to beatify the things around you.
– Wayne

With that I give you Tecumseh

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion;respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

If you like the movie or sound track like I love it..
Act of Valor – on Amazon

Purchase Prints of the Tecumseh Poem

Posted in Art, Cultural Commentary, Movies, Quote of the day | Tagged act of valor, Act of Valor Poem, Act of Valor Quotes, and to those like us, cheif Tecumseh, Chief Tecumseh Poem, Damn Few, film, for all those who have been down range, movie, prints, Purchase, Tecumseh, Tecumseh poem, to us, trailer, trailor | 153 Comments

Hoar frost Minnesota Morning

Posted on February 12, 2012 by waynem

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.

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged Eagan, fine art, frost, hoar frost, Hoarfrost, landscapes, minnesota, winter | 2 Comments

Hoarfrost, Eagan Minnesota

Posted on February 4, 2012 by waynem

Hoarfrost, Eagan Minnesota, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

Hoarfrost Eagan Minnesota

We sure had some amazing hoarfost in Eagan, MN today. And then it stayed for hours and hours.
I was able to capture quite a nice little collection of images today.

Feel free to check them out on flickr.

All of my work is copyrighted by Wayne Moran Photography.
Copyright Wayne Moran Photography 2011
All rights reserved

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged Eagan, Hoarfrost, image, minnesota, mn | Comments Off

Why photographs are so important

Posted on February 2, 2012 by wpadmin

As a photographer, I know how important images are for people to be able to capture certain memories, and it is my mission to share this knowledge with as many people as possible. Firstly, one of the main functions of a photograph is to capture the atmosphere of a moment or memory that is special in some way. There is something to be said about gazing at an image and having it evoke memories and emotions in you, feelings that had been fading with time. With a photograph, you will never forget something that you want to remember, and you will always be able to refresh it in you memory.

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.

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged capturing family memories, Why photographs are so important | Comments Off

Wells Fargo Center Minneapolis

Posted on February 2, 2012 by waynem

Ids tower minneapolis by !!WaynePhotoGuy

Ids tower minneapolis, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

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!

Check out these great minneapolis canvas prints!

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged fog, fog photography, minneapolis, Minneapolis at night, Minneapolis Fog, Minneapolis Night Photography, Wells Fargo Building, Wells Fargo Center, Wells Fargo Center Minneapolis | Comments Off

Portfolio of portraits

Posted on December 19, 2011 by waynem

I was asked recently if I had a portfolio of my portrait and people photography. I knew I had not compiled such a collection in a while so I was going to have to do it soon. So I took the time to go through my images and attempt to grab what I think are some my best images of people. They may not be the most popular and the most beautiful or anything like that. What I was actually looking for was the images that moved people the most. You know, they have had some kind of emotional connection with people either the person being photographed or people who have viewed the images.

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

More images from the Daniel session can be found here.

Josh

Aljets Family Portraits

Shana and Tom Engagement

Tegan and Dan Engagement

Michael and Danae

Tegan and Dan Engagement

Michael and Danae

Morrison Family Portraits

Forthright Runner - Band Photo Session

Maggie Benson Photo Session

Stephanie

Gates Family Portraits

Stephanie Portraits

Krista Sr Portraits

Emily Sr Portraits

Evan 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!

Posted in Art, Photography, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

A year end Christmas note 2011, from our family to yours

Posted on December 12, 2011 by waynem

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!

Posted in Heartwarming Stories | 2 Comments

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Minneapolis

Posted on November 22, 2011 by waynem

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

Sign for Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis

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.

Check out these great minneapolis skyline canvas prints

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Minneapolis

Posted in Art, Photography | Tagged Hennepin Avenue, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, minneapolis, United Methodist Church | Comments Off

Fashion Photographers MN – Diana Giebler Session

Posted on November 20, 2011 by waynem

Last week the phone rang and I heard a young woman’s voice on the other end. She says hi my name is Diana and you know my father. It turns out I worked with him years ago in a prior life and I remember clearly the warmth and happiness that he brought to my days. He was a constant source for smiles and I remember those days fondly.

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.

Posted in Art, Food and Drink, Photography, Weblogs | Tagged black Dogs, Diana Giebler, fashion, fashion photographer, Fashion Photographers MN, Fashion Photographers MN – Diana Giebler, fashion photography, Saint Paul | 2 Comments

Diana Giebler

Posted on November 19, 2011 by waynem

Diana Giebler, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

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.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Minneapolis

Posted on November 19, 2011 by waynem

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Minneapolis by !!WaynePhotoGuy

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Minneapolis, a photo by !!WaynePhotoGuy on Flickr.

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

Check out these incredible minneapolis framed prints!

Posted in Photography | 2 Comments

License Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge Images

Posted on November 15, 2011 by waynem

Many of you continue to request the rights to use various selections of my Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge images. With this in mind I have decided to set up a little micro stock capability where you can go ahead and license any of these images for a set fee. Then after payment you will be able to quickly download the images that you have licensed.

This license fee allows you to use the images that you license for a single use for a website, a single publication, for screen savers or desktop images. They expressly cannot be used for resale or for prints or any other use. If you are interested in licensing any of these images or any of my other images for other purposes that is fine but you will need to contact me so that we can discuss it and come to an agreement.

I hope this is exactly what you are looking for.

Golden Stone Arch sab_001

Minneapolis Arch Bridge sab_002

Stone Arch Golden Light sab_003a

Stone Arch Golden Light II sab_003

Stone Arch Bridge Black and White sab_004

Magnificent stone arch bridge sab_005

Classic Arch Bridge BW sab_006

The City Comes Alive | Stone Arch Bridge sab_007

The City Comes Alive sab_007

Day time Arch Bridge sab_008

Photos of Minneapolis sab_009

Red Bull on the Arch Bridge sab_010

Stone arch bridge Graffiti sab_011

I do have many other collections of photos of Minneapolis and in the future many of those images will be available this way also.

If you have any ideas for improving this process or any other great ideas please contact me .

If you are looking to purchase a print you can find those at the gallery.

License Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge Images

Check out this amazing Minneapolis art!!

Posted in Art, Business/Marketing, Photography, Weblogs | Tagged License Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge Images, minneapolis stone arch bridge, photos of Minneapolis, pictures of minneapolis Minnesota, stone arch Minneapolis, stone bridge | Comments Off

Minneapolis Central Public Library | A study in Architecture

Posted on November 12, 2011 by waynem

After I had seen my friend and fellow photographer Chris Andersen’s picture of the Minneapolis Central Library way back in 2007, I knew that we had an architectural marvel on our hands. See image here.
His image gives a spaceship like feel to the structure and it gives one a sense of the possibilities that there are for capturing the incredible edifice in many unique ways.

Photographing the Architecture of the Minneapolis Central Library

Looking up at the Minneapolis Central Library

From the web site archrecord.construction.com

The Minneapolis Central Library is a dynamic, resource-rich downtown destination, conveniently located between Hennepin Avenue, with the arts and theater district to the west, and Nicollet Mall, the backbone of the city’s business and shopping district to the east. These two downtown districts each have their own orthogonal street grid, creating the unique, trapezoidal site for the library when they converge. This shifting urban geometry carries through the massing of the building, with one block following the east grid and the other block following the west grid. The resulting “courtyard” informs the shape of the five-story, glass-enclosed galleria and the sculptured, wing-like roof that spans over the

So it was my turn to finally get out and attempt to capture the wonderful structure in a new and interesting way. I was surprised how nervous I was as I was riding in on the train thinking about how I was going to attack this project. It was a mostly overcast morning so I was worried about the light. Would it be flat boring light? Would the sun peak through and give me an explosion of interesting morning light? Would there be throngs of people mulling about the structure keeping me from capturing the building in a clean and uncluttered way. These are some of the challenges of being a photographer.

I knew I wanted to photograph the front main entrance. There is so much there to capture the imagination. I also decided to use an extra wide lens to attempt to capture the grandeur and immensity of the structure and also distort it to allow for all kinds of new possibilities.

The sun comes out

The sun did indeed pop out from behind the clouds and gave me some moments of magic.

Interior of the Minneapolis Central Library

The rich warm interior

The warm light in the library’s interior catches the eye and warms the heart even as winter is approaching.

Minneapolis Central Library Panorama

If you have not been to the Minneapolis Central Library I like to encourage you to go, both for the books and for the experience of the art of the architectural wonder. And if you are a photographer be sure to bring a tripod. They are very photographer friendly there.
Have a great adventure and happy shooting.

Many images are available for sale at the gallery.
http://waynephotoguy.imagekind.com/

Posted in Art, Photography | Comments Off

Dakota Valley Choral Festival 2011

Posted on October 31, 2011 by waynem

Dakota Valley Choral Festival 2011 - Mass Choir

Mass Choir II

The amount of creative and artistic talent south of the river is quite amazing to consider sometimes. In this case I am thinking about the vocal talents of the students in school district 196 and this even includes younger children. So what am I talking about?

Steve Albaugh

Well on Sunday evening Oct 30^th 2011 at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, MN the Dakota Valley Choral Festival was held. This was apparently the 35^th year of this festival and the church was packed for very good reason. This festival is so well run and the level of talent is so high that the show gives the listener the impression that they are listening to a college choir.

Dakota Valley Choral Festival 2011 Eagan High School

Eagan Choir

There were four choirs from the local high schools of the district, Apple Valley with director Joel Beyer and accompanist Bill Blatzheim,

Apple Valley

Eagan directed by Randy Schafer with accompanist Margaret Boehlke, Eastview directed by Greg Douma accompanist again Margaret Boehlke and Rosemount with director Steven Albaugh accompanist Judy Sagen and there was the Dakota Valley Festival Children’s choir directed by Kari Douma and Kelley Sundin accompanist Kellie LeClair.

Dakota Valley Choral Festival 2011 Eastview Greg Douma

Greg Douma - Eastview Director

So each choir presented several pieces on their own presenting a dazzling array of choral styles eras. Of course the little tykes stole the show because of their great energy and antics that they used to present their material.

Dakota Valley Festival Children's Choir

Kelley Sundin

After each choir presented then all the choirs got together to create a triumphant mass choir. This large choir was conducted by Dr. Angela Broeker from the University of ST. Thomas and the accompanist with Mark Johnson.

Mass Choir III

The evening was concluded with the Battle Hymn of the Republic and of course the entire audience was invited to sing along. I am sure you can imagine the power, energy and pride that were displayed while that song was being sung, it was pure pleasure.

choir reflections

The only way an astonishing festival like this can go on year after year is by the commitment and support of the entire school district leadership, the school principles, the music departments of each school and the retired choral leaders in the community that continue to give above and beyond what would be expected of any mere mortals and I for one am a very grateful community parent. I thank you all and I salute you.

Eastview Choir

Many more images are available. Contact me if you would like to request some.

Most of my images are for sale at the online gallery.

Posted in Art, Current Affairs, Music | Tagged apple valley, Choral Festival, Dakota Valley, Dakota Valley Choral Festival, Dakota Valley Choral Festival 2011, Eagan, eastview, rosemount | Comments Off

Graffiti Graveyard Duluth MN

Posted on October 30, 2011 by waynem

Have you ever heard of the concept Graffiti Graveyard? I did a little Google search to see if this is a common name and if there were places like this throughout the country or even throughout the world but all I have not come up with anything. So this must be something peculiar to the City of Duluth Minnesota.

Graffiti Graveyard UMD BullDog

My wife and I adventured up to Duluth one fine autumn afternoon to visit our son at college. After visiting for awhile and going out to Pizza Luce for some of the best Pizza in
the nation, my son wanted to show us this place that the locals call the Graffiti Graveyard.

Graffiti Graveyard Sandals

“There also exists under a section of Interstate 35 a stretch of graffiti known as the Graffiti
Graveyard. It is known throughout Duluth. Many residents remember visiting the
Graffiti Graveyard during their teenage years.”

From Wiki

So we decided to go.

It is located right across the street from the Bayfront Festival Park and then you go under highway 35. I know an odd place for such creative works of art.

Graffiti Graveyard Cat in the Hat

There are two things that blow my mind about this place.

The incredible number of works of art.
The way that real art is destroyed by people painting new stuff on top of old stuff.

Graffiti Graveyard Trash

The creativity and level of artistry is truly amazing for some of these works of art. My sense as I looked at some of these pieces is that some of the painters were “REAL ARTS”
in a more conventional means also. Meaning I am guessing that some of these painters make their living creating these or some other types or art. But then to see an incredible work destroyed by someone painting some junk work on top of a masterpiece. It is
kind of like there is no code of ethics among some of these artists as to how to treat other people’s fine work. That was so odd.

Graffiti Graveyard Dr Seuss

One more thing that amazed me was the realization that this collection of art went on for ¼ to ½ of a mile. Can you imagine that? What a huge collection of works.

So if you are ever in Duluth I would highly encourage you to get out to the Graffiti Graveyard. I would encourage you to not go out there at night and if you do make sure you go out with a large group and bring good lights. The place can get a bit scary.

Graffiti Graveyard Reflections

See you on the next adventure.Contact me if you want to license any of these images.

Many other images are available at my gallery http://waynephotoguy.imagekind.com/

Updated – I found a great youtube video on the graffiti graveyard here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VLfa4Py-cQ

Posted in Art, Cultural Commentary, Photography, Travel, Weblogs | Tagged fine art, fineart, Graffiti, Graffiti Graveyard, Graffiti Graveyard Duluth, Graffiti Graveyard Duluth MN, graffitti art, Minnesota Artist, street art, wayne moran | 2 Comments

World Encounter – A Tapestry of Tanzania

Posted on October 15, 2011 by waynem

Food and light World Encounter - A Tapestry of Tanzania

The magic of well presented food.

I do not know about you, but I have always had an interest or maybe even a passion to be involved with two special types of aide organizations. The first one is the type of agency that brings clean water to small desperate communities throughout the world and the second is the type of organization or ministry that provides micro loans to tiny entrepreneurs around the world. Well World Encounter is this second type of organization and I was contacted by my great friend Stephanie Gates to see if I would be the photographer for their fundraising event. I said yes in a heartbeat, even before I check my schedule. This whimsical scheduling methodology luckily even worked out for me this time so I was indeed able to go.

World Encounter - A Tapestry of Tanzania

Curt Rosen Director of World Encounter

World Encounter headquartered in St Paul, MN is led by Curt Rosen who is a man of heart and vision. He was explaining the organization and the incredible work they do by building in support networks to the women who receive the micro loans. One of the mechanisms he was explaining was how being they do not have collateral for the loan, they have 9 other community women sign for the loan with the recipient. This mechanism encourages them all to work together, to support one another in their business adventures and to even stand in for them on a day where a business owner cannot be running the business. That is completely brilliant. I actually thought I heard that they have a 100% payback record on their loans and of course these payments back to World encounter then get pushed back into the community as another loan.

The Market World Encounter - A Tapestry of Tanzania

In the Market

If you are anything like me by this time you are thinking of the old movie it’s a wonderful life where George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) runs the tiny Savings and Loan and while he is in the daily grind, all he sees is frustration and difficulty. But in the height of his frustration and desperation he is given a vision of how his toiling has changed the world, World Encounter is exactly like that.

The Story of Esther

At the event, they shared a story of Esther, an uneducated woman left as a single mother was given a micro loan and with her keen mind and diligence she created a thriving enterprise. I am sure that story is repeated over and over again with the help of World Encounter.

the incredible food World Encounter - A Tapestry of Tanzania

Wonderful Food

Of course this event was a fund raiser so anyone who has ever been connected with any fundraising knows a happy patron is a generous patron. So the best way to make patrons happy is with incredible food and have the wine flowing. I thought I was at one of the Twin cities finest restaurants. All I can say is wow and thank you.

The evening ended with a giveaway of paintings and baskets from Tanzania and the recipients were very grateful.

Painting Winner

Thanks for the great event World Encounter and I encourage you to consider supporting them. Check them out at World Encounter

More photos can be found on the Facebook page..
Wayne Moran Photography stop by and like us.. Thanks so much.

Posted in Activism, Art, Business/Marketing, Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Heartwarming Stories, Photography, Religion, Weblogs | Tagged A Tapestry of Tanzania, aide organization, business, christian, christian ministry, curt rosen, Eagan Photographer, micro loans, microloans, ministry, pictures, Tanzania, World Encounter | Comments Off

Greece Debt/GDP Chart

Italy Debt/GDP Chart

Belgium Debt/GDP Chart

France Debt/GDP Chart

Portugal Debt/GDP Chart

Spain Debt/GDP Chart

US Debt/GDP Chart

Conclusion

Overexposed People

Poor Sound Quality

Purchase Prints – Tecumseh Poem – Act of Valor Movie

Act of Valor Trailer

Act of Valor Quotes:

Chief Tecumseh Poem

WHAT is hoar Frost?

Wiki defines hoar frost like this.

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