Just a Preview

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Lake Titicaca

Cusco

Sacred Valley

Moray

Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Cusco

Iguassu Falls

On the train to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Iguassu Falls

Sacred Valley

Iguassu Falls

Machu Picchu

Rio from Corcovado Mountain

Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Rio from Sugarloaf Mountain

Cusco

Cusco

Minneapolis Skyline

Created with flickr slideshow.

Yesterday was a gorgeous summer day and I decided that I wanted to get out and shoot some photos. Since I have been on a night photography kick, I ended up shooting the Minneapolis skyline at dusk. After a little research, I discovered that there is a pedestrian bridge over I-35W that has great views of downtown and that's where I headed. Only after arriving at my destination did I start to get a little worried about the location . . . I decided to press on however when I noticed that there were other photographers up on the bridge. Despite the fact that I had to shoot through a chain link fence (that had some conveniently placed holes for setting up a camera) I ended up getting some pretty decent shots.

By the time it was dark I was ready to leave, I realized that I was the only person still up there and that there was a large group of young men sitting at the bottom of the stairs I needed to go down to get back to my car. This made me a little nervous since I was carrying expensive camera equipment, but I didn't really have a choice, so I started heading down. At that exact moment, the doors to the building directly across the street opened up and dozens of people started streaming out (apparently it was a theater and the play had just ended). I'm sure I was just being a nervous nellie, but it definitely made me feel better to have a lot of other people around as I headed back to my car. Next time, I will try the other side of the bridge since that is where all of the other photographers came from.

What do you think of the photos? I thought it was pretty fun to be able to get the streaking headlights and tail lights from the cars on I-35W.

Stars

I went camping this weekend in beautiful Superior National Forest right outside of Boundary Waters. The sky was crystal clear for two of the three nights I was there and the stars were incredible. I broke out my camera, stayed up way too late, and practiced my night photography skills. I am definitely still a beginner at this, but I managed to get a few cool shots!

I was trying to do an hour-long exposure for this one, buy my camera battery died
forty minutes into it. Luckily it didn't ruin the picture. It is very difficult to
compose a shot in the dark, but I really like how this one turned out.

This one was a twenty-minute exposure from earlier in the evening.

I wish I could see stars like this in Eden Prairie!

This isn't a great shot, but I liked that you could see the trail of a plane that
flew overhead during the shot. It also shows how incredibly thick the stars are when
you have clear skies and no light pollution.

Spring!

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.
Just thought I would share a few pictures I took this weekend at the Como Park Conservatory. Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota and I couldn't be happier about it!

Eagles

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous and I decided to head down to Wabasha to go hunting for bald eagles. I had read that this was a great time of year to see them along the Mississippi River and I thought it might be a fun photo opportunity. As you can see, I had pretty good luck and saw at least 25-30 of them. It was incredible to watch them soar above the river and I even managed to catch a few sitting in trees. The black and white speckled birds are juvenile bald eagles. On the way back home I saw several other big birds that I could tell weren't bald eagles. After a little googling I'm pretty sure they were turkey vultures. There is a picture or two of them in the slideshow. All in all, it was a fabulous way to spend a beautiful spring afternoon!

What color are my eyes?

Ever since I was a little girl I have never quite known what to say when someone asked what color my eyes are. Are they brown? Green? Blue? Eventually, I just started calling them hazel.

The other day I came across a website that discussed people who have two different colored eyes--a condition called heterochromia iridum. It turns out that there is a related condition called central heterochromia. This is what Wiki has to say about it:

Central heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris; the central (pupillary) zone of the iris is a different color than the mid-peripheral (ciliary) zone. Eyes displaying central heterochromia are often referred to as "cat eyes" because of the appearance of a multi-colored iris. Central heterochromia appears to be prevalent in irises containing low amounts of melanin. Central heterochromia does not label an eye as hazel. This is because the outer ring of an eye affected by central heterochromia is that iris's true color.

I think it's kind of fascinating that the color of my eyes constitutes an "eye condition." Apparently central heterochromia is a dominant genetic trait. I know that Mom and Lara both have eyes like mine. Does anyone else in the family have multi-colored eyes? Any of the nieces and nephews?

And let me know what you think I should say when someone asks what color my eyes are!

Nothing too exciting

Since nothing very exciting has been happening in my life lately, I thought I would share a couple of my new favorite songs. What are some of the frequently played songs on your iPod right now?

Adele--Rolling in the Deep. The video is a bit weird, but I am loving this song. Adele has an amazing voice and several other great songs.

Avett Brothers--I and Love and You. Another great song from the Avett Brothers.