The Ordinary as Beautiful

 

Since about 1987,  I've called this area the "Land of Oz" because it looks like the Emerald City.  You can't see the green as much in this image, but the green is there in person.

Sometimes people get so caught up in the literalness of objects that they can't see them any other way.  I think this place is beautiful with it's glittering lights, never-mind what it really is.  Just don't stand downwind on a bad day.

Techie Corner

I've tried to get shots of this several times over the years.  It's no easy task, let me tell you!  I think the best shot would be aerial, but with security these days, I don't see that happening.  I tried a different vantage point this time, and it worked pretty well.  I was standing right by the highway though, so that was a little nerve-wracking with cars speeding by at 70mph.  It did make for some interesting red and white lights in the foreground.

When I took my first shot, I was just trying to get a decent image of the lighted towers.  However, with a 30 second exposure, the tiny wisps of steam in the background became beautiful sprays.

I had to edit out some power lines in Photoshop.  Power lines are the bane of my existence!

Bridge on a Cold Night

Time to cool off after all those images of Rex.  By the time you see this image of the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, several days will have passed.  Gotta love scheduled blogs!

I took a similar shot almost a year ago now, but I wanted to get out there again with the new camera.  I practically froze to death though!  An icy wind was blowing and it took forever for this half of the bridge to light up.

Techie Corner
I used a much slower shutter speed this year.  I like the smooth look it gave the water.

Rexposé

Today is the last of eight blogs on the fantastic fashion shoot I was able to enjoy.  And I'm ending it the same way it began, with Rex.

Rex was a true professional.  He put up with a lot from the female photographers.  Poor guy.  I'm sure he put a lot of effort and thought into his wardrobe, but we just wouldn't let him wear it.

See, I did get a shot of him with his shirt on.  Well, mostly on.  I asked him if he was cold.  He said no.  So I asked him to take his shirt off again.  I am so helpful, aren't I?

Praying won't do you any good.  We still won't let you put your shirt on.  Even the male photographers liked Rex.  Although they were too busy trying to make him look mean.  And I'll tell you, some of the "mean" poses looked pretty ridiculous.  

Ok ladies, get out your laundry.  The washboard is ready.  Good-bye, Rex.  It was fun. 

Don't Mess With Us

As things were winding down near the end of the shoot, I asked the person in charge if all three of the models could pose together.  They did tons of different poses, but all of us photographers were shooting so rapidly that the main octo light in this setup started to overheat and dim.  That created the dramatic lighting in this image.

The image below was shot with the same setup, but with the main light at full power.

I set up this pose, with the ladies rebuffing Rex and Rex wondering what is going on.

Tearra

Tearra, looking as lovely as ever after her clothing change. 

Techie Corner

Tearra is lit by the same dramatic one light setup that was used on Rex.