Minneapolis

CavalierPhoto

One from our current trip to Minnesota.

Bridge Spoon and Cherry, Walker Art Center



More to come...

and thanks to Grimace for being tour guide and taking us to the Nook.

schmoo

I love it when Dgrinners get together and shoot!

Is this a water fountain? It almost looks as though the moon is casting mist over the giant spoon. Very cool!

CavalierPhoto

schmoo wrote: »

...Is this a water fountain? ...

Yep...it sprays a fine mist out the top of the stem...good fun during the day, especially since Grimace was telling me it was 96 there today. People were gathering right next to the pond getting sprayed when we were there during the day.

And while I thoroughly enjoy going into a new photo op cold, there's something to be said for having some local knowledge. Like the shot from this spot which we'd have never known about without some guidance.

grimace

Great looking shots Chris!! Hopefully I can direct you to a few spots on the north shore.

grimace

Adam’s Top Six North shore Locations (from the furthest south going north)

1. Duluth Harbor: The lift bridge and the lighthouse are obvious spots to shoot. Try going up on the hill at night for a great view. You can get the lift bridge lit up with car streaks lighting up I 35.
Another location to check out is the Skyline Parkway. Particularly, a 4 mile section of it called, Seven Bridges Road. A dinner spot I would recommend is Grandma’s. It is considered a local legend in Duluth. I always order the pasta there.

2. Amnicon Falls State Park (WI): Less than 15 minutes from Duluth in Superior Wisconsin. This park has three great looking waterfalls all within 300 yards of each other and all three are very different. The park also has a covered bridge near one of the falls for a great 2 in 1 shot.

3. Gooseberry Falls: Great location for early morning and late afternoon shots. One of the best angles is from the south side of it so you don’t get the road and bridge in the shot. Also, very few people go over on the west side of Highway 61 to see the first major falls. It has a great pool at the bottom for long time exposures. Also, if you are running late in the morning the light tends to be good late into the morning.

4. Tetagouche State Park: My favorite Minnesota state park!! The highway surprisingly divides it in half. On the west side of the park is a series of waterfalls with the best one being High Falls. The best shot of this falls is from the north while shooting southwest. If you take the trail on the north side you will find the hike to be much easier than from the south. On the east side of 61 you will find the famous peninsula arch. It makes for a great morning, early afternoon and night shot.

5. Splitrock Lighthouse: This is a no brainer. What you need to do is look for the non obvious shots. Buy a $2 bucket somewhere and bring it with you. There are tons of areas that catch and hold water. Look for a reflection shot by getting low (very low) to the ground. If there isn’t any puddles of water try creating your own with a bucket of water. Another interest angle or shooting location is just off of 61. You’ll see a pull off area about ½ south of the entrance to the park. From there you will be able to frame the lighthouse with the trees. Finally, take the stairs from the lighthouse down to the water. You’ll see a bench along the way down to stop and rest. Take a look to the left as you are going down and you will see another great view with the lighthouse perfectly sitting between two trees. If you are looking for a dining spot and you happen to be there on a Friday try driving 5 miles north to Silver Bay. There’s a log cabin like restaurant on the east side of 61 that has a great fish fry.

6. Caribou Falls: This is 25 minutes north of Splitrock Lighthouse and off of 61 on the west side of the road. It’s about ¾ mile hike and very moderate. The falls are beautiful with some great angles both high and low.

If you end up venturing further north (and you should), please let me know. There is a ton of other locations I can give you.

CavalierPhoto

grimace wrote: »

Adam’s Top Six North shore Locations (from the furthest south going north)

1. Duluth Harbor: The lift bridge and the lighthouse are obvious spots to shoot. Try going up on the hill at night for a great view. You can get the lift bridge lit up with car streaks lighting up I 35.
Another location to check out is the Skyline Parkway. Particularly, a 4 mile section of it called, Seven Bridges Road. A dinner spot I would recommend is Grandma’s. It is considered a local legend in Duluth. I always order the pasta there.

The weather wasn't favorable for most of our time in Duluth. If it was nice (sun shining with a few clouds) all we had to do was give it a few minutes and uninteresting thunderstorms rolled in. However, I did manage a shot or two from the harbor.



and I did manage to get some shots on the Seven Bridges Road, despite losing my 50mm f1.8 in the falls (Keep Smiling falls of all places) and dunking my 35mm f2.

2. Amnicon Falls State Park (WI): Less than 15 minutes from Duluth in Superior Wisconsin. This park has three great looking waterfalls all within 300 yards of each other and all three are very different. The park also has a covered bridge near one of the falls for a great 2 in 1 shot.

It was actually raining in Duluth when we reluctantly headed to Amnicon. We weren't expecting much given the weather. Because of the deluge that happened the night before the falls were all rather impressive. And as we got to the bridge the sun came out .



Big Manitou Falls, in Pattison State Park, was quite impressive as well and is not far from Amnicon. Not too many angles to shoot from and climbing in the gorge is strictly forbidden.

3. Gooseberry Falls: Great location for early morning and late afternoon shots. One of the best angles is from the south side of it so you don’t get the road and bridge in the shot. Also, very few people go over on the west side of Highway 61 to see the first major falls. It has a great pool at the bottom for long time exposures. Also, if you are running late in the morning the light tends to be good late into the morning.

We were limited on time (trying to squeeze Gooseberry, Split Rock and Tetagouche in the same day) so we stuck to the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls at Gooseberry. All very accessible from the main parking lot. Not quite the volume of Amnicon or Big Manitou but still impressive. Would have loved to have spent more time there.

4. Tetagouche State Park: My favorite Minnesota state park!! The highway surprisingly divides it in half. On the west side of the park is a series of waterfalls with the best one being High Falls. The best shot of this falls is from the north while shooting southwest. If you take the trail on the north side you will find the hike to be much easier than from the south. On the east side of 61 you will find the famous peninsula arch. It makes for a great morning, early afternoon and night shot.

I can see why this is your favorite. High Falls was quite impressive. Since we were again pressed for time we took the south trail (3/4 mile and even though it was listed as strenuous in one of the guide books we found it fairly easy going). For those bothered by heights there is a suspension bridge to cross at the top and it does get to moving when more than one person is on it.

5. Splitrock Lighthouse: This is a no brainer. What you need to do is look for the non obvious shots. Buy a $2 bucket somewhere and bring it with you. There are tons of areas that catch and hold water. Look for a reflection shot by getting low (very low) to the ground. If there isn’t any puddles of water try creating your own with a bucket of water. Another interest angle or shooting location is just off of 61. You’ll see a pull off area about ½ south of the entrance to the park. From there you will be able to frame the lighthouse with the trees. Finally, take the stairs from the lighthouse down to the water. You’ll see a bench along the way down to stop and rest. Take a look to the left as you are going down and you will see another great view with the lighthouse perfectly sitting between two trees. If you are looking for a dining spot and you happen to be there on a Friday try driving 5 miles north to Silver Bay. There’s a log cabin like restaurant on the east side of 61 that has a great fish fry.

There's construction going on right around Split Rock and most of the waysides were blocked or non-existent (one had been completely torn up and was being rebuilt). Best shots I got were from the beach. The parking lot furthest from the lighthouse in the park proper has a path leading out to an island (which was blocked off).

6. Caribou Falls: This is 25 minutes north of Splitrock Lighthouse and off of 61 on the west side of the road. It’s about ¾ mile hike and very moderate. The falls are beautiful with some great angles both high and low.

If you end up venturing further north (and you should), please let me know. There is a ton of other locations I can give you.

We didn't get a chance to head any further north than Tetagouche as the skies opened up on us toward the end of our day. Even though the weather was fairly fickle we still had a great time and would definitely go back to explore these areas in more depth.