Duluth April 2011

Upon arriving in Duluth we went out for coffee, a common request in my family, the coffee shop we head to automatically is far out of the way of many other far more obvious ones however the quality of the coffee at the Chester Creek Café is to die for. However that isn't the only reason we go there. The Chester bowl is located only a few blocks away. This huge pit in the ground holds a small water fall that at this time of year gushed forth without reprieve to get caught in the water would mean certain... mortal injury. However with in minutes I was done. I had been here before and under better lighting conditions as well. The even cloud diffused light had begun to give way to the power of the sun which commenced to dissolving any hope of a well lit shot. With the appearance of the sun my family gave a short cheer, as it was something we hadn't seen often back home over the last four weeks. Long drawn out shadows began forming amongst the high standing buildings of establishment hanging above my head. A new strategy was in order.



With our original plan now in shambles we began to work our way down town. The shadows that had destroyed any hope of quality images along the hiking trail would provide at least decent lighting in which to photograph the city. However with any luck on our sides the clouds would return. We made our way down town, and began to photograph a mingling of modern and rustic architecture seeming intertwined at random. With in moments of arriving at a decent spot the realisation I was with my family hit me.

I am sure many photographers can relate to this when I say that family can be impatient and insensitive to the artistic qualities, and especially time that goes into making a salable image. Putting up with this impatience is a skill in which I envy of anyone who poses it, as I have yet to figure it out. My family is quite critical of each other and quick to point out counter balancing flaws where they are irrelevant to in order to shift blame elsewhere and away from themselves, not a quality I very much enjoy dealing with. As such I began to become more irritable as the evening wore on.

After an intermittent break for dinner, we found ourselves in a familiar place, a block away from the lift bridge. I often forgo photographing iconic pieces of architecture because of there ubiquitous nature. As I have already produced several print worthy images of the lift bridge I began to focus my attention on the architecture surrounding the bridge. Along with this I began to notice a wonderful site filling the sky. Deep clouds began to fill the horizon quenching the suns harsh rays and leaving a diffused contrast I had been looking for all day. I have left three previews above. They aren't for sale as of yet however you can get a feel for what I have been able to accomplish thus far.

The Full Series Is Now Live Here!