Home Again

We have just arrived back from Winona where I was visiting my sister, and taking the opportunity to shoot classic styled photographs in a very old city as well as write about the wonderful attractions there.

For the trip I shot principally with my Argus C3 Rangefinder on Fuji Neopan Professional and was developed using my Caffenol Method .

The first batch will be up shortly, please enjoy. Foto Des Tages and Technik Der Woche will resume next week.

Locks, Dams, and Hights: Winona

Winona has continued to surprise me everyday I have spent here. The other day when I posted I talked about the attractions that would make photographing this city excellent, now I can add a few more.

Locks and Dams

Locks and Dams are a common, and prominent part of this area, and I didn't have to go far before I ran into one along the interstate. These locks are constantly in use so shooting a barge coming through is absolutely no problem. We stopped at two and both times a barge was entering or exiting the lock. I wish we had been there during better lighting conditions however such things happen when traveling with family.

State Parks

State parks are very prominent in this area, and fairly easy to get to. We stopped at Great River Bluffs State Park and John Latsch State Park, where I was able to capture quite amazing vistas from atop the bluffs. Be warned that John Latsch State Park is really a massive staircase up a bluff, that required more than a few stops along the way up. However at the top we were rewarded by an expansive vista. Most of the state parks in this area are fairly small and are easily navigable.

Arrival In Winona

I find myself writing this in a stange place. Having lived in Minnesota my entire life, I thought I knew what I was getting into when traveling to this part of Minnesota... I was quite wrong, and presently so. Winona is surrounded by a vast landscape of towering bluffs all the way along the Mississippi river.

Having only arrived late yesterday evening I can only attest to strange messing of rustic brick architecture mixed alongside a modern society. When presenting to you the Caffenol photo series I showed you rustic archetecture located across from Duluth in Superior Wisconsin. I am surprised by the striking similarities between the city of Winona, and the city of Superior. It seems the entire city was built upon brick.

However writing about Winona and my trip here is not why I am posting this here. I want to talk about the rich, photography opportunities this strange city offers.

Architecture, lifestyle, and the river are key to this city. Should you come here to shoot, take advantage of the unbelievablely rustic architecture captured downtown. You might be surprised by the nightlife, and the culture hidden here. Every Wednesday in the summer a band plays in the band shell along Lake Winona, while citizens have the chance to go Canoeing, Kayaking, or Paddle Boating. All of which seem to offer an excellent chance to capture people in there day to day life, or classic American architecture.

The photo pictured above is the Garvin Heights Observatory from which you can capture the city in all of its spender. When I took this shot this morning the weather was providing an interesting haze, almost a fog over the area perhaps adding a little to the shot. I however have no access to photoshop during this shoot so this photo is uploaded as is.

I will post more on this city when I can.