In honor of the drive to Iowa, I would like to dedicate this week's {fine art} friday post to one of my favorite art prints. 

Since moving to Minneapolis in July of 2004 from Iowa, I have made the trek back and forth from my 'home land' to 'the city' more times than I can remember. As most of you know, a good chunk of that drive involves Interstate 35, a pretty boring stretch of road flanked mostly by cornfields and billboards. Im not sure why, but just north of Mason City, IA there is one specific tree that has always caught my attention -- whether I was watching for it or not -- every single time I pass by.  Its an old evergreen in the back in a field that only has branches on one side. Eventually I started calling it 'my tree' and made note of it when passing by. One of those times, I made a point to stop off and take a photo just as a the sun was setting. It was perfect!

Two interesting things to mention. First off, I was thrilled to print and frame this photo for my apartment. When my friend Shelby stopped by for a visit, I showed off my newly framed print and she immediately recognized the tree, exclaiming "MY TREE!" I was caught a little off guard, but agreed to share ownership of the tree. ha! I found it interesting that the tree stood out to more people than just me, and was recognizable out of context. Keep in mind, there are SEVERAL trees along this interstate, so how interesting that this one would stand out from the rest. If any of you have noticed this tree before too, please post a comment - I would be interested to know!

Secondly, I was sad to find out this past winter during a terrible ice storm the entire top portion of the tree broke off. The bottom half still stands strong, but I am so happy to have captured the tree the previous summer in all its beautiful glory.

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Here are just a few of my favorites from Megan's senior photo session last week. It was another beautiful day of exploring the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for great spots! My favorite was the 'wall' of Black-Eyed Susans we found. They matched perfectly with her yellow & black floral dress!

What a fun afternoon!

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The light could not have been more perfect on Friday afternoon for Lauren's senior photo shoot! We went to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and near the St. Anthony Main area east of downtown Minneapolis. I love the way Lauren's spunky personality shines through in all her photos! 

Thanks for making the drive from Madison, WI!!

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Have a great weekend, everyone! I have a bunch of high school senior photo shoots scheduled in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for many more blog updates soon!

While riding on a tour bus after a long, amazing day of sightseeing, wine tasting and photo-taking I wasn't really on the lookout for more photo-ops. I was visiting with some fellow travelers about our day when all of the sudden I randomly glanced out the window and saw this amazing, lone tree. It was as if time stopped for a moment as I quickly scrambled to grab up my camera (still on, and miraculously set to the right speed!) to take a one-shot chance at capturing this scene through the bus window. It all happened in a matter of 3 seconds, and I honestly didn't think the shot had turned out at first. So many factors needed to be in place, especially dealing with a moving bus, low light, the potential glass glare and distortion of shooting through a window. The minute I saw this single frame show up on the computer screen.. I knew it was pure gold. No motion blur... no glass glare.. just nature's perfection at its finest.

After a few minor photoshop adjustments to color and contrast, I added a canvas texture overlay to frame the image, add in some playful rust-colored tones and enhance the overall mood.

It still amazes me to think about how quick this perfect shot was captured, yet how long this image will remain frozen in time forever as a piece of art, and memory of a wonderful sightseeing adventure.

Have a great weekend, folks!

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