12 Days of MinnPics - December 2012

from flickr user mijosc79
Taken December 30, 2012, this striking black and white photo of the Mississippi River at Sauk Rapids captures the early morning scene of steam rising from the water as much of the surrounding landscape is blanketed with snow. Chosen as the best photo of December, this was easy because it just spoke to me as what this December has been -- a contrast of two seasons as early in the month the temperature was in the upper 50s and lower 60s and by the end of the month the temperature was below zero.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - September 2012

from flickr user alleyraven
Taken September 8, 2012, this black and white photo of dusk at a Minneapolis grain elevator alongside Highway 55 / Hiawatha Avenue resonates with me because it speaks to my roots. Growing up on a southern Minnesota grain farm and being a regular visitor to the local grain elevator, I have a deep appreciation for the unappreciated and sometimes unseen work that happens at grain elevators. They connect farms to the world and seeing one, like this, in such a state of calm and quiet seems almost surreal because for most rural grain elevators there is only a visible hustle for about a month each year. These are the real skyscrapers of our country because they allow America to feed the world.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - August 2012

from flickr user IPvisuals.com
Taken August 29, 2012, this photo of midway rides at the Minnesota State Fair is just amazing due to the subject. I, for one, like fairs of any size and the Minnesota State Fair is a photographer's dream. With millions of people attending the ten day event, there is something for a photographer of any skill level to capture and the nighttime photography is what really works for me. The bright lights of the midway are a money pit for those who enter to be entertained but the bright lights as seen through the camera's lens make for stunning works of art like my choice for best photo of August, 2012.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - July 2012

from flickr user Dave Berryman
Taken July 23, 2012, this photo of a lighthouse at Grand Marais, MN is especially cool with the setting sun in a hazy, likely hot and humid summer evening bathing everything in golden sun.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - June 2012

from flickr user figzphoto
Taken June 20, 2012, this long exposure photo of Gooseberry Falls along Minnesota's north shore of Lake Superior captures the extreme flooding the Duluth region suffered due to extremely heavy rainfall across much of the area. Although the area has recovered, much of the damage to streams and rivers will last for the forseeable future. I chose this photo because, to me, the flooding from June along the north shore stuck out as the most memorable event for much of the summer. The photo itself is striking because the photographer managed to find artistic value amongst a very destructive event. 

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - May 2012

from flickr user ebbs2
Taken May 26, 2012, this photo of the Cottage View Drive-In from behind the giant outdoor screen shows a scene from the southeast metro theater's final season before being leveled in favor of yet another Walmart. My generation (late Gen-X/early Gen-Y) is the last to have seen these theaters still functioning and remember a sort of rebirth of these iconic roadside landmarks which once seemed to be in nearly every sizable city. I particularly love how well the photographer captured the beam of light from the projector. It has a very X-Files sort of feel to it that just works for me. This was an easy choice for the best photo of Minnesota for May 2012.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - April 2012

from flickr user Bryan Hansel
Taken April 12, 2012. Northern Lights in northern Minnesota. The bright "star" on the left at tree level is Venus setting. I am simply enamored by the almost lush green color of the sky. I've never seen Northern Lights this bright before but I'd love to simply to capture a photograph as striking as this one.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - March 2012

from flickr user Emily Bemily
Taken on March 21, 2012, this low-to-the-ground photo of Rice's Point in Duluth, MN shows that even though winter was long gone in the southern part of the state, northern Minnesota still experienced foggy days as the ice on Lake Superior broke up. I can believe that during my travels to Duluth that I have missed this true gem of the lakefront. An amazing subject -- on that I hadn't heard of until today -- and fact that the photographer used the perspective technique quite well makes it worthy of being the Best of MinnPics for March 2012.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - February 2012

from flickr user Dan Anderson
Taken on February 4th, this strikingly toned photo of a robot on Plymouth, Minnesota's Medicine Lake during the annual Art Shanty Project is alluring because the photographer captured the finest details of the metallic structure and obviously taken late in the day under some moody February skies only serves to make the photo that much better. Combine those positives with the fact that Dan Anderson takes top-notch photos which I am envious of and it's an all-around winner which makes it the obvious choice for best photograph of February 2012.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.

12 Days of MinnPics - January 2012

from Flickr user Zach Boumeester
Taken January 22, 2012, this photo of the oil refinery near Newport, Minnesota is particularly striking at sunset. With plumes of smoke and steam pouring from the refinery's stacks, the one on the photos' right side seems to almost be on fire. I am also fond of the steel boxwork on the bridge on the left side of the photo. For those reasons, as well as simply being a stunning photo, it earns the title of the best of MinnPics for January 2012.

If this photo caught your eye, check out the MinnPics Store to purchase equally amazing and beautiful photo prints in varying sizes - they make great gifts for any occasion.