Best of MinnPics - December 2013

from flickr user alleyraven
A tightly-packed stand of pine trees at Duluth's Hatley Park and Nature Center contrasts with the thick blanket of crisp, white snow. Pine trees and snow seem to be synonymous with December. This scene is post card perfect and made for a simple and logical choice for the best photo of December in Minnesota.

And just like that, the Best of MinnPics 2013 edition has concluded. It's been an amazing year and marks the sixth year in which I have done the annual best-of here. Thanks again for your continued interest in this website and an even bigger Thank You to the photographers who are generous enough to share their work with the world at large!

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Best of MinnPics - November 2013

from flickr user Megan C Johnston
The hidden colors of the city at night fly off the screen in this long exposure photo of Minneapolis. The smoothed out motion of the Mississippi River coupled with blurred and long trailing smoke and steam from stacks alongside the river make for an almost mythical in appearance cityscape.

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Best of MinnPics - October 2013

from flickr user w. dearborn
A whitetail deer bounding through a golden expanse of prairie is just one of those scenes that not only screams October, as deer bed down before hunting season and feast on ripe corn, but also screams Minnesota in general. It's an action photo and a landscape photo which happens to combine two of my favorite types of photos. There are probably dozens of photos which others may feel are more deserving of being called the best of October but this captures the essence of October in Minnesota.

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Best of MinnPics - September 2013

from flickr user jjs08
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival, held weekends throughout most of August and all of September on the outskirts of Shakopee, is a showcase of the renaissance period mixed with modern elements. If you're up for raunchy / adult-themed humor, you'll find it there. If you want to take the kids along so they can enjoy an elephant or camel ride, no problem. My favorite part, though, has to be the costumed performers. If cleavage-bearing belly dancers, snake handlers, fire swallowers or, in the case of this photo, sword balancers, is your thing, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is the place for you.

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Best of MinnPics - August 2013

from flickr user NoahWmR12
With August being a traditionally hot and sticky month, people tend to retreat to the lakes in the northern reaches of Minnesota and with those retreats come scenes of expansive lakes and quiet natural areas. This nighttime photograph, a long exposure, captures the blanket of stars which come out to play at night as well as a large lake and a streaking meteor. Awash in striking shades of blue, this photo was a logical and non-traditional choice for the best photo of August.

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Best of MinnPics - June 2013

from flickr user jjs08
Sometime in June, summer finally made an appearance in Minnesota and with it came all the typical characters that come with summer. Golden sunsets, birds chirping and in this case both of those items made their appearance in this particular photo of a Bluebird perched on a wooden fence apparently having an early-evening snack.

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Best of MinnPics - May 2013

from flickr user karenmeyere
Photographed as the green of spring was in full force, this still red barn near Zimmerman' MN has been slowly falling into the nearby wetlands for many years. Built to close to a small pond whose water levels have been rising over the years, this barn will someday crumble into the nearby water but until then it makes for a rather unique roadside attraction.

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Best of MinnPics - April 2013

from flickr user orangedot777
April 2013 felt like the winter that wouldn't end. When it snows on April 23rd, that isn't exactly normal and when the snow falls in great quantities -- six inches in this case -- branches and entire trees come down under the weight of the heavy and wet snow. These railroad tracks near Northfield, MN likely remained impassable for at least a few days while the fallen branches and trees were removed.

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Best of MinnPics - March 2013

from flickr user Boreal Bird
The truly magnificent colors come out to play at sunrise. This photo of plates of ice near the shore of Lake Superior shows the contract of seasons that march in Minnesota often is. While winter drug on into May throughout parts of the state, March showed us glimpses of Spring as well as stunning colors which often times go overlooked during the sometimes bleakness of winter.

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Best of MinnPics - February 2013

from flickr user karenmeyere
A foggy February morning leaves wires, fence posts and trees in what appears to be a pasture covered with hoar frost. While many only think of February as being the shortest month and home to Valentine's Day, it is also -- in my experience -- home to plenty of mornings where the landscape is painted with hoar frost. I spent far too long trying to single out a best photo for February but as I narrowed down the choices the calming nature and simplicity of this one helped it rise to the top.

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Best of MinnPics - January 2013

from flickr user RSBurnsIM
The photographer says: This was where I made camp on Thursday night. Not an authorized campsite but right next to where I had my cameras set up with a great view to the north. Orion and the milky way are above and the moon setting to the west is causing the orange glow. 

With winter that seem to go on forever sometimes, Minnesotans know how to embrace the sometimes bone-chilling cold and often times manage to capture its chilly beauty. This photo of winter camping on Minnesota's north shore near Silver Bay is exquisite as it captures man's tiny footprint in the grand scheme of not just the woods which cover much of northern Minnesota but also our small spot in the vastness of the cosmos.

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Power lines hanging in the streets - Rochester, MN

from flickr user cursedthing
Following a freak early May snowstorm across southeastern Minnesota, thousands awoke to find themselves without electricity and see trees bent close to breaking or already snapped and on the ground. Owatonna reported a whopping 13" of heavy and wet snow which resulted in closed schools in that corner of Minnesota.

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