Conservatory Reflections

Conservatory Reflections, a photo by bmcguire94 on Flickr.

This picture was taken in Como Park in St. Paul Minnesota.

A Visit To Minnesota

One of the stops on our trip this summer was Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Minnesota is where we born and raised.  We lived there until my husband retired a few years ago.  We spent three weeks visiting family and friends.  It was a busy three weeks for us but it was great to catch up with everyone.  We stayed in our RV at The Refuge RV Park in Hastings, Minnesota.  We like to stay there because it is very quiet with large spaces.
I was fortunate enough to have a day out shooting with my Photo Buddy, Tina.  We started out by driving South from Hastings.  Our first stop was Lake City which is on beautiful Lake Pepin.  We had loads of fun shooting in the city park and at the Lake City Marina.  My friend was working on series called Empty Benches so we were on the look out for those.  Here is a link if you would like more information about Lake City, MN:
http://www.lakecity.org/

Our next stop was Wabasha which is where they filmed the movie Grumpy Old Men.  We did some shooting along the river and around town.   This river town is home to the National Eagle Center.  We did a tour of the facility and were able to see some of the eagles close up.  For more information check out the link below:
ttp://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/

The last stop on our journey was the historic town of Red Wing which is home to Red Wing Shoes and the old Red Wing Pottery Building.  We did some shooting on the outside of the Red Wing Pottery Building of some of the artifacts from the factory.  We wondered through the building which is now home to many cute shops and restaurants.  For more information click on the link below:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g43452-Red_Wing_Minnesota-Vacations.html

Here is a list of Photography Tips from our friends at Picture Correct:

http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/top-10-tips-on-how-to-take-a-great-photo/
The Thought For The Day:
"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce."  Karl Lagerfeld
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359
Follow me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
Purchase prints, posters or cards of my work at:

http://www.redbubble.com/explore/tvlgoddess - Prints, cards, posters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26332264@N03/sets/

http://fineartamerica

The Grand Tetons

After our three week stay in Minnesota we headed West.  We spent the first night in Spearfish, South Dakota.  The people who owned the RV Park had just bought a house in Lake Havasu City.  I told them to give us a call when they got here.   So, we gained two new friends.  Bonus!
The next day we continued on to Grand Tetons National Park.  We found everything near the park to be quite expensive.  We paid $85.00 a night at the RV Park and I paid almost $6.00 for a loaf of bread.  So, if I had it to do over again,  I would stay farther away.

The park it self is very nice and it easy to find your way around.  There are lots of places to stop and enjoy the beautiful Mountain views.   I would have liked to have had two full days at the park instead of one.
One of my favorite spots was Mormon Row which was founded somewhere around 1907.  Thomas Moulton moved there in 1912 with wife and newborn son.  The barn he built in 1913 still stands with the beautiful

Grand Teton Mountains in the background.  It is the most photographed barn in the United States.  The barn was in the movie "Spencer's Mountain."
There are some old Mormon homesteads there as well.  I love to shoot old buildings so it was a treat.  Be sure to watch where you are walking because there are a lot of holes made by the Prairie Dogs.

Here is a an article listing things you should pack for your next vacation.  The one thing not on the list was a multi prong extension cord.  This comes in handy for charging phones, laptops, IPads, etc.
http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/easy-things-you-should-pack-but-probably-wont.html?id=532&all=1

My favorite kind of Photography is Macro, which is up close with a blurry background.  Flowers are my preferred subject but I will take a picture of almost anything.  It really pays to invest in a good Maco lens.  I mostly use natural light with a reflector to bounce the light back on the subject.   Here is a tutorial on how to compose your Macro shots.
http://seeinginmacro.com/macro-photography-how-to-compose-photos-like-a-pro/?utm_source=Seeing+In+Macro+Newsletter&utm_campaign=28873d144e-SIM_Newsletter_28July&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8af3de4755-28873d144e-40531353
The Thought For The Day:
"Skill  in Photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase."  Percy W. Harris
Thank you for reading my Blog!

Becky McGuire, CTC, MCC
Vacation Travel Specialist

612-490-0359
http://www.facebook.com/tvlgoddess
Purchase prints, posters or cards of my work at:

http://www.redbubble.com/explore/tvlgoddess - Prints, cards, posters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26332264@N03/sets/

http://fineartamerica