Stop and smell the roses

The 4x5 studio camera gives everything the look of a past era.  It holds time longer, more intelligently, among the silvers and blacks.

Orchids

I kept seeing the leaves of these orchids as a wonderful spray of energy, and decided they would show up best against our black wall with window light.

The Basilica of St. Mary on Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis

Basilica of St. Mary - Click to see full size

This is the latest in a series of formal portraits I am doing of wonderful old buildings around the cities. I am working on film with a large format camera, and developing the black and white images myself.

The light was perfect for this portrait.  I actually took it at rush hour across the broad intersection, and was able to get the shot between waves of traffic.

Here is some interesting information from Wikipedia*:

"The Basilica of Saint Mary was the first basilica established in the United States of America, honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Basilica of Saint Mary is the Co-Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Recognized as one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the country, the Basilica of Saint Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915 to the design of celebrated Franco-American architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. It dominates its own city block on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis."

*Quoted under the fair use provision of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Law, (title 17, U. S. Code).

Jay Cooke State Park, March 21 2011

We went up the road from the spillway, to this place along the river where the current had broken through the ice, and the solitary tree marked the frozen bank.

An eternal thought

An angel in the cemetary holds eternity in a moment.

Lakewood Cemetary, Minneapolis

Something about the grave markers in the snow has drawn me back to this site. The stark branches and grasping shadows add an eerie backdrop to the sunlit figure.

Two tranquilities

The bear on the left is tranquil with the simplicity of death. The Buddha on the right is tranquil with the complexity of life.

Species

Here is a group portrait of several species. One of them is looking right at you.

Single Orchid leaf in foreground.

We overlook so much in looking for something.

Leo contemplates mortality.

Or maybe a bug on the Dracena.

Grin and Bear it

Bear skull. Memento Mori.

The stark beauty of nature

A very weathered sea shell collected from the beach in Florida in 1996.

Composition in black and white

Tea cup, pot, and strainer. Found art in The Purple Sandpiper near 82nd & Lyndale in Bloomington.  This modest looking restaurant sports a champions heart.  Local produce and meats are their specialty, and great service their badge.