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I've been taking photos, off and on, for a long time. My first camera was a Kodak Brownie more than forty years ago. An Instamatic, my Dad's Argus C3, and a couple of Konicas followed. My last film camera was a Mamiya RB67 with three lenses, two film backs and a Polaroid back. I sold the lot in 1991. A sixteen year hiatus from photography followed that sale. It ended when I bought a Nikon D80 in 2007. Now I have a Nikon D300 and an assortment of lenses. Such technical skills as I possess have been garnered from other photographers, books, and a whole lot of experience. Paintings are as important as photography to me, and many painters have influenced my photo compositions. Since images are to be had at any time of day and in any kind of light, I don't have a preferred time of day for shooting. The weather doesn't matter very much, either. In fact, I like cold, snow and rain the best. And so, welcome to a very tiny bit of the world as I see it. Take a look around. Thank you for your comments. It's great to know what you're thinking!

If you want to visit, send me an email: alleyraven@gmail.com.

Make a day of it, and thanks for stopping by!

Tim

Featured Galleries

New Work : Find something beautiful and share it.

In due time, everything here will go to its proper gallery.

Find something beautiful and share it. In due time, everything here ...

Updated: Feb 09, 2010 7:26am PST

The Minnesota State Fair : The State Fair is a Minnesota institution. Meaning that it's quite popular. Well north of 1.5 million people attend every year. In fact, 2009 set a record with over 1.7 million people walking through the gates. Many of these folks go more than once. Vacations are planned around the twelve day run of the Fair. There's so much to do. Most of those things to do include eating food stuck onto a stick. One can find everything from cheese curds to Minnesota wine. There are FFA kids showing their poultry and livestock. They bunk at the Fair, too. There are 4H projects and an art show. Machinery Hill used to feature the latest agricultural equipment for farmers to examine and kids to climb on. That's largely gone, now. There are booths for every cause and purpose you can think of. People hawk gadgets that run from amazing to useless. Then there's the Midway with its lights, noise, games, rides, Barkers and Carni's. I could go on and on. The Fair used to be the high point of my summer when I was a kid. It was always exciting and always sad to leave at the end of a long day. But then I stopped going for better than twenty-five years. That changed this year, and here's the result of two afternoons and evenings at the Fair. It was so much fun that I'll go again next year! But I'll avoid the hot dish on a stick...

Nearly all my work has been of stationary, and often inanimate, things. Meaning photographing people was/is a bit of a challenge. But the State Fair is the closest I can get to real street life so it's a great place to practice. Every photo was shot handheld. The night shots were at high ISO's, making for some noise. Everything was processed with PhotoShop CS3 and assorted Nik Software products.

The Minnesota State Fair

The State Fair is a Minnesota institution. Meaning that it's quite pop ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 5:43am PST

Tim's Favorites : My favorite sixty images. The criteria are mine and wholly subjective. Images are in no particular order. New pics will come and old ones will go to their proper galleries.

Tim's Favorites

My favorite sixty images. The criteria are mine and wholly subjective. ...

Updated: Jan 26, 2010 7:21pm PST

Tim's Favorite Night Photos : My favorite night images. A few were shot with a tripod. Most were handheld.

Tim's Favorite Night Photos

My favorite night images. A few were shot with a tripod. Most were han ...

Updated: Nov 29, 2009 6:54pm PST

Most Popular Photos

Bateaux at the North House Folk School; Grand Marais, Minnesota

This beauty is the product of the North House Folk School. It's a great place that teaches just about any traditional craft you can think of.
http://www.northhouse.org/

Shore Ice; Duluth, Minnesota

Ice sheets are pushed around Lake Superior by the wind. Sometimes they pile up on shore.

New Snow, Minnehaha Creek; Minneapolis, Minnesota

March Snow, Minnehaha Creek; Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Stone Arch Bridge and the New 35W Bridge; Minneapolis, Minnesota

When it's illuminated, the new 35W Bridge casts a brilliant glow across the Mill District. I don't know that it goes with the rest of the district, but it certainly makes an emphatic statement.

Things In A Drawer

Painter friend Wayne keeps his charcoal in this drawer. I removed the charcoal to reveal some of the other treasures.

Grain Elevator at Night 2; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Converted to black and white with some filtering and a bit of tint.

December Sunset; Grand Marais, Minnesota

I found this in a "dusty corner" while cleaning up old files. It dates from December 2007. I wasn't able to use it then, but my evolving interests and much better software gave it another chance.

Winter Surf on Lake Superior; Cook County, Minnesota

A black and white retread of an image I posted in December 2008.

Sunflower Field; Utica Township, Wisconsin

A friend showed me this field in the afternoon. I went back the next day for morning light. Thanks, Frank!

Night Rain; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sometimes a photo is real close to home. I took this one from my balcony. And I was grateful that I hadn't gone looking for night shots. I like shooting in bad weather, but photography at night and in a downpour would be a bit much.

Oliver

Oliver Tickletummy came to live with me in 2005. We've had an odd relationship since then, but we make do.

The Edward L. Ryerson in Lay-up; Superior, Wisconsin

The Ryerson fitted out this spring (2009) and made a few trips. Then she went back into lay-up at the Fraser Shipyards. The Saint Clair can be seen behind the Ryerson. She never came out of winter lay-up this year. By the bye, those holes at the Ryerson's bow are for the bow thrusters.

Bright Red Poppy 1, Peace Garden; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Seems the wind is always blowing a half gale when I'm trying to take flower pics. But these poppies were so wet and so exuberantly red that I had to get them. No telling if they'd last until next weekend, so I pushed the ISO. The noise might be a problem with a big enlargement, but it'll do for here.

Egg's Nightmare 2

Continuing my egg series. The egg was in a bowl. Light came from my trusty table lamp. Alas, this one had to be in color.

Autumn Tables; Minneapolis, Minnesota

These tables would be packed on a summer Sunday. On a chilly October Sunday morning...

South Pier Light, Ship Canal, and the Aerial Lift Bridge; Duluth, Minnesota

Rainy Night, BNSF Railroad Bridge 2; Minneapolis, Minnesota

There's a bit of history behind this bridge. The first span at this location was built in 1867 by the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. (The StP&P ultimately became the Great Northern Railroad.) The Great Northern replaced that bridge in 1893, then improved it 1926. The GN modified the bridge with this truss in 1963. I have several other views of this bridge with trains. This image is looking south from Nicollet Island toward downtown.

Rainy Night on Nicollet Island; Minneapolis, Minnesota

January Twilight: Saint Paul and Ramsey County Courthouse; Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Ramsey County Courthouse was completed in 1932. The original tower is a perfect example of American Art Deco. This is a splendid building inside and out. I hope to get some interior photos at some point. The steam plume comes from the District Heating Plant. And yes, it takes a cold evening to get a good steam plume.

Kristen; Alma, Wisconsin

A bit of play on this one. The shot needed a person, so I dragooned Kristen and her espresso to pose. She cooperated, despite the cold wind, but it seemed best to make it a very short session. The photo was taken in the Italian garden behind Fire and Ice, a coffeehouse in Alma, Wisconsin.

Happy Holidays!

If you bothered to look at the previous two images, you might be wondering why I did this. It's a simple answer. I wanted to see what a yard and garage covered with inflatable and motorized lawn ornaments would look like in black and white. Then I wondered if I could make it look even more ominous and threatening and creeepy than it does in reality. Perhaps I have succeeded.

Bright Red Poppy 2, Peace Garden; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Seems the wind is always blowing a half gale when I'm trying to take flower pics. But these poppies were so wet and so exuberantly red that I had to get them. No telling if they'd last until next weekend, so I pushed the ISO. The noise might be a problem with a big enlargement, but it'll do for here.

Old Cabin at Night; Cook County, Minnesota

$Reading Glasses and Shadows The sun was streaming through a window this morning onto a napkin and my reading glasses. The shadows, refraction, and textures caught my fancy.$

Memories

A couple of little friends and I used to go sliding on these old Flexible Fliers. That was several years ago. One of them is in college now, the other is in high school, and the sleds are gathering dust.

The Tower, Split Rock Lighthouse; Lake County, Minneosta

This view is looking down the tower stairs. I think this version gives a nice feeling of vertigo.

Split Rock Lighthouse opened for business in 1910. Its existence was the result of the Great Storm of 1905 when 17 ships were wrecked on Lake Superior. One of these, the barge Midiera, went ashore quite close to Split Rock. Split Rock was given a Third Order Fresnel Lens that produced a 100,000 candlepower beam of light. The light floats on a liquid mercury bearing and was originally powered by a clockwork drive whose weights dropped down the column in the photo. The fog signal was discontinued in 1961 and the light was decommissioned in 1969. The lighthouse reservation is now administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.

Mooring Spile and Barge; Red Wing, Minnesota

Rain-Wet Park Bench; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cathedral of Saint Paul; Saint Paul, Minnesota

The Cathedral of Saint Paul is one of Saint Paul's greatest landmarks. It looks out over downtown with a monumental presence. The church was the child of Archbishop John Ireland and architect Emmanuel Manqueray. Construction took eight years and the building was dedicated in 1915. Interior work continued through the 1930's. A very expensive exterior restoration ran 2001 to 2003. It included tuckpointing the granite facades and sheathing the central dome in 100,000 square feet of copper.

Frozen Spray near Lutsen, Minnesota

Boom Island Footbridge; Minneapolis, Minnesota

An island no more, Boom Island took its name from the log boom that used to span the Mississippi River. The boom caught saw logs that were floated down the Mississippi. These logs were sorted and then cut into lumber by the various saw mills. The 1893 Fire destroyed the saw mills and then the Wisconsin Central Railroad moved in to build a roundhouse and freight yard. This old truss bridge crosses a channel between Boom and Nicollet Islands. It's about all that is left of the railroad days.

Shoreline, Temperance River State Park; Schroeder, Minnesota

A snowstorm is coming and the sun grows dim through the thickening clouds. For a little while, the light takes on a silvery tone that I love.

Drive Wheels and Side Rods on Northern Pacific 2153, Jackson Street Roundhouse; Saint Paul, Minnesota

NP 2153 is a Q3 Pacific Class steam locomotive. It was used to pull the North Coast Limited. She was retired in the 1950's when the Northern Pacific switched to diesel locomotives. The 2-6-4 locomotive is currently undergoing a cosmetic restoration. For more information: http://www.mtmuseum.org/jsr/roster/np2153.php

The Window 1

The same original image as version 2. Just did different things with Silver Efex Pro. Both images were run through the poster edges filter in PS3.

Shipping and Receiving, JR Watkins Company; Winona, Minnesota

I don't know the age of this complex, but I sure felt the draw of that alleyway.

Watkins has been doing business since 1868. They've been in Winona since the early 1880's. http://www.watkinsonline.com/store.cfm?gCatalogLocale=Usa

Brown Eggs in a White Bowl

Organic eggs, too! If anybody's interested, illumination came from a table lamp.

Kids at the Foot Long Hot Dog Stand; Minnesota State Fair

There are lots of kids running loose at the Fair. This pack of mixed genders, ages, and sizes caught my eye. Use the largest image size to see the detail.

Break Shoe and Drive Wheel, Northern Pacific 2153, Jackson Street Roundhouse; Saint Paul, Minnesota

NP 2153 is a Q3 Pacific Class steam locomotive. It was used to pull the North Coast Limited. She was retired in the 1950's when the Northern Pacific switched to diesel locomotives. The 2-6-4 locomotive is currently undergoing a cosmetic restoration. For more information: http://www.mtmuseum.org/jsr/roster/np2153.php

Printing Press

This press resides in the Grand Marais Art Colony printing studio. Time was short, so I caught the morning sun as best I could. http://www.grandmaraisartcolony.org/

Rainy Night, Mixed Blood Theatre; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mixed Blood Theatre is a live theatre company housed in an old Minneapolis fire barn. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything more about the building's history.

Towboat J.W. Hershey and the Robert Street Bridge; Saint Paul, Minnesota

Here's a view of the Hershey's bow and knees. The Robert Street Bridge is in the background. It dates to 1926.

Saint Paul is the historic head of navigation on the Mississippi River. A great deal of industry has flourished here. Most recently, there were several grain elevators and a coal-fired power plant along the city's waterfront. During harvest season, towboats and their barges would haul coal upriver for the power plant and take grain south. it was common to see several towboats moored at Lambert's Landing (aka The Lower Landing). The elevators are nearly all gone now. The coal-fired power plant was torn down this year (2009). So catching three towboats at the same time is a rare thing these days.

A Handful of Butterflies; Minnesota State Fair

The Butterfly House is a wonderful place. Butterflies are everywhere and landing on everybody. So many happy people...

Coral Rose in Black and White, Rose Garden; Minneapolis, Minnesota

Empty Highway

This was taken someplace north of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, along Highway 35.

Empty Storefront; Harmony, Minnesota

Harmony is on the edge of Bluff Country in Southeast Minnesota. It's also part of Minnesota's Amish country. Meaning that the Amish, and their buggies, are an unremarkable sight here. I pass the edge of town on trips to Decorah, Iowa, and a few years have gone by since I last stopped for a look around. I remember the place as having lots of tourists come to gawk at the Amish and buy Amish kitsch at the gift shops. This day, the place was nearly dead. Maybe it was the cold cloudy July weather, (60 degrees F), but the empty shops and storefronts suggested otherwise. So did the almost desperate sounding owner of an Amish shop I visited. It all made me think the recession had more to do with the paucity of traffic. The experience was rather melancholy.

A note on color and composition: This one really is better in black and white. The light was so flat that color version failed utterly. Somehow, I don't think that the Harmony Chamber of Commerce would like this one...

Gallery Categories

Landscapes and Cityscapes

8 galleries with 398 photos

Updated: Feb 03, 2010 8:09pm PST

2 galleries with 99 photos

Updated: Feb 09, 2010 7:26am PST

2 galleries with 63 photos

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 5:43am PST

Black and White

1 gallery with 34 photos

Updated: Jan 27, 2010 2:18pm PST

2 galleries with 86 photos

Updated: Nov 29, 2009 6:54pm PST

Lake Superior: Landscapes, Cityscapes and Ships

3 galleries with 189 photos

Updated: Jan 07, 2010 1:22pm PST

Everyday Things

5 galleries with 143 photos

Updated: Jan 11, 2010 8:47am PST

Along the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries

2 galleries with 145 photos

Updated: Nov 26, 2009 12:02pm PST

3 galleries with 17 photos

Updated: Jan 26, 2010 7:21pm PST

2 galleries with 54 photos

Updated: Aug 15, 2009 6:46pm PST

1 gallery with 16 photos

Updated: Jul 12, 2009 1:15pm PST

1 gallery with 13 photos

Updated: Dec 27, 2009 6:45pm PST

2 galleries with 18 photos

Updated: Mar 08, 2009 8:37am PST

3 galleries with 112 photos

Updated: Oct 18, 2009 6:32pm PST

Butterflies, Bees, and Other Critters with Six Legs

1 gallery with 18 photos

Updated: Aug 15, 2009 6:57pm PST

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