…Over on the ‘Gram (Instagram for those of you who prefer things spelled out) I’ve posted my 10 favorite images I’ve taken in 2023 and I’ve put those same ones here. It’s not easy to narrow it down, and if you asked me on a different day I could probably have replaced the 10 I chose with about 20 others…

There is no place I like more than Minnesota’s North Shore. Yes, there are more spectacular places to visit, and more exciting places to visit, but there is no place that speaks to me, or that I connect to, more than the land north of Lake Superior. When work was going to bring me to Eau Claire, WI for a few days in mid-April I snagged the opportunity to extend my trip by a few days and head north to Grand Marais for a few days of alone time with my camera

…Anyway, this fall has been a beautiful one and it’s a bit sad to be on the backside of it now with winter on deck. I don’t feel like I got out shooting much - certainly not as much as I’d like (dang bills-paying job getting in the way) - but I did enjoy the photography I managed to squeeze in.

I’ve found some of my favorite shots this summer have included some sort of fog or mist coming off a river…

This past week my wife took a four-day watercolor painting workshop in Kenosha led by her favorite watercolor artist, Andy Evansen. I tagged along and worked from our downtown hotel room, or the public library. When I needed to get outside for a break I grabbed the camera and pointed it at the city’s North Pier lighthouse.

A few weeks ago I was taking a couple pictures of the Dubuque County courthouse and realized that I have quite a few images that I like from different locations around town. It is quite an attractive building and makes for a nice subject in downtown Dubuque.

It seems that March came and went (like a lion? or a lamb?) and I didn’t post anything so here, in mid-April, are some photos from March.

Does anybody like February? I admit that there are some Februaries I like… when it’s not too cold and we get some snow regularly to cover up the brown and give the world a quick refresh. This February was not that.

January 2022 came and went. As far as months go it was pretty “meh.” And the photography was, too.

‘Tis the season to look back on the last 364 days and reflect on what was. I feel like I really did make some progress in my photography this year and have some shots that I’m really quite happy with.

One of the things that I really like about photography, and that is especially important for me, is that it provides me an impetus to get up and out the door and to experience things that I never would otherwise.

The twelfth month is one of my favorites. The holidays are great and being around kids who still LOVE Christmas makes the month fly by. Snow (usually) comes and, being the Scandinavian sort, I love the cold. Plus, the late November and December skies are quite simply the best during sunrise and sunset (Don’t argue. You’ll lose!) so photography can be great.