Happy Holidays to everyone far and wide!

Carry a Camera

A few months ago I decided to get a camera bag that allowed me to carry all my daily work things with me but also my camera with me every day.  I ended up purchasing a Think Tank Urban Disguise.  The thing is awesome for everyday use.  Today I was reminded why I wanted to carry my camera with me every day.  It has been gloomy, dreary, cloudy and rainy the last few days.  Today I was very spontaneous and stopped at some local areas to make the best of the day.  I was rewarded with the wonderful feeling of why I love photography.  I was late to work, showed up with muddy jeans and soaking wet hair, and a big smile on my face.  Man, I love photography!

Annie Leibovitz

Just when I thought I had enough books to get me through the next year, I opened a Barnes and Noble email and found out that my favorite photographer Annie Liebovitz has a new book called, "Pilgrimage".  

I bought it right away and I am in love with it!  Every word and photograph is a delight.  Annie embarked on a personal project to rejuvenate herself and her project and the rejuvenation were a success.  Not only is her imagery amazing, but the book is a great history lesson on many famous creative people.  If you enjoy the work of Annie Liebovitz or history, do yourself a favor and check out this book.  You won't be disappointed.

Ashes and Snow

My favorite photography related website is Ashes and Snow.  The photographers name is Gregory Colbert.  Just browsing through his website immediately makes me feel at peace.  Next time you get a few minutes spend some time looking through his images.  If you love photography like I do, this website is well worth your time.

Two Crosses

This wooden white cross was hung on the cliff of the St. Croix River by the family and friends of a young man who died this summer when he jumped from the cliff and landed wrong in the water.  My friends and I were looking at the cross when I noticed the natural made cross that is part of the rocky cliff.  Can you see it?  It gave us goose-bumps when we saw it.

A Great Place to Visit

I have added The Canadian Canoe Museum to my list of places I want to visit.  The canadians love their canoes and canoeing has a rich history in Canada.  The canoe I paddle, a Quetico 16, came from Canada and I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of the shop where it was built at "The Souris River" company.  One day I will take a driving vacation and head up to the Canadian Canoe Museum and learn more about our canoeing heritage.

Fun with Tomatoes

I have belonged to NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) for years now and I occasionally try hard to partake in forum discussions.  Some of the members participate in a fun contest called "October Photo Rally" (or whatever month we are currently in at the time).  There is a monthly theme and it is just for fun.  We post a photo that goes along with the theme and members post their votes.  This months theme had 3 possible topics:  Animal, Vegetable (or fruit) and Mineral (Rocks).  I only had time to shoot for one theme, but I had fun doing it.  Here are my little tomato friends that I created.  It was fun forgetting about everything for a while and just concentrating on how to pose my tomato.

Frames make a difference

I love picture frames.  The frame you choose to put your photograph in can make a big difference in the "look" of the image.  Here are two examples of my favorite way I frame my images at home.  These two photos are hanging in my living room right now.  They are large, the canoe with paddle is 20x24 and the loon is 16x20.  I put them in wide brown frames with a bit of carving in the wood, no mat, no glass, photo printed on metallic photo paper. Beautiful.

Flags and Canoes and a Sunny Day!

September 11th is the birthday of my good friend Jim.  Jim has a tattoo that fills up his entire back and is dedicated to the heros of 9-11.  For this recent September 11th Jim wanted to celebrate his birthday and the 10th anniversary of 9-11 by canoeing down the St. Croix River with flags showing our love for our country.  Ten of us gathered for a fun day of paddling.  It was 80 degrees and sunny and we passed along flags to people we met as we stopped at various beaches.  It was an amazing day that will be in my memory for a long time.

Pieces...

Let's get one thing straight... I LOVE taking things apart.  My entire life I have been enticed by a broken object to take it apart and see how it was put together.  Stereos, tv's, radios, vcr's, dvd players, printers, etc.  And of course cameras.  I have taken many cameras apart but this was my first digital camera I took apart.  This camera was so close to my heart and spent so much time with me.  Last weekend I spent 3 hours out in the backyard sitting comfortably at a table slowly and precisely taking my old friend apart.  I saved most of the pieces in different cups... all the small screws and all the coolest looking electronic pieces.  It never ceases to amaze me how electronics are put together.

How I got my name of "PaddleTramp"

My name of "Paddletramp" started sort of as a funny joke and it stuck.  I have a passion for both photography and canoeing and I also have a full-time job as a pre-school teacher for the past 23 years.  About 4 or 5 years ago or so I had an awesome assistant teacher named Maria.  We hit it off right away and I also took note that she called me "quirky" in the first 15 minutes she had met me.  But I knew she meant it in a kind loving way :)  A few months into the summer that she worked with me, she made me this bright yellow t-shirt that said Paddletramp on it.  I loved it immediately and have worn it canoeing many times.  Later, when I needed to come up with a new email address I thought long and hard and suddenly "paddletramp" came into my mind.  Then when I wanted to name my Fine Art Photography business, the name "Paddletramp Photography" was at the fore-front.  Yes, if I would have named it "Debbie Hartmann Photography" maybe people would remember my name better.  But "Paddletramp Photography" is way more fun... and that is a big part of being me... having fun at whatever I choose to do.  So Thank You Maria...for the yellow t-shirt...and for the name of Paddletramp that keeps the fun in my photography!

Caught in the Act

Couldn't help but post this.  I couldn't help but feel a little invasive of some private time during this grasshopper photo shoot... but I kept taking the pictures anyway.  Here is my favorite.

Baby Henry

I met the little dude this week that bestowed that fine title of "Great-Auntie" upon me.   I had a fun photo session with him.  Welcome to the world little Henry.  I hope you enjoy the ride.

Boundary Waters 24 years in a row!

My friend Renee and I have been visiting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness every summer for the past 24 years.  Every year is different.  Some years we are lean and mean canoeing machines.  Some years not so much.  Renee has gone on the trip 6 months pregnant, I have gone on the trip with torn muscles.  Whatever life dishes out at the time of our trip, we manage to go no matter what.

  This year we came across this beautiful waterfall along one of the portages and played here for a couple of hours.  Renee is on the left, I am on the right.  We are really happy here.  And being happy is good.

Holstee Manifesto

I thought this was cool.  You can read about the Holstee company by clicking here.  You can also see the manifesto in larger print by going to their website.

Dude shoulda been more careful...

I hate lightning.... I mean really hate it.  I came across this grave marker in northern Vermont.  What more can I say?

Swim, Swim, Swim...

A few weeks ago I flew from Minnesota and my friend Kay flew from Maryland and we met in Vermont to participate in an event called the "Kingdom Swim".  Kay swam 6 miles in a gigantic glacial lake called "Lake Memphremagog" that is on the border of Vermont and Canada.  I kayaked next to her and guided her around the bouys and made sure she was safe and also gave her food and water as needed.  It was a great trip with many adventures along the way.  Here is my favorite picture of Kay during the swim.  This is at about Mile 4.  The water was rough and our spirits were high!

Luna Moth

I have waited years to see one of these Luna moths in person.  I have seen pictures in books and thought that this particular moth looked so beautiful.  Then this weekend my niece casually says to me, "We have this really cool moth that has been by our deck for a few days."  Well needless to say when I saw the moth I ran back to my car to get my camera.  It was even more beautiful in person than in the books.

Chasing the Dragonfly

I followed this little critter all around the yard yesterday.  I hope the neighbors weren't watching.  This shot was from when he landed in the pool and was sitting on top of the water.  I live for simple moments like this.

Chick and Mom

Here is another of my favorite baby chick shots with the proud mommy...

Daycare Duck

The duck that made a nest under a window at the preschool I work at had baby chicks hatch yesterday (Thursday May 26th)... I took tons of pics of course... this one is my favorite.  It just says it all!

Really looking forward to the new canoeing season!

What adventures will await us paddlers this season?

New Tattoo

After months of deep thought and lots and lots of ideas going through my head, I committed to this design and had it tattooed on my back shoulder last Friday.  It began with a design I liked and I had my tattoo artist customize it to my specifications.  Look closely and you will see a "canoe" integrated into the design. I couldn't be happier with outcome.  Seriously, I look in the mirror and just smile.  The actual tattoo artwork was done by Awen at "Art With A Point" in the Calhoun Art Building in Minneapolis.  He is truly an artist with a point!  And for me... well it is the perfect tattoo for a Minnesota Paddletramp!

The Claw

This photograph will be hanging at the Shoreview Library for the month of May as part of a group show with the "Gallery 96" artists.  It was part of my Praying Mantis series.  I love the shallow depth of field on the body of the mantis that leads up to the sharpness of the end of his claw.  I had it printed on Metallic photo paper which really made the colors pop... love that paper.  You can find this photo on my website by clicking here.

Growth of 7 Beans

Seven beans in seven different baggies taped to my classroom window all on the same day.   In the baggie is a wet paper towel with the bean.  A common classroom experiment to watch how a bean can sprout without dirt.  After a few weeks we were done with the experiment and I took the baggies off the window and was going to throw them away.  I had the tiny plants all in a pile in front of me and noticed how they had all advanced to different stages of growth.  I lined them all up on a piece of construction paper for the kids to view.  Then took a picture.  I really like this for some reason.

My current Adventure Mobile

Small but efficient... gets me where I want to go.  Looking forward to some new and fun adventures with both the car and the canoe this year!

Eagle Cam... eggs to hatch soon...

Click here for a link to a cool Nest Cam that is viewing a beautiful eagle.  The nest is located in a tree in Decorah, Iowa.  My favorite part about this particular nest cam is that the camera rotates views and also occasionally zooms in closer for an intimate view of the eagles face and feathers.  The eggs in the nest are predicted to hatch around April 1st, 2011.  I will be checking back each day this week to see if I can view the eaglets!

Happy Spring!

I like to send cards out in the Spring to my family and friends and here is the card I am sending out this Spring.  Makes me smile  :)

The Cult of Done Manifesto

I came across this Manifesto last year and have kept in on my desktop ever since.  I just really like it and it is motivational to read occasionally, especially when I feel stuck on a project.

Click on the image above and you should be able to see it larger for easier reading.

You can read more interesting things here at the website of Bre Pettis.

Street St.

This photo has always made me smile.  I was biking in Anoka, MN last summer and came across this Street.  I didn't have my camera with me, so I biked back home and got it just so I could take a picture of this sign.  It cracks me up to think of the humor of the person that named this street!

Glowing From Within

Here is a photo of a baby Cardinal that I enjoyed photographing.  How did I make it look like light was coming from within the baby bird?  I waited until the sunlight was shining from above down into the birds nest through the leaves and branches and directly into the birds mouth.  The sunlight lit up his entire mouth when I chose to Click!  The other key to getting a photograph like this... patience, patience, patience.

Polar Plunge.... Brrrrrrrrr!

Every winter there are some events here in Minnesota called "polar plunges".  We take a frozen lake, cut a big rectangle into it, and people jump into the freezing water.  I have never watched one of these events until this weekend.  

This weekend I stopped by the White Bear Lake Polar Bear Plunge.  There were so many people watching and the actual people who were plunging into the water were brought in by the busload.  There were more than 850 plungers this year who helped raise more than $149,000 for Special Olympics Minnesota.  It was a fun atmosphere and watching the people jump into the water made me smile.  It also made me think people are crazy.  :)

Learning Something New

So this has absolutely nothing to do with photography, but more with my Quest to continue to learn new things.  I have always had a desire to learn Archery.  This winter I decided that it was finally time to start.  I worked a third job on Sunday mornings and put every dime toward purchasing the best bow I could find that was made for female shooters.

I will be target shooting,  not animal shooting.  I realized right off that since I photograph animals there was no way in hell I could shoot one with an arrow.  Just ain't gonna happen.  I now own a Hoyt Vicxen beautiful white compound bow.  After I got the bow, I then purchased a Sure-Loc target sight and some good quality carbon arrows.

I have never shot a bow and arrow in my life until today.  Today I got up and decided today was the day to shoot my first arrow.  I went to Bwana's Archery where they have helped me every step of the way.  They have an indoor target range for practicing and league play.

All I can say is today was a good day.  I shot many arrows and had a great time.  I was surrounded by friendly people and great advice and am really looking forward to learning all I can about this great sport.

Barney

Here's Barney.  My friend Brenda's dog.  This past weekend I was in hermit mode where I hunker down in the house for 2 days in a sweatshirt and hat and just enjoy the fact that the cold January weather is keeping me inside and forcing me to relax.  Barney was spending the weekend since my friend Brenda was out of town.  After letting Barney outside to pee, I looked at him and decided to have a little impromptu photo session with him.  I filled my pocket with dog treats and grabbed the camera.  After 30 minutes of "come here Barney...", "sit Barney", "by the window Barney", "treat Barney?" and many of "oh for cryin' out loud Barney"... I finally got The Shot.  The way it made my friend Brenda smile today I decided it was worth every bead of sweat.  "Good dog Barney!"

Coon Rapids Dam

The Coon Rapids Dam has been one of my favorite places to go since I was a kid.  The Dam itself has quite a history but I won't get into that.  What I will get into is how I love to go there to just sit by the Mississippi River, to bike on the hidden paths in the deep woods, to shoot photos of wildlife I come across, and to go up on the bridge over the dam and watch the water as it turns from the most peaceful smoothness on one side of the dam to the most turbulent craziness on the other side.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz.  One of my photographer idols.  I love her photography and everything she stands for.  I was fortunate enough to attend a speaking engagement of Annie's a few years ago at a small bookstore in Minneapolis. I did not take many photos as my experience has led me to the fact that the more photos I take the less I remember about the actual event.  So I must have wanted to really remember this event because I only took a couple of photos.  The cool thing I like about this photograph is that it is taken as Annie is signing books for people, and the page she has open is the photo of her mom.  The title of the book she is signing is called "Women".  Annie and her mom.  Women.  Perfect photo.