Watershed

I took this photo about a week before the 2016 presidential election. To me, a very large, loud sign attached to a derelict building seemed like an apropos analogy for the campaign at that point.

Then they won.

A portion of Westgate Boulevard, near Cody Street, that collapsed during the 2012 Duluth Flood. RIP that bicycle.

The winter of 2013-2014 ended up being the third snowiest winter on record. The excessive amounts of snow that had built up on structures had started taking its toll. The canopy of the Greysolon Plaza was one of the snowfall's victims. And then in April, the snow claimed the canopy of this gas station along 6th Avenue East.

It was actually a rather nice sunny spring day. I had decided to take advantage of the sun by going on a bike ride. I had only gotten a few blocks from where I was living when my phone rang. An actual phone call instead of just a text message! Weird how an actual call these days signals it is either something important, or a telemarketer.

I pulled over and checked the caller ID in case it was something important. It was a friend of mine calling so I answered. He told me about this collapse that had happened. I turned the bike around, loaded my Wehman camera into my car and drove to the scene. No time to change out of my cycling clothes!

There was a man in the automobile when the canopy collapsed. Luckily, he noticed it starting to lean and managed to slide his seat back out of the way before it hit and escaped with only minor injuries.

The Great Lakes ship American Victory seen in long term layup next to grain elevator M in Superior, Wisconsin.

There are also about forty or so geese in this photo that you might not be able to see.

This Ice Sculpture is a large formation that forms annually along Orange Street in Duluth during the winter. Sometimes referred to as an Ice Volcano, it is created by a mist that blows out of a nearby water pipe that is intentionally left slightly open. Left open so that the water will keep moving, and thus prevent the pipes from freezing.

Firefighters on ladders working to extinguish an apartment fire on Easter Sunday. Building was a total loss, but no fatalities.

While taking this photograph, a group of kids walked by.

"Hey? Are you with Google Street View?" they asked.

"Nah. I'm working for Bing." I replied.

On any given day as I drive or bike around town I may see something and say to myself, “I really need to grab my large format camera and come back to photograph that,” half a dozen times or so. Usually I end up forgetting to come back, or when I do come back the subject I was interested in is gone. This is one of those few photographs from when I actually remembered to come back, and the subject was still there. I acted just in time with this Mercedes photo though as I think it was gone within a week of when I took the photo.

Building for rent on the corner of I-35 & 21st Avenue East. However, it is no longer available as it has since been razed and the ENDI apartments have been built on the space.

So this image inadvertently went from being a landscape photo into being an 8x10 large format street photo. I had set up my 8x10 camera just to photograph the rocks with the graffiti on it, but right as I was getting ready to make the exposure, I hear some people approaching from the other side of the rocks. I figured I would wait it out and see if I could add a little bit of human element to the scene.

Two boys popped up from the other side and started hunting for a way down. Eventually, the kid on top stopped and looked out over the lake all stoically. click

First year of the Magic Smelt Parade. Now it is an annual event and still going on as of 2025!