John Pedersen Photography

Our New Neighborhood - Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:45:00 +0000

Greetings all,

We made it.

Last week on Sunday morning (3 AM) Maisi and I hopped in the U-haul and headed east. After a lot of driving, and a night in someplace-or-other Pennsylvania we arrived in our new neighborhood - Baltimore's Mt. Vernon area. With my sister Leah's help moving in and Maisi's cousin Noelle's help unpacking, we were off to a good start.

Fast forward a week, and we're getting pretty settled in. Our apartment is small, but we're trying to make the best of it - I think we've got at least a few more trips to IKEA before we can put everything away, but we'll get there. The neighborhood is great - Mt. Vernon and the surrounding areas are definitely the cultural and arts oriented part of Baltimore, which is nice. There's tons of history here - monuments and sculptures abound - in fact, I believe that one of Baltimore's nicer nicknames is "the city of monuments" or something along those lines.

I've been having some fun learning how to row - I joined the novice class conducted by the Baltimore City Rowing Club. It's amazing how difficult it is to get eight people to balance a boat only just a bit wider than your hips, so we haven't been doing too much rowing, but our coaches assure us that we'll get there soon. More about this later...

So, now for some pictures. I went out for a few minutes last night and took a some snapshots (Craig's class - you'll be surprised to note that there was no tripod involved in these shots - or maybe you won't be surprised!). Nothing too fancy, but I think they give an idea of how cool this area is. I'm looking forward to exploring more of the city with my camera as I have more time. So, without further gilding the lily:

This is our apartment building, The Stafford. It was originally a fancy hotel way back when, and is now home to many Peabody and Johns Hopkins students - some of whom have no idea how to clean, based upon the fairly nasty condition of our apartment when we moved in. After several days of toil, Maisi's got the place pretty clean, though we have no hope for the carpeting. I'd rather walk barefoot outside than on our carpeting. Otherwise, though, we like it. Close to Maisi's school, secure building, air-conditioned and lots of windows. We're on the fifth floor, corner apartment - you can see it in the photo.

This is the top of the Baltimore Washington Monument, which, according to the always accurate Wikipedia is actually older than the Washington Monument in DC, which, by the way, is only about 40 or 50 miles from here. Actually, I'm sure that it is older, and though not as imposing, it's still pretty cool to look out our window at, and it makes a good landmark for finding your way home too!

This is one of the buildings that makes up the Peabody Institute, the world-renowned music arm of Johns Hopkins. Maisi's already been spending a fair amount of time over there studying and getting set for school. Apparently, she's got some pretty heavy entrance exams coming up, and she's working hard to get ready for them. Speaking of Johns Hopkins, Maisi is actually the second Pedersen to attend this university. My sister Leah graduated from the SAIS Institute for International Studies in Washington DC - another arm or Johns Hopkins. I have no graduate level aspirations, just in case you're wondering...

This is the Methodist church across the street from us. It was (coincidentally, I think) built upon the very spot where Francis Scott Key, composer of our National Anthem's lyrics, kicked the bucket. According to the sign on the front, it was built to be a "Cathedral of Methodism" and while I don't know much about Methodism, it seems to me that they succeeded. It's certainly huge - the main sanctuary holds 900+ and there is a second, more intimate sanctuary upstairs that seats a mere 300. Also of note, that second sanctuary has at some points in our nation's history served as temporary barracks for soldiers passing through Baltimore. I plan on taking a tour of the place soon, so who knows, maybe there'll be even more fun facts to come.

This here is a sculpture of General Lafayette. I need to learn more about him, because as now, my knowledge on his life and times is pretty limited. Suffice it to say though, that with a nice statue in front of the Washington Monument, he was either pretty rich or pretty heroic, or maybe both. Only time will tell...

These windows show one of the most typical styles of architecture in Baltimore - row houses - though these are certainly more fancy than most around here. I read somewhere that Baltimore is more closely associated with row houses than any other city in the country, and if you spend a little time wandering around here, it's not hard to see why...

Thanks for checking out our neighborhood...Check back for more updates in the near future...

John.

Big Changes...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:10:00 +0000

Greetings all,

It's funny how much things can change in a short amount of time - I thought I'd seen some big changes in my life, but they were nothing compared to the last few months - and we're just getting started!

The main catalyst in all this flux has been the great news that my wife Maisi has been accepted into a graduate program for vocal performance (opera) at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore MD. The Peabody is a part of Johns Hopkins University, and is an absolutely top-notch program. For aspiring singers, it's a bit like making it into the big leagues in baseball.

Needless to say, while we're ecstatic that Maisi's been accepted to such a great school, it has been a bit stressful getting everything set for our big move to Baltimore. We've found an apartment, gotten funding for school figured out, reserved our U-Haul truck and started packing...Oh yeah, and I've gotten a new job.

Yep, after four + years as a freelance photographer, I've gotten a "regular" job. Actually, I'm extremely fortunate to have been approached by a great company that I've shot for for a couple of years - they were in need of someone to help them with the more creative aspects of growing their business and I was thrilled to oblige. I'm the communications coordinator, and I'm responsible for everything from overseeing the redeployment of their website to writing press releases and much more. I've been buried pretty deeply for the last two or so months, and I've got a long way to go before I'm caught up, but I'm really enjoying my new job. Maybe the best part is that I'll be able to work from home in Baltimore. It's the best of both worlds - I get the security of bringing my job with me, and the excitement of living in a new city.

Also of note, I've decided to undertake a new sport. I'm joining the novice class of the Baltimore City Rowing Club. The class is six weeks long and teaches newbies like me the basics of rowing in it's various forms. I'm very much looking forward to learning this sport, and hopefully being able to continue on to become an active member of the club. I think it'll be a great way for me to meet some new people and also to get back into better shape. Having a set schedule for this exersize will certainly help me stay more committed.

At any rate, I'll post a few shots below if I can dig some up. I'm still shooting, just not as much as in the past.

The two above are from Sarah and Tanner's wedding in Brainerd, MN. I can't say how much I enjoyed being a part of this wedding - it was one of the most meaningful, spirit-filled and downright fun weddings I've been involved in. I'm looking forward to getting started on putting together Sarah and Tanner's album - I think it'll be a good one!

These two are of our friend Erin and her daughter Mary. Erin was here to practice with Maisi for her upcoming recital and it was such a nice day that I suggested we take a few pictures in the back yard. Mary is a very cute kid, and probably one of the happiest little ones I've met.
This one is of my biggest supporters, and also my dad, Darrell. He's a pastor in the Brainerd area and has been working on his writing career as well. This shot was to accompany his bio in an upcoming issue of The Lake Country Journal, a beautifully done magazine that concentrates on Minnesota's lake areas. Dad's been published in the LCJ a few times before, and if you're a long-time reader of this blog, you might remember that I've been published in the LCJ as well.

My background in photography is pretty closely tied to shooting sports and news, so I always enjoy getting the chance to shoot for the paper that got me started - the Brainerd Dispatch. I often joke that I'm the "Twin Cities Bureau" of the Dispatch - over the past few years I've shot a lot of state tournaments for them, and this spring I spent a few hours at the state track meet. It was a stormy day to start but got really nice in the afternoon. I'll miss shooting for the Dispatch...

Well, OK. Here's a few.

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:15:00 +0000

So, it's been a while. Quick update:

Moved.
Traveled a bit.
Got tired of another weak winter.
Shot some cool stuff.
Started exploring some new avenues.
Went skiing in Colorado.
Visited friends and went skiing in Norway. (More on this later, I think.)
And a few other things, too. Of course.

This was shot while climbing late at night with my buddies Andrew (belaying) and Mike (climbing). What a fun night...Hope to do more of this, but I'll have to hurry.

Played with a little lightpainting while up in Sandstone MN for some ice climbing.

My old "T-Square Derby" partner from our college newspaper (and his wife, of course) had a brand new baby boy. These are his feet.

I shot this one of Trent and Laura at Como Park. They were really fun, and thier wedding was great too...I'll post some from the wedding soon.

Holiday cards!

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:08:00 +0000

Greetings all,

I wanted to post a note and let everyone know that I'm now offering some really cool holiday themed greeting cards. There are a variety of sizes and templates available, from 5x5 tri-fold to 5x7 flat and folded, and many more. Each set of 25 cards are beautifully printed on a selection of paper types and include envelopes for mailing. I'll post a few examples below:

The above are all the front sides of 5x7 cards. I'll try to post some of the other formats and sizes as I get a chance.

If you're interested in doing a really cool card this year, please let me know!

Thanks,
John.

National Geographic Adventure - Check it Out!

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:17:00 +0000

Alert: The following contains some tooting of my own horn...You've been warned.

A few months ago, I received an email inquiring about the use of some of my images to illustrate an article - not too uncommon, really, though I pretty much fainted when I saw the suffix of the email address - "@ngs.org" - as in National Geographic Society. Yep, that NGS. I kind of thought it might be a joke, since at least one of my friends has emailed me pretending to be a big-time photo buyer (and really, what else are friends for?), but it turned out to be legit. After looking through a few archive galleries, the woman at Adventure picked out the photo above, taken at the 2006 Mille Lacs kite crossing. Cool! It's funny though, because of all the shots she looked through, I wouldn't have guessed this would be the one they'd pick. Maybe it's that foreboding sky, or the vaguely "Fargo" nature of the scene, sans chipper-shreader.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad to have the image in NGA, and glad to have made another contact in the business. Even though it's a pretty small deal in the grand scheme of things, it's nice to know that I've met one of my goals, i.e. being published in an NGS publication, and not just published, really - that's nice, and certainly a plus - but the best part is knowing that in addition to having the shot run, I was fairly compensated for my work. That's a good thing indeed.

Thanks for reading!
John.

A word of thanks to my teachers and coaches...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:24:00 +0000

The following is a letter I drafted in response to the failure of my home school district's referendum last week. I typically wouldn't use this, my business blog, to address matters of politics or the like, but I feel very strongly about the situation - strongly enough to put my feelings out there in the public eye.

Because this referendum failed, major cuts will have to be made by the next school year, including the following:

75 teachers will lose their jobs.
Two elementary schools will be closed.
18 0f 29 school league sports/activities will be cut.
Most (if not all) Advanced Placement classes will no longer be offered.
All junior high sports will be eliminated.

Obviously, this is a very big deal, and I'm at a loss for words that my former community wasn't able to recognize the importance of supporting our schools, teachers and administrators.

Without further ado,

I've been watching the buildup, and fall-out of the recent referendum question with much interest, albeit from a distance here in Minneapolis. I grew up in Brainerd, and benefited greatly from the wide variety of programs that used to be offered by the Brainerd School District.

So I suppose it comes as no surprise that I'm saddened by the "no" vote. Frankly, I'm more than sad - I'm crushed.

I'm not crushed specifically because the referendum failed - in all truth, as I watched the results come back on www.brainerddispatch.com I was pretty proud of my hometown, if for no other reason than the massive turnout. I wasn't happy that the referendum looked doomed from the start, but as I learned a long time ago in advanced placement American government and AP American history, the beauty of our democratic system is that all the people are entitled to their own vote, regardless of whether I not or agree with it.

I just hope that the kids who don't get a chance to take AP government and history are able to pick that up somewhere, because I think it's pretty important.

Mostly I'm crushed because when these cuts are made, it's very easy for me to see nearly everything that I excelled at in school disappearing. I don't look at those programs as cushy extras when I reflect on my high school time, rather as the building blocks for who I am and what I do even now, nearly ten years after graduating from Brainerd High School. Because I can imagine how difficult a time this is for those folks who've built their lives around teaching other people's kids I thought I should pass along some thanks to those who lent a hand to me along the way.

Thank you to Mr. LaShomb and to the Fifth Street Journal - it was in this class that I discovered my love for news photography. That's a "frill" that stuck with me, as I now make my living as a freelance photographer. I'm not rich, but I love what I do, and wouldn't trade it for the world.

I really hope this class doesn't get cut, but I'm afraid it will.

Thank you to Ms. Carder and Mr. Thompson for their work in the outdoor education program, which was a part of the physical education program at BHS. It was in these classes that I learned to safely rock climb and rappel. I couldn't have known it at the time, but the knots, tips and safety procedures I learned all those years ago have been the foundation that allows me to photograph not only rock and ice climbing, but whitewater kayaking and several other sports as well. I'm able to set my work apart from my competition because I have the skills and knowledge to safely and effectively work and play in a very unique set of circumstances.

I really hope these classes don't get cut, but I'm afraid they will.

Thank you to coaches Meyer, Lyscio, Humrickhouse, Ratzloff, Hanson, Herath, LaShomb and any others I may have temporarily forgotten. These amazing people put in nearly endless hours coaching and supporting myself and my teammates in nordic skiing and cross country running. I wasn't big enough for football and I couldn't dribble a basketball to save my life (still can't!) but I could run and I could ski, and they taught me to be better at both. I made great friends that I would never have met in the classroom and I learned to push myself beyond where I thought I could go. Through these non-traditional sports I found athlete role-models that didn't get arrested for drugs, didn't serve time for abusing other people and weren't solely motivated by huge sums of money.

I really hope these sports don't get cut, but I'm afraid they will.

Thank you to Mr. Hunt and Mr. Razidlo, in whose offices I spent quite a bit of time. Not because I was in trouble, but because somewhere along the way I figured the school could be doing a better job with recycling all the cans and bottles produced by thirsty high schoolers. For a while there I became a pretty regular visitor to the offices of the Principal and Assistant Principal, as I lobbied to have proper recycling bins added to our hallways. I'm not sure if they thought it was a really good idea, or if they just wanted to get some work done without me always dropping by - whatever the reason, the recycling bins showed up and were nearly always filled to the brim. Thanks also to the custodians who took on the extra work of emptying them.

I really hope the public can begin to appreciate the difficult job our administrators and staff face everyday and stop complaining about them making a decent wage, but I'm afraid they won't.

Thank you to Mrs. LaShomb and Mrs. Niemi, who taught AP literature and composition. The lessons I learned in those classes helped me to do better in college than I had in high school. Being able to clearly and emphatically articulate my feelings in writing and speech is probably the best gift I've ever been given, and it serves me well to this day. Knowing a little bit about good books has helped a bit along the way too. Although I must admit with a heavy heart that it once inspired me to become a thief. I believe it was in AP Lit that I was assigned to read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a novel written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I loved that little book - so much so that when it came time to turn them back in, I stole my copy. I've read it several times since, and while I'm not too proud of my actions, I have a suspicion that my teachers will forgive me - they're good people like that.

I really hope these classes don't get cut, but I'm afraid they will.

There are literally hundreds more that I should thank, from the support staff to the bus drivers and the coaches to the lunch ladies that had an immeasurable impact on me and lots of kids like me - so to all of you, I say thank you. Thanks for all your work and all your sacrifices. You are not forgotten, and I deeply regret that I wasn't able to cast my vote in support of the fantastic work you all do. If it was up to me, I would gladly pay more taxes to support you, for after all, you support our future.

Sincerely,
John Pedersen
BHS Class of 1998
Minneapolis, MN

Not too many words, just some photos...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:21:00 +0000

As the title implies...

Bad A** Joe, and More to Come!

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 03:17:00 +0000

Just for fun, and because I haven't updated in a LOOOOONG time, here's a couple of shots of my buddy Joe. Joe and I go way, way back - junior high, actually - and he's frequently aparty to my crazy schemes, zany ideas and wild hares. Joe's recently acquired a new motorcycle - a hog, to be fully accurate - and we shot a few photos the other day. Well, first, we met for lunch at our standard spot, and because I had walked there, and he had ridden his hog we "car-pooled" back on his bike. Let's just say that we probably looked a little, um, silly on the short ride back. Neither of us is a little guy, and the bike is not huge, so we were pretty friendly. ANYWAY, we got back to my place and I conned him into a little portrait shoot. He wasn't too stoked for it, so I suggested he keep his "armor" on, and really - I think the glasses add to the shot. This is Joe with his tough face on. Below, the man and his machine. It was a fun afternoon - thanks, Dude!
John.p.s. - I've been shooting lots of fun stuff lately, and I promise to get a fair amount of it up here on the 'ol blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Riding at Wirth...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Wed, 09 May 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Well, I don't have too much to say right now, but I really wanted to post a shot from my ride last evening. I like the photo, but mostly I wanted to post to say how much I enjoyed myself last night. The trail was a bit wet from the recent mini-monsoons that have been rolling through, and so I knew I wouldn't be able to go really hard, or I'd risk damaging the hard work of so many volunteers that built and maintain the trails at Theodore Wirth. Instead, I took my camera and a little bit of gear, grabbed my mountain bike and hit the road. The ride over was pleasant and reminded me that summer is just around the bend - it even smelled like summer. When I arrived at the trail head, there were a few others around, but it wasn't too crowded. I set off and rode the first few twists and turns, then I stopped and pulled out my camera. I didn't really have anything specific to shoot - I was just playing around with my camera in a place I've really grown to love. I ended up just walking my bike along a pretty decent portion of the trail, trying to notice little things I miss while riding. After a bit of that, I put the camera away and remounted my steed. I finished the rest of the trail at the slowest pace I could muster, and again, concentrated on my surroundings more than usual.

That slow, partly walking ride was one of my favorite to date. Maybe it was the combination of the summer air, the smell of recent rain and soft earth and a bit more pensive mood than is my norm - or maybe I was just in need of slowing down - but whatever it was, it was perfect.

Hopefully you can get out and enjoy a perfect ride soon too!

John.

Some recent shots...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:27:00 +0000

Hello All,

I thought I'd take a few minutes and post some photos from a few recent outings, that show a sort of cross section of the work I do. As a freelancer, I'm pretty used to a mixed-bag - after all, you've got to keep the bills payed, right? Seriously, though, I wouldn't have it any other way - I find it an exciting challenge to move from one type of shooting to the next. I'm also looking forward to the wedding and mountain bike racing seasons, which for me, start very soon. It should be a pretty busy summer!

Now, on to a few photos...

This one is from a shoot I did for the Legacy Chorale of Greater MN. I headed up to Brainerd and spent a dress rehearsal with the choir, where we did a full group shot, and individual headshots of the board members. We did the group shot first, and while I was setting up and actually shooting the headshots, they finished their practice. It was easily the best background music I've ever had for a shoot!

If you've read this blog before, you may have seen this little guy, only in a slightly smaller version...His name is Hayden, and I've had the pleasure to photograph him since he was only a day old. A few weeks ago was his second birthday, and I snapped this shot while he was enjoying his birthday cake (Don't worry - the knife wasn't sharp, but it sure was tasty!). It's been fun to see him growing, and I look forward to lots more opportunities to photograph him.

This lightpainting was commissioned by Midwest Mountaineering for their Spring 2007 Outdoor Adventure Expo newspaper. The Expo paper is published twice a year (Fall and Spring Expos) and highlights all the various clinics, seminars, speakers, sales and activities offered during each event. For this issue, Rudi, the photo buyer/art director/designer/etc. was looking for an image that would showcase some of the various products Midwest carries, without looking quite like the standard catalog shot. I had the solution - Lightpainting! I always enjoy a challenge, and this was a good one. Doing a shoot like this is kind of a gear-junkies dream/nightmare - I had free reign to choose the gear in the shot, which was great, but the torturous part was knowing that at the end of the night it all had to go back on the shelf and not follow me home. Oh, well - I'll just have to enjoy the outdoor stuff I already have, which according to my wife Maisi, is far more than plenty...
This one is of Sean, one of the riders on the Hub Bike Co-op's team, called the Hub Cycling League. We did their team shot last Sunday (see my previous post) and also took individual headshots as well. The guys from the Hub were a lot of fun, even though they were a bit antsy to finish the shoot so they could head out to Lebanon Hills for a demo ride. If you are looking for a good shop in Minneapolis, be sure to check them out.

On a side note, (and a bit of a tip) I had an unfortunate experience the morning of the Hub shoot. First, let me tell you that I have a personal rule, one which I almost never break. I will never walk alway from one of my camera bags without being sure that it's zipped up - I just don't do it. It's too likely that I'll forget that I didn't close it and come back later, pick it up and spill the contents all over the ground. Well, I broke my rule that morning. I was setting up some lights and left my bag open, sitting on a table. A few minutes later, I decided to move the bag and upon so doing, I heard the sound a photographer never wants to hear. CRRRUNCHHH!!! Yep - I had broken my rule, and the result was dropping a thousand dollar lens three feet straight down onto the pavement. Ouch. This was not good. I was fine to finish the shoot, as I've always got enough back-up equipment to carry on, and in the back of my mind I was silently praising the fact that all my gear is insured by a full-replacement business policy, but seeing broken glass spread around the lens still wasn't an image I hope to run into again, at least anytime soon.

But here's where the story gets better - when I saw the lens on the ground, I quickly looked around to see if anyone else had seen it happen, and found that I was alone in this drama, which was good, because I didn't want anyone else to have to feel bad or guilty or whatever. I then proceeded to scoop up the lens, and the glass pieces so I could inspect the damage. It was then that I saw that my B+W filter had taken the hit for the rest of my lens. Now, B+W filters are very high quality filters made of top-notch German glass, and as such, are quite expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as a new lens. Situations like these are exactly why I choose to buy the B+W filters over more affordable, but lesser quality filters. My filter had done exactly what it should have - it had protected my investment admirably, from everyday things like dust and moisture, to the more traumatic side of things. So here's my advice - if you're a shooter, your camera is only as good as the lens on the front. It follows that the lens is only as good as the filter, so buy a really good filter - someday you'll be glad you did.

Have a great day, and always zip your bag before you walk away!

John.

Team photos and more...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:38:00 +0000

What a fine day it is, and what a great spring we've been having, no?

I just wrapped up a little shoot with the guys from the Hub Bike Co-op's racing team - and although I don't usually relish getting up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning, today it was OK. You see, Maisi and I live right in the heart of Uptown, which is kind of the "hip-happening" neighborhood in Minneapolis (not that we're particularly hip or happening, really) and as such, is usually buzzing with activity. But not early on a Sunday morning, though. It was really pleasant to drive through the empty streets with the windows rolled down (yeah, spring!) and the radio playing (yeah, MPR!) and just enjoy life for a little while.

Anyway, here's a shot from the shoot, and I'll probably post more soon. Have a great day - but on a day like this, how could you not?
Talk to you soon,
John.

A little free advertising...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:05:00 +0000

Greetings all,

A while back I had some stickers made up, with vague intentions of handing them out at races and events as something a little bit cooler than the standard business cards I usually use. The sticker industry, as many others, seems to really want you to order in bulk and so it was no surprise that when I received my order I wondered if I'd ever be able to get rid of all of them. Well, maybe two years later, I'm almost running out. It's been fun and gratifying to see people not hesitate to plaster my sticker all over their stuff. The stickers have shown up on a few cars and trucks, helmets, laptops, water bottles, snowboards and even my dad's trusty old briefcase (Thanks Dad! You're my #2 fan behind Maisi!)

This brings me to the point of this post - I'd like to offer a little note of thanks to all the people who have supported and encouraged me these past few years as I struck out on my own. Goodness knows it hasn't been, and still isn't, an easy task. I never would have imagined how difficult times can be when you're the only one responsible for the success or failure of your career. There's no "boss" to complain about, and no subordinates to harass when things don't go well. However, there really is nothing quite like knowing that I can set my own schedule, decide when I work and when I don't - not to mention the fact that I wake up every day knowing that I'm doing the job I most love, and that I'm headed toward the life I dreamt for myself. That's pretty awesome, and worth the hassles for sure.

So, thanks to you, and many happy returns!

John.

P.S. - If you'd like a sticker to stick on something, please drop me an email or leave a comment on the blog. I'll send one out to you right away. If you've got a sweet shot of one of the stickers in action, feel free to send it my way, and I'll post it up here, just like I did with the great shot (above) taken by Mike Kobelinski on a recent ski trip in Utah. Thanks also to Mike's brother Matt for putting the sticker on his pickup truck.

Cans and Climbing...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:33:00 +0000

Greetings all,

What do you get when you combine artistic ability, large amounts of energy and the empty cans resulting from previously mentioned energy boost? Well, you get some pretty amazing pieces of sculpture, all made of Red Bull cans. I photographed the gala opening of the Red Bull Art of the Can exhibition for Red Bull NA this past Thursday evening and got a very close look at what these artists from all over the country could do with empty aluminum cans. Pretty fantastic stuff.

Check out the pics below...but first - Here's a shot from yesterday afternoon. This is St. Paul resident Shawn Tracy working a route called Sigma (rated 5.12c) at Robinson Park in Sandstone, MN. I could scarcely believe that November 5th could be such a warm, beautiful day. It was great to get a little time in on the rocks, as I haven't done enough of that lately.

Dale Busta of Ohio built this 12 foot tall sculpture entitled "Mapbull Tree" out of approximately 2000 Red Bull cans. The tree was complete with a tap and collecting bucket (items used for collecting sap to make maple syrup) that dripped out a secret recipe rumored to be a blend between Red Bull and real syrup. Busta claimed top honors with a first place finish.

Caleb Horn used his skills in the tool and die industry to design and fabricate an amazingly detailed miniature airplane from Red Bull cans. The airplane is held together only by the tension of it's pieces resting against each other. There are no glues or fasteners involved. Horn was the runner-up for his efforts.

One of the crowd favorites was this piece called "Rock'em Sock'em Red Bull", a fully functional Red Bull clad version of the famous fighting robots game. Adam Brackney of Burnsville MN is the mind and talent behind this one.

Well, that'll do for now. Stop back again soon to see what else I've been up to.

Later,
John.

Is it fall, or winter?

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:19:00 +0000

My last post (of long ago) talked about the pending change in the weather here in Minnesota, and now, about two months later, the change has certainly come. I was up in Fargo visiting friends last week (Andy and April - keep up the good work, you'll be doctors before you know it!) and it was nothing short of early winter up there...

I had flown up, and when I exited the plane, the jet bridge wasn't tight against the aircraft and there was a cold wind-a-blowin' - it was a bit of a shock to be sure. Soon enough I had on my jacket, and the cold wind that filled my lungs didn't seem quite so bad anymore. In fact, as I pulled on my gloves and hood (forgot the hat - not quite in the real winter mindset yet!), I couldn't help but get exited for the upcoming winter months.

I still hold onto the great (and sadly, unlikely) hope that this year, we'll have a proper Minnesota winter - you know the kind, right? With lots of snow and the good cold temps that have made generations of Minnesotans just a bit more, well, sturdy than our more southern brethren. We haven't had a really good winter since around 1997, give or take a year or so. But perhaps this one will be different, with fluffy white stuff up to our armpits and the occasional cold spell so crisp that it takes your breath away. That's winter, alright. I'm tired of this namby-pamby semi-winter business. I've got a down parka and I'm not afraid to use it!

Ah, winter...The season of the hardy - when cross country skiers wax up the old planks and head to the trails and ice climbers sharpen their ice axes, dreaming of that perfect flow. It's also the season when photographers like me pull out the cold weather gear and change all the batteries and start salivating over a winter full of great sports and the camaraderie that goes along with them all. There's the above mentioned skiing and climbing, but lets not forget winter camping, snowshoeing, snowkiting, ski-jumping (my new winter hobby), ski-joring and oh so many more. That's what I'll be shooting this winter, so check back often to see what I saw.

Regarding upcoming work, I'm happy to announce that I've been hired by Red Bull North America (you may have heard of them...I think they make some type of energy drink?) to photograph the Minneapolis opening of their 'Art of the Can' contest. I'm pleased with this opportunity to work with such a force in the alternative sports industry and am very excited to see what sculptors from around the country have crafted for the event. Additionally, the opening is being held at the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota - it's an amazing building and should be a great night.

Just one last thing before I sign off - I've been using a great new service called PhotoShelter for the last few months. It's an online archive site which allows me to be able to upload my images to redundant servers on both the East and West coasts, thereby ensuring that even if I have a total system-wide meltdown of my computers and hard drives my precious images will still be safe, tucked away in some big digital vaults far far away. What it also allows is for me to access any of my images anywhere I have internet access which means I can respond to my clients needs more quickly - no more running home to get images off a hard drive. But maybe the best part of the whole deal is that I can now display many more images for people to view whenever they want. Most of the images are also keyworded, so searching for a particular sport or event is a snap. I'm in the process of moving many of my images to the site, and will continue to do so in the future. Please feel free to check it out at:

www.photoshelter.com/user/johnpedersen

Thanks for stopping by,

John Pedersen
Go Anywhere Lensman

What a great time of year...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:53:00 +0000

Greetings all,

Well, it's coming. Can you sense it? I was sitting out on the patio of a favorite neighborhood establishment last night and it dawned on me. The air wasn't quite cool, but there was a hint of something different - something kind of light, like a bit of a release from the recent heat and humidity oppression of late. Man, that felt nice. I think it's fair to say - fall, my friends, is on its way.

Now, if you know me, you might be aware that I have two favorite seasons, and two seasons that I could generally do without. Winter and summer are my choices for the 'best season' award. If it's going to be cold, then let's have some serious cold, and a generous side order of snow would be nice too - if it's not too much trouble. And heck, on that note, if it's not cold and snowy, then let's have some good old fashioned laying on the beach, eating a popsicle in the shade, riding your bike to the lake and swamping your canoe just for the fun of it SUMMER! Fall and spring are just there to torture us, mostly. Either not enough snow, or too little - that's what I think.

But last night was different. I caught that little whiff of fall, and it sure did smell good. Really good, in fact. Even better than the sweet potato fries we were feasting upon. ('Sweet potato fries you say? What madness is this?' No madness, I promise. Head over to the Herkimer and order yourself up a plate. They're delish!) So, with the not-so-terrible season of fall (or autumn, if you prefer) sneaking up on us here in Minneapolis, I've gotten to thinking back on the summer. In that vein, I'm going to throw up a few photos from fun days I've had this summer. Some while working, some just while playing.

To start off, here's a shot of my friend Mike Kobelinksi, tearing up the uphill rock garden at one of our local trails, Theodore Wirth. Mike's a great guy and a fantastic rider. In fact, he's been racing the singlespeed division this season in the MNSCS and beating even the guys with fancy bikes just bristling with fancy gears and such. Great job Mike!

At the risk of having to rename this blog 'The Kobelinski Report' or something of that ilk, I'll also throw up a shot of Mike's brother Matt. The other Kobeliski is one of Minnesota's leading kiters, and I've been lucky enough to get out and shoot with he and his buddies a few times lately. This shot was taken on Lake Mille Lacs in central Minnesota. We'd driven all the way up there because the forecast looked good for wind. Don't always trust the forecast. Anyway, after a nice dinner, the wind picked up enough for us to hit the water. It wasn't perfect, but there was enough wind for them to get a short ride in. Sadly, the situation for photos wasn't good, but hey - I sure did dig watching the sun set while floating in the lake.

As you may know, I was fortunate enough to travel to Norway to photography Eli and Knut's wedding in July. After a few wonderful days with E&K's amazing families, my friends Nils Anders and Ingvill graciously hosted me for the rest of my stay. The word hospitality has taken on a new meaning for me - to say I was treated like a king would only describe the tip of the iceberg. I'm truly very lucky to have friends like these. Here's a shot if Ingvill and I preparing to board our tiny little plane from Bodo to Trondheim. My carry-on bag (precious photo gear) weighed easily twice the limit for all baggage combined (checked and carry on) so whenever an airline person was looking at me, I carried it like it weighed only two or three pounds. I was sore for a few days afterward, but apparently my ruse was successful...

Here's one that cracks me right up. I know, it's crude, but seriously, that sign says FART! In Norwegian, fart refers to speed, so sakte fart is simply telling the ships that enter Aalesund harbor to slow down. I used to see that sign on the ski hills in Norway, and even now while skiing out west I occasionally holler 'SAKTE FART' when cresting the last hill before the chalet. So, if you're ever skiing and hear some yahoo yelling 'fart' at the top of his lungs, it's probably me and it likely has nothing to do with any bodily emissions...

OK, last one for now - this is a shot of the little river that runs through the setra where Nils Anders' family has their 'hyyte' or cabin. What a beautiful place. I only wish the photos showed how great it really was. Oh, well. Just have to take another trip soon!

Ha det bra, og tak for alle!
John.

Welcome to the world!

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 13:33:00 +0000

On Friday I had the opportunity to photograph a very recent arrival to the world - Erik Scott Anderson, Jr. Throughout our little photo session the little guy became more and more awake (who wouldn't with some guy flashing a camera in your face?) and toward the end of our time there it was a treat to see him looking around and observing his parents. It's strange, maybe, but there always seems to be a lot going on in a newborn's eyes - like there is some kind of special wisdom there. Anyway, here's a few more shots of Baby Erik. Enjoy!

Two weeks, two weddings, two continents.

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:39:00 +0000

Well, after a long absence from my blogging duties here, I'm back.

The last few weeks have been pretty great for me and included photographing a couple of great weddings - one in Brainerd, MN and the other near Bodo, Norway. Yep, that's right - Norway. The photo above is of Eli and Knut on a pier in the tiny historic fishing village of Kjerringoy where the ceremony was held. The weather wasn't perfect, but everything else was. A beautiful day for beautiful people.

More about the trip later, but first, here's some images from Sarah and Josh's wedding in the wonderful Brainerd Lakes Area.

Sarah and Josh are a great couple that I feel fortunate to have spent the day with - as were their families. It was plain to see that these two have a great future together. I very much enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that flowed through the day, starting at St. Christopher's Catholic Church in Nisswa and finishing up at the Legacy Pavilion at Cragun's Resort. All in all, it was pretty much a perfect Minnesota summer day. Thanks, Sarah and Josh!
Here's some more shots from the day:

Sometimes the flower girl just needs some time with her dad.

Sarah looked wonderful all day - even in some pretty high temperatures.

DJ Sam had everyone dancing up a storm.

Sarah and Josh seemed to truly enjoy the slideshow - don't you think?

Thanks again, Sarah and Josh!

Here's the steeple of the church Eli and Knut were married in - a great old church built in the 1800's.

The place where Eli and Knut were married is pretty famous, as several movies have been filmed there. The pier in the first photo in the post is especially well known, so I was glad that the rain wasn't falling too hard and that Eli and Knut were willing to take a litle stroll out there.

Well, I think that's enough for tonight - stay tuned as I hope to post more photos from the rest of my trip to Norway and some other fun shoots I've had lately. Thanks!

Heros and kayaks

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Fri, 05 May 2006 03:19:00 +0000

Greetings friends,

Spring is great! I used to think that spring was a sort of purgatory between winter and summer, but that was before I was introduced to spring kayaking. Here's a few shots from this week when I headed up to the North Shore with Andy Lichtenheld, Nate and Heather Herbeck and Nate's mom Luanne. Nate and Heather are originally from Mankato but have spent the last few years living out in the Hood River area of Oregon. These folks know how to paddle! Check their website at www.liquidkayak.com, great site, great people.

I was lucky enough to meet two of my personal heros this week - Will Steger and Ann Bancroft, two of the world's formost polar explorers, both of whom are from right here in Minnesota. I was shooting their induction into Midwest Mountaineering's Minnesota Explorers Hall of Fame, and had a chance to briefly meet both. These two are amazing people who are helping to lead the fight against global warming - a battle whose consequences they have both witnessed first-hand in their travels to the world's most solitary places. Steger and Bancroft were presented with donations to their respective foundations and were also honored with a shadow box display into which they each placed an item from one of their trips. Steger donated his cup and bowl from the historic 1986 trip to the North Pole, while Bancroft donated a head lamp from the trip as well. I was excited to take off my 'working hat' long enough to get a great signed poster of one of his trips. It's now hanging proudly in my office.

Here's another shot of kayaking before I sign off, this one of Nate Herbeck paddling Spruce Falls on Spruce Creek, near Lutsen, MN. Herbeck's run was probably the second descent ever on this falls, and closely followed a first descent by Andy Lichtenheld. Nice paddling guys!

Have a great day,
John.

Horses and more kayaking.

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:37:00 +0000

Greetings,

I've started to do some equine photography lately, and this weekend I photographed Valley, Tracy Tschakert Langerud's five-year-old dressage horse. Tracy and Valley were in town for lessons from Canadian Olympic rider John MacPherson and we were able to get some nice shots of Valley before, during and after the lesson. This is one that I liked quite a bit:

Also, as the title of this post implies, I shot some more creeking up on the North Shore last week - this time the guys paddled the Baptism River. Many thanks to Peter, Jason, Tommy, Joerg, Joe and Andy for letting me tag along and photograph the day. Here's a shot I liked of Andy running Ilgen Falls on the Baptism:

I've also been having a great time riding on the mountain bike trails over at Theodore Wirth Park. I've been trying to get over there as much as possible, and since it's riding distance from home, I get a nice workout to and from the trails, and an even nicer (and more fun) ride once I'm there. These trails exist thanks to the great work of MOCA and MORC - what a great treat to have singletrack available right smack dab in a major metro area! I even saw three deer on my way to the trail today.

Have a great day,
John.

Kiteboarding Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 17:02:00 +0000

I forgot to mention in my last post that this month's Kiteboarding
Magazine features an article on kiting in Minnesota. The article was
written by Tighe Beldon (with a little help from myself) and is
accompanied by several photos by Tighe and myself. Check it out if you
get the chance - you can find it at most larger bookstores and of course
Shinder's has them as well.

Thanks,
John.

Spring Creeking

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 04:26:00 +0000

Greetings from Minnesota in the Spring!

The weather has been amazing around here lately, and as is the case here in Minnesota, April showers (and melting snow!) bring...well, they bring mid-April increases in river levels all up and down the North Shore. Because of this phenomenon, there exists a dedicated group of whitewater kayakers who live for 'creeking'. Also called steep creeking or spring creeking, these paddlers enjoy the rush of paddling rivers and creeks that flow enough to navigate for only a few weeks each spring.

The waterfalls and rapids these guys run are nothing short of mind-blowing. Every time I get out with them, I'm amazed at the level of paddlers that Minnesota produces. The courage, skill and desire they exibit are incredible.

On Saturday I had the chance to head up to Duluth with Peter Noren, Tommy Norton and Chris Anderson from Midwest Mountaineering. The day was one of those perfect spring afternoons - crisp blue skies, perfect temperature for a long-sleeved t-shirt and the rivers were flowing nicely. Some of the Duluth boys were logging laps on the Lester River - if I recall correctly, Ryan Zimney had the high number of the day - 10 runs!

Peter and Tommy were the first (and only, I think) to run 'Almost Always' that day. Almost Always is a waterfall on the Lester River who's moniker is based on the fact that paddlers almost always have to portage it. With a pretty big crowd of both paddlers and regular citizens on hand, Tommy ran it first, followed shortly by Peter - both received a big cheer from everyone on hand, and a couple of congragulatory beers at the take-out.

Here's a sequence shot I took of Peter at Almost Always:

On another note, I'm getting set for another great summer of photography - filled with both weddings and sports - especially mountain bikin! Woo Hoo!

On still another note, (this, a serious one) on Tuesday evening my friend Joe and I were downtown after a failed attempt to get tickets to the Twins home opener when we witnessed a serious bike accident. If you've followed this blog in the past, you'll recall that I'm a little crazy about peddling so this one hit close to home. The rider was cruising down Sixth street downtown when he hit a man-hole cover that had sunken down into the street a fair distance. He was unable to recover and crashed just as he entered the intersection of 2nd avenue. I ran over to see if he was OK, and when I got down to his level, I could tell it was bad. He was conscious but unresponsive, and was bleeding from a wound on the back of his head. I called 911 and several other passers-by and a police office hurried over as well. It was several minutes until another police unit arrived, followed shortly by an ambulance and fire truck. During this time, we stayed with the man and I tried to talk to him just to give him something to focus on. It was a terrible few minutes, as it was obvious that this was no scraped-knee kind of crash, this could be really bad. He was bleeding heavily from the back of his head - there was literally a puddle in the street. I felt powerless, firstly, because there was little that could be done with out moving him, and moreso because I'm a biker and I felt as though I should somehow protect him, as a fellow cyclist.

Before long, the medics took over and one of the officers took my statement, after which Joe and I hung around to make sure the police took care of his bike properly.

So here's the thing. I'll try not to be too preachy, but it's important to me to make this point. He wasn't wearing a helmet. I'm no doctor, but I did see him crash and I've done nearly the same thing in the past - I'm certain that had he had a helmet, he would have been fine. Scaped up knees and elbows, yes, but overall fine. I ride in town a lot, and I wear a helmet about 90% of the time. It used to be that if I was running a quick errand in the neighborhood I might not grab my helmet, but I can tell you now that I will not do that again. It's simply not worth the risk, not even close.

I'm not sure who that rider was, and I don't know how he's doing now, but I sure hope he'll recover well, and I hope even more that the next time you hop on your bike for a ride you'll wear you're helmet and keep a sharp lookout for hazards in the road.

Thanks for stopping by, and sorry if I bummed you out!

John.

John Pedersen Photography Launches New Websites

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:27:00 +0000

Greetings!

I'm happy to announce that I've launched two new websites in the recent past. After something like a year of my sports and weddings work being displayed on the same site, I've decided to give each disicpline its own space. The sites are actually the same design so it should be easy for users to navigate through both, but the separation allows me to have more content on each than I previously could. I have some fine tuning to do, but you should be able to get the point.

Please check them out at:

www.JohnPedersenPhotography.com

Also, if you have a minute, take a look at www.AprilBatcheller.com. April is pursuing her dream of oneday competing in the Olympics in the equestrian sport of Dressage. I'm happy to have helped a little bit by shooting photos for her new website.

Have a great day!
John Pedersen

Upcoming Adverts

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:16:00 +0000

I'm gearing up for the summer wedding season, and as part of that, I'm pleased to announce two new ads that will be running in short order. The first is found in the Bridal Premier magazine published by the Lacrosse (WI) Tribune and the Winona Daily News. The other will run in the Weddings North magazine published by the Brainerd Dispatch. Additionally, Weddings North will feature photos from the Johnson/Pettis wedding that I shot on New Years Eve on the cover and front page.

Both Winona and Brainerd are great areas and I enjoy working in them a great deal - if you're getting married in either Brainerd or Winona I'd love to talk with you about your big day.

I'll only post the Bridal Premier ad for now, but check back to see the other - and more! Thanks, John.

Tools of the Trade v1.0

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:55:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday evening everyone. Today was filled with filling orders (hah! funny!) and catching up on some routine tasks - not the most exciting, but I'd rather be doing busy work for myself than someone else. Which reminds me - I heard a saying a while back that I find pretty funny after having just finished my first full year of self-employment. It goes something like this:

'Being self-employed is working 80 hours a week for yourself so you don't have to work 40 for someone else.'

Ok, Ok, so I don't work 80 hours a week very often, but it still rings true. I thought I'd post the Tools of the Trade poster that I did for the Sandstone Ice Festival, I'm going to start working on the next one soon - I'm thinking about doing an equestrian themed piece or possibly an homage to fixed gear bikes - we'll see.

I'll post larger views of each shot so you can check them out better. I used a technique called light painting, which I've been playing with after learning about the discipline on Dave Black's website - he's a hero of mine - he shoots sports like no one else.

Well, that's enough for tonight - Ha det bra!
John.

A few more things...

noreply@blogger.com (John Pedersen) — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 03:47:00 +0000

I ran out of steam while writing my last post, so I figured I'd fill you all in on a few more developments now that I've got a few spare minutes.

I'm happy to announce that The Lake Country Journal, a very nicely produced magazine from the Brainerd Lakes area featured some of my work in the January/February issue. In fact, they chose to run a shot of Aaron Sales (Slingshot Kites) on the cover as well as a really nice two page spread of local-boy Nathan Borer, followed by two more pages including photos of several more local heros including Tighe Belden of Lakawa.com. Vivian Clark wrote a nice piece to accompany the photos...or maybe the other way around... Check it out if you get the chance.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming trip out to Colorado in a couple of weeks - it's a pleasure trip, but I may see if I can hook up with some of the Colorado kiters for a day of shooting - I haven't gotten to shoot enough kiting yet this winter and it would be great to shoot in the mountains. Let's hope for the remainder of the winter to be full of sun, snow and good times on the ice.

Well, I figure that's enough for now. Bom dia!