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Valentine
Gift Idea - How about a Photo Safari
in the twin cities most romantic
spot?
The
Minneapolis riverfront offers one of
the best views in the city, and is
considered one of the most romantic
spots in the city. As a special
treat to your valentine this month,
why not take one of our "Minneapolis
Nights" photo safaris? Make it a
"date night" ... spend a couple of
hours photographing the area and
learning some of the history.
Purchase any Night Safari between
now and February 29th, and your
spouse or significant other can
accompany you free! Just mention
VALENTINE when you schedule your
safari and your partner can register
NC. This offer is valid for any
night safari (
safari 2,
safari 6, or
safari 7 ) purchased from now
until the 29th (not valid for
previously discounted tours or other
special offers) 
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History Tidbits from our
Safaris - Minneapolis Skyscrapers
This month
we take a look at some facts about
the tall buildings we photograph on
our Nicollet mall night safari. The
792 ft IDS Center is the
tallest. The IDS was built in 1974
as the headquarters of Investors
Diversified Services, Inc. now
Ameriprise Financial.
Coming in second is the 775 ft
Capella Tower (also called 225 South
Sixth) which opened in 1992 as
First Bank Place In 1997 the
name changed to US Bancorp
Place. In 2000, the tower changed to
225 South 6th Street, then In
2009, the building took its present
name. The
third tallest is the Wells Fargo
Center, formerly known as Norwest
Center Completed in 1988, it is
774 feet. This is the most prominent
building on the night skyline,
brilliantly lit on the sides by
floodlights providing a golden glow
on the Minneapolis skyline.
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MPS Photo Tips and
Techniques - Shooting Light Trails
We've
all marveled at dramatic images of
moving lights from taillights
or headlights of vehicles.
Photographing light trails is easier
than you might think and it’s also a
great way to sharpen your skills in
taking long exposures. You
need a camera that has the ability
to shoot in either full manual mode
and/or shutter priority mode
...something that all DSLRs and some
advanced point and shoot cameras
have. The key is long shutter
speeds, so you’ll also need a
tripod. Also helpful are lens hoods
to block ambient light, and a remote
shutter release. Choose a low ISO
setting for as little noise as
possible. Shoot RAW if you
have it - this will help correct any
white balance issues thet might
arise. In low light some have focus
issues so you may want to use manual
focus.
Find a spot where traffic is heavy
enough so you can get multiple shots
without a lot of wait time. Set up
in a safe spot and start shooting,
try opening the shutter just
before a car enters the frame and
releasing it just after it leaves
the frame for an unbroken
line. Experiment with
different timings for the best
result. I usually shoot at
shutter speeds between 10 and 20
seconds with apertures in the mid
range (something around f/10). Take
a few test shots to see how the
exposure works. You’ll soon realize
whether your shots are under or
overexposed and whether the length
of the exposure is long enough to
let cars travel through the frame in
the way that you want.
The key is taking a bunch of
shots... practice makes perfect!
Have fun with it.
"streak" images from our
safarian gallery... thanks to
Diane L. and Stacy B. for
sharing!
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Safarian Images of the Month
On our photo
safaris, we always encourage using
reflections, and Jennifer G. found a
good one on her Sunday morning
safari back in July. This is an
image of the steeple at Our Lady of
Lourdes from the building across the
street. Nice image! Thanks for
Sharing Jenny.
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