Midwest Photo Safari
Midwest Photo Safari Newsletter October 2009 - Vol 1 Issue 10

Click HERE to view as a web page

In this issue:

• what's new at MPS
• photo tip of the month ...Fall Color Photography Tips
• safarian "image gallery"
• our current safaris
• history tidbits

WHAT'S NEW AT MPS?

Our regularly scheduled safaris on the St Anthony Falls Heritage Trail and the St. Paul Capital area are running through October 31st. These 2 tours will resume in late April 2010. We will be posting booking calendars for the 2010 season in mid November. All of our Mall of America, Hiawatha Light Rail, and Minneapolis Skyway Tours run year round. We are also developing special tours for the Holidazzle and Winter Carnival Events. Watch our web site and newsletters for details.

OUR CURRENT SAFARIS NOW INCLUDE:

All of these safaris, except those that include the Skyways, run Tuesdays thru Saturdays. The Skyway Tours run Tuesdays thru Fridays

for complete schedules, visit our Web Site

MPS PHOTO TIP OF THE MONTH

Fall Color Photography Tips

 With autumn's arrival and the holidays on the way, now is a great time of year to take out your camera and start capturing beautiful, vibrant outdoor photos.  Below are some useful tips to help you take rich and captivating photos of the colorful season.

  To create a more interesting photo, don't try to capture everything you see.  By choosing a point of interest... something with visual appeal or interest, such as a fence, tree or a bridge and placing it off-center, will add greater depth to your photo, and will provide a framework for the beautiful fall foliage. 

  Early morning or late afternoon provide the most interesting light for fall photos.  The contrasts of light and shadow at these times allow for interesting depth. Also, the sun sits lower in the sky during fall, and the afternoons provide you with warm and beautiful light for photography. 

  Bright sunlight is good for fall photos too, and can make colors in fall foliage glow.  However, if there is too much light streaming through trees, or too much bright sky, your camera’s meter may become confused and leave the rest of your photo dark.  To avoid losing any color and interest, move in closer to your subject and cut out some extra light. 

 Don’t let an overcast day keep you from taking fall photos.  Grey days actually allow fall colors pop out.  Take advantage of these days by focusing in on natural details, such as fallen leaves.

  Don’t restrict yourself to a certain subject or location, move around, and take many shots from different angles.  Getting shots from low angles gives you the benefit of different lighting, making a more interesting image. Also, take advantage of action shots. A waterfall, river and even just a windy day can give your photos motion and provide more visual interest. 

  Fall is possibly the best time of year to take outdoor photographs. But before you head outside with your camera, remember that there is a very short window of opportunity for truly great pictures, so always keep your camera with you.  A sudden cold snap or windstorm can blow away your photo opportunity overnight.

 

SAFARIAN IMAGE GALLERY

Our October image of the month is from our recent September Duluth and North Shore Safari. The image was captured by safarian Jackie P. from Circle Pines, Minnesota. This image is from inside Split Rock Lighthouse. The Freznel Lens and deep blue sky filtering thru the windows make a nice contrast.

Nice Image Jackie!

HISTORY TIDBITS FROM OUR SAFARIS

St Anthony Falls Facts

   St. Anthony Falls is named after the Catholic saint Anthony of Padua. In 1680, the falls were observed and published in a journal by Father Louis Hennepin, a Catholic friar of Belgian birth, who also first published about Niagara Falls to the world's attention.

   When Hennepin documented the falls he estimated the falls' height to be 50 or 60 feet. Later explorers described it as being in the range of 16 to 20 feet high. The discrepancy may have been due to scope, as the current total drop in river level over the series of dams is 76 ft..

  By the 1860s industrial waste had filled the area and marred the falls' majesty. Further competition over the power of the falls on both banks of the river led to its eventual downfall when it partially collapsed in 1869 and was reinforced and subsequently sealed by a concrete overflow spillway (or "apron").

  The area around the falls was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District in 1971

  The falls was the upper limit of commercial navigation on the Mississippi until two dams and a series of locks were built between 1948 and 1963 by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The locks make commercial navigation possible above Minneapolis but, since the locks in Minneapolis are smaller than most of the locks on the river, the practical limit for many commercial tows is further downriver. Few barges go past St. Paul.
We visit Duluth and the near North Shore 3 times a year on a special 1 day safari. Our next scheduled tour is June 5th 2010. Participation is limited, so reserve your space by visiting our Safari 8 page and following the link to the reservation form. 
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