Monet's Garden at Giverney

Garden wall at Giverney

Countryside near St. Lo

A line of trees south of St. Lo

Normandy, France.  The place encapsulizes a great deal of history, especially the WWII period, but also the experiences of 1066.  It's a good place to try new/old foods and see classic architecture.  I could have spent another two weeks recording the details of this place.

3rd Annual Photo Exhibition

Wing Young Huie's Photo Salon

The opening show is 6-9 pm, October 21, at Wing's Studio, 3730 S. Chicago in Minneapolis.

https://sites.google.com/site/2011wingyounghuiesalonshow/home

My work is displayed, but I can't be there in person.  Nevertheless, you will be greeted warmly, offered refreshments, and enjoy the creative work of the 20 other photographers.

http://www.wingyounghuie.com/
THE THIRD PLACE
Photography Gallery
3730 Chicago Ave So
Studio B
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Southeast Asia Revealed

My wife and I signed up for a photo tour of SE Asia in February with Jim Cline Photo Tours.  The group, led by photojournalist Karl Grobl, included seven other people and proved to be a congenial collection of travel companions and an excellent incubator of photography ideas.  Starting in Thailand, we visited photo venues as diverse as the royal palace, numerous temples, seedy bars, and native villages.  In Laos, we boated down the Mekong to Luang Prabang and captured images of monks on their early morning alms walk and nearby waterfalls.  And in Cambodia, we spent days exploring the Angkor Wat complex and a few additional days in Phnom Penh tracing the sad history of the Khmer Rouge and their infamous killing fields.  You can view a book we assembled with the other tour participants at Blurb.com.  After the tour, we visited friends in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and I went to Viet Nam for a week with my son who was also traveling in the area.  Here are a few of my images.

Our tour group at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Phnom Penh.

Hoi An, Vietnam.

Luang Prabang, Laos.

In a village along the Mekong in Laos.

Visiting a "long neck" Karen village in northern Thailand.

Ta Prohm temple, near Siem Reap, Cambodia.

A Second Chance: December 17

Despite the first big snowstorm of the season, the photo exhibition on November 13 went off without a hitch.  Several of us brought snow shovels and we cleared the way into Wing's gallery, and a couple hundred hearty souls showed up to enjoy the show, the refreshments, and the company.  But we heard later that a lot of people were in fact dissuaded from attending because of the weather.  So we've decided to open the gallery again for a reprise of the opening night.  More wine and food, more people, same art. Join us if you can.

6-9 pm, Friday, December 17, Wing Young Huie's gallery, 2525 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis.

https://sites.google.com/site/wingyounghuie2010salon/

Another Exhibition! November 13!

Wing Young Huie is planning a second annual exhibition of photographs by participants in his monthly salon, opening on Saturday, November 13, at 6-9 pm.  In my role as one of the 21 exhibitionists or whatever we're called, I invite all of my friends to stop in for wine, cheese, conviviality, and of course art.  Last year's show opening was beyond-belief successful, and we're aiming to recapture the same vibe this year.  Wing's gallery is at 2525 East Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, near the Riverside exit on I-94. (612/375-0191).

A Merry Time in the Maritimes

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island.  The names evoke places that are familiar but foreign, close but a little hard to get to.  During a three-week visit, we enjoyed the maritime cuisine and photographed mainly rural and maritime landscapes.  Americans seldom give Canada a second thought as if it is some kind of extension of US society, but it is different in many subtle ways.  For example, outside of the big cities, signs of sprawling development and hyper-commercialism are rare.  These photos offer a glimpse of life in an environment that can sometimes be reminiscent of a simpler time. 

House at Bay Fortune, PEI

Dark Harbour, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick

Field near Dundas, PEI

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Black and White

Making a photo in black and white can reduce the resulting image to a simple graphic scene that may have more impact than its color counterpart.  Although we’re awash in color these days, it can be revealing to conceptualize some scenes as black and white images.  Here is a photo of my Dad and sister, taken near their residences in SW Michigan.

St. Joseph, Michigan