School Bell

This is the school bell on the oldest existing school house in the state of Minnesota. It is found in Taylors Falls.

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William Drew Photography

Snow Covered Evergreen

The sun came out and spread it's light on the freshly fallen snow, sending glittery light towards me as I shot this photo of this snow covered evergreen in Minnesota.

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Beacon Lit on the Split Rock Lighthouse

This is one of my photographs of the Split Rock Lighthouse as the beacon was lit. Tonight, they are lighting the beacon for the anniversary of the Edmond Fitzgerald sinking. I would love to make the trip up there to photograph it again, but the weather will be unsavory for taking photos for those of us that don't have weather proof camera gear.

Fall Colors at Jay Cooke State Park

A colorful and vibrant photo showcasing the beauty of fall in Minnesota. I captured this shot at the Jay Cooke State Park in northern Minnesota. The reflection is captured in the St. Louis River that eventually runs into Lake Superior. Jay Cooke State Park is a Minnesota state park located about ten miles (16 km) southwest of Duluth, just outside the small town of Thomson. Jay Cooke is situated on the St. Louis River, which enters into Lake Superior through the Duluth/Superior Harbor, so it is considered by many to be the southernmost of the Lake Superior State Parks. The St. Louis River is a river in the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that flows into Lake Superior. The largest U.S. river to flow into the lake, it is 179 miles (288 kilometers) in length and starts near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. The river's watershed is 3634 square miles (9412 km2) in area. Near the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, the river becomes a freshwater estuary.

Purple and Gold

Lighting the Split Rock Lighthouse II

On October 1st of 2010, I made it back up to the Split Rock Lighthouse at a time when they would be lighting it again. I wish they would light it more often as I love photographing it. I was in a different spot this time than I was last time, and I tried a couple of new techniques while photographing it. Well, at least they are new techniques to me. You can click on either photo to see it in a larger size.

This first one, I took trying to capture both the lit up lighthouse, AND the stars in the sky. It's a breathtaking photo, but I hope I can improve on it's quality the next time.




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Fall Colors in Minnesota

These are a series of photos that I took in Northern Minnesota last fall. I was at the Jay Cooke State Park, and for the first time since I've started taking photos, I finally made the trip up there while the colors were at peak color. You can click on any of these photos to view them in a larger size.







You can see more of my Minnesota photos here

All of my photos can be found at William Drew Photography

The Lighting of the Split Rock Lighthouse

During the summer of 2010, the state of Minnesota celebrated the 100th birthday of the Split Rock Lighthouse by lighting it on the first Friday of each month, plus a few other days scattered through the season.  Ever since I purchased my camera, I have relished going up to the beautiful state park to photograph it, but I have never seen it lit up.  My first trip up to see it ended in futility.  The fog was so think, all you could see was the light.  The good news is the lighthouse did its job that day, but it was not something that would produce good photos.  On my 2nd trip, I managed to get a few spectacular photos of this lighthouse as it was lit.  Those photos from this September 9th, 2010 trip are posted below. 

Sunlit Lighthouse on a Cloudy Day. As I was setting up my gear, the sun finally popped out from behind the clouds and acted like a spot light on the lighthouse.
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Sunset at Split Rock Lighthouse.  Shortly before the light came on, the setting sun cast a beautiful orange glow on the clouds that gave this photo a wonderful color.

 
Purple Sky, Minnesota Lighthouse.  This one is by far my favorite photo from this trip.  After the sun set, and the lighthouse lit up, the purple and pink hues of the dusk sky to the west lit up the clouds behind the lighthouse.  It was a breathtaking event being there for this, and I'm ecstatic I got it photographed.

The Minnesota Zephyr

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The Minnesota Zephyr is a heritage railroad operating out of Stillwater, Minnesota. It operates as a dinner train and serves a five-course, white linen dinner on a six-mile route, traveling between four and seven miles per hour.

You can see more of my Minnesota photography here.

You can see all of my photography here.