Photos for Healthcare Facilities

If you are looking for fine art photography for your healthcare facilities, take a look at the 'Healthcare' section on my photography website. There is a drop down menu at the top of every page that contains all of my galleries. The healthcare section is categorized to help designers easily find an image that works with the design of their facility. You can find my website at William Drew Photography.

Photos For Healthcare Facilities

My photography website is now set up to provide fine art prints for healthcare facilities working with Interior Designers and Art Consultants. My healthcare galleries can be found in the drop down menus on the top of all my pages. There is a healthcare section that is categorized to help designers easily find an image that works with their design. For more information, visit my website at William Drew Photography.

View of Minneapolis Skyline from Target Field

Here are two recent photos that feature the spectacular view of downtown Minneapolis from inside Target Field.





Click on either image to see them full size. William Drew Photography.

See all of my Minneapolis photos!
William Drew Photography

iPhone and iPad Cases

You can now purchase any of my photos as an iPhone or iPad case. Just go to my photography website to find out more!

William Drew Photography

Freedom Fest Fireworks

I made the 2 1/2 hour drive up to Duluth so that I could photograph their Fourth of July fireworks show, which was being advertised as the biggest fireworks display in the state. So, 2 1/2 hour drive there, 20 minutes of fireworks, 2 1/2 hour drive home. These better be some pretty good fireworks, right? Here are some of the photos I came away with. Clicking on each photo will give you a bigger view of that image.








You can see more of my fireworks photos by clicking here.

You can see all of my photos at William Drew Photography.

White Tiger Lily

This is a photo of a White Tiger Lily that I shot at the Como Zoo Conservatory.




You can see more of my flower shots here.

You can see all of my photography here.

The Destruction of the Great Blue Heron Rookery

There is an island rookery on the Mississippi river just a short walk from my house that is, ok... was home to over 200 Great Blue Herons. A tornado recently hit Minneapolis and the island rookery took a direct hit from the tornado. Most of the island was destroyed. All of the nests were destroyed. All of the eggs that had been laid were lost.

The next two photos will show how the island looked before the tornado, and how it looks now. You can click on either photo to see a full sized version of it.

Before the Tornado:


After the Tornado:


You can see more photos of the Great Blue Herons here.

You can see all of my photos here.

The good news is the herons are adapting and rebuilding nests. I'm not sure how many of them will stay at this rookery, but these magnificent birds have already built nests about 2 miles south of the rookery, AND about 2 miles north of the rookery.

Minneapolis at Dusk

I took this photo of the Minneapolis skyline on April 30th while standing on the Dinkytown Bridge. The photo features the beautiful Minneapolis skyline, the 10th St. Bridge, the 35W bridge bathed in its blue light, the Mississippi river, and the Stone Arch Bridge.

To view a larger version of this photo, just click on it.



You can see more of my Minneapolis photos in my Minneapolis Gallery.

You can view all of my photography at my William Drew Photography site.

See all of my Minneapolis photos!
William Drew Photography

Expedition Everest

I took this photo of Expedition Everest in December of 2008. Expedition Everest is a roller coaster ride at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on it.



You can see more of my Animal Kingdom photos by clicking here.

You can see more of my Walt Disney World photos by clicking here.

You can see all of my photography by clicking here.

Great Blue Herons

There is a rookery on the Mississippi river about a mile from my house that is home to over 70 Great Blue Herons. Below are a few of the photos of these Great Blue Herons that I took on April 8th of this year. You can view a larger version of any of the photos by clicking on it.







You can see all of my bird photos here.

You can see my entire photo collection here.

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.




You can see more photos from my Minnesota gallery here.

You can see all of my photos here.

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

Methods of Mayhem - Louder

I've always been a fan of Tommy Lee's music.  Well, let me clarify, as a whole, his albums are pretty mediocre.  But they usually have 3-4 songs that I always love listening to.  Late in 2010 he released a new album with his band Methods of Mayhem.  This album contains a song called "Louder", and this song has fast become one of my all time favorite songs.  And with saying that, you can check out the song by pushing play on the video below.

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.
Click on any photo to see a larger size.

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.

Minneapolis Spaghetti Junction

I took this photo while standing on the Dupont Ave bridge that spans I-694 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The multiple lanes you see also incorporate Highway 100 and I-94. You can view a larger version by clicking on the image.

You can see more of my Minneapolis photography by clicking here.

You can see all of my photos by clicking here.

See all of my Minneapolis photos!
William Drew Photography

Solace

About two weeks ago I finally got my recording studio set up and for the first time in a dozen years I've been able to record music again. Below is the first song I have finished, a song called "Solace". This song is an instrumental, and might very well go good in a movie chase or fight scene. Let me know what you think!

The Vikings Draft

I'm probably a little tardy with a blog about the Vikings draft, but I wanted to let this settle in for a bit before commenting on it. Most "experts" say it takes three-years to evaluate a draft, but then none of these "experts" never tell us how anyone drafted three years ago. At the end of this blog I'm going to actually do that with the Vikings draft from 2007. Before I get to that, lets look at this 2010 Vikings draft.

Chris Cook, a CB from West Virginia was the Vikings first pick of the draft. I think this was their worst pick of the draft. It's my feeling that they gambled in trading down that one of their top CB's would still be there and they all got gobbled up. I think they could have traded down again and still got Cook if that is who they wanted. The highest pre-draft ranking I saw for Cook was a 46th pick. The Vikings took him 34th. Cook does fill a need since both starting CB's for the Vikings are coming off injuries, but I'm thinking he's going to be strictly a special teams player.

The Vikings next pick was Toby Gerhart, a RB from Stanford. I absolutely LOVE this pick. Taking him at #51 might have been a little bit of a reach, but this pick fits perfectly for the Vikings. Probably the biggest loss the Vikings suffered in the off-season was losing Chester Taylor (including the double impact of losing him to a division rival). No offence to Taylor, but I think Gerhart comes in a does a better job than Chester did this past season. Toby can run, block and catch just as well as Chester did, but Toby will also punish defenders. I can't imagine defensive players being too happy about having to try tackling Adrian Peterson, and then when AP takes a break they then have to face Gerhart.

Everson Griffen, DE, USC was the Vikings 3rd pick in the draft (taken in the 4th round). This is another pick I love. Most people gave him first-round grades, in fact the lowest grade I saw given to him pre-draft was as the 23rd best prospect. The Vikings took him with the 100th pick, which totally makes up for the reach on Cook. He fell to the 4th round mostly from teams doubting his drive and determination. From the looks of it, that could be a legitimate concern, but I find it hard to believe anyone can work with a guy like Jared Allen every day and not have some of Allen's drive rub off on you. When Griffen is on, people have been comparing him to Dwight Freeney. Anytime you can draft someone in the 4th round that is compared to Freeney I'm thinking you got yourself a pretty good pick.

The Vikings next pick was Chris DeGeare, OL, Wake Forrest. Uh... ok. As good as the Griffen pick was, this one makes me scratch my head. I never saw this guy ranked higher than 262nd in anyone pre-draft rankings. The Vikings took him at 161. That is just an incredible reach. And then lets consider how un-intelligent this DeGeare is. He missed a year of football because he couldn't figure out his school work. His scouting report say he has never been able to figure out the twists and stunts defensive linemen pull. Great. Welcome to the NFL DeGeare.

For their 5th selection, the Vikings took Nate Tripplet, LB, Minnesota. This pick right here might have been the worst pick in the entire draft. By any team. I don't think anyone in the world had him ranked in their top 500 players. In fact, in the five places I found that had players ranked at least 500 deep he wasn't listed on any of them. And the Vikings used their #167 pick on him.

Joe Webb was the Vikings next pick, and possibly the most confusing pick they made, at least initially. Most places had Webb listed as a QB. He was listed as a QB on the NFL.coms draft tracker. Ok, the Vikings obviously need a QB. And Webb did something in his last two seasons that no QB had ever done in the history of college football by passing for 2,000 yards and rushing for 1,000 yards two seasons in a row. Most of his scouting report basically made him a Tavarious Jackson clone. Why would the Vikings take a QB that is pretty much exactly like one that has already failed? Then it turns out they took him to play WR, which is where he played his first year in college, and now it's looking like it could be one very nice pick. Just like Randy Moss when the Vikings drafted him, Webb has a freakish combo of size and athleticism. How athletic is he? His college coach was also the college coach of one Bo Jackson. That coach said Joe is in Bo's league. In Webb, the Vikings got a 6'3" 223 pound WR that can run a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash, and a 42-1/2" vertical. He only had 30 receptions that one year he played WR in college so he might be a little raw out there. But getting this kind of potential with a 6th round pick is very much worth the gamble. Not to mention I'm already getting giddy about a possible wild-cat formation with Webb at QB, Percy and AP in the backfield. That could drive some defenses nuts. After the initial confusion, I'm now excited for this pick and hoping he turns out.

The Vikings 7th selection was Mickey Shuler, TE, Penn State. I think this pick was also a bit of a reach. He does fit the blocking TE mold pretty well, and that's a spot the Vikings will need to cover as Jimmy Kliensasser is getting up there in experience. I'm not sure this pick makes the team except for maybe being on the practice squad.

Ryan D'Imperio, LB, Rutgers was the Vikings 8th and final selection in this 2010 NFL draft. This is yet another pick that I'm sure would have not been drafted by anyone else. I think he has the same odds of winning the lottery as making the team.

So, over the past couple of years, the Vikings have done remarkably well in the draft. All seven picks last year started and contributed. This year... I love two of the picks (Gerhart and Griffen). I think those two could possibly turn in performances that overshadow how bad the rest of the draft was. I think two other picks will contribute (Webb and Cook). I'm at a loss for words at how bad the rest of the selections were. But then again, I'm a restaurant manager. Maybe the guys that get paid to do this knew what they were doing again and we'll see all seven do well.

Now, lets look back at the 2007 Vikings draft.

1. Adrian Peterson. All-world stud. Grade A+.
2. Sidney Rice. All-pro WR last year. Grade A.
3. Marcus McCauley. Held his own during his rookie season, has disappeared since then. No longer on the team. Grade D+.
4. Brian Robison. Very solid backup on a very good defensive line. Grade B-
5. Aundrae Allison. Never made it above 4th WR. No longer on the team. Grade D.
6. Rufus Alexander. Failed. Grade F.
7. Tyler Thigpen. Tyler started 14 games in 2008. For the Chiefs. Nice pick, the failure here was trying to sneak him onto the practice squad. Grade C-
8. Chandler Williams. Failed. Grade F.

Adding it all up, for the 2007 draft I'd give the Vikings a final grade of a C+/B-.

OK Go - White Knuckles

This track of OK-Go's new album is too funkey. Gotta share it with everyone. Enjoy.



I know the video doesn't fit in this tiny space. Blame youtube for not making a small-enough version of it. But its just audio anyway.

I have listened to a few tracks off their new album "Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky" and the first thing that comes to mind is these guys must have listened to the Prince's Dirty Mind album non-stop before making this album. Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky has a fantastic sound and feel to it. Check it out when you get a chance.

Where Will Tebow Go?

I can't remember ever seeing anything like this Tim Tebow "phenomenon" that is going on now with the draft just one day away. Most people know the story by now. When it comes to the intangibles (leadership, desire to win, coachability, on/off field personality), every team in the league would take him with the first pick in the draft. But despite having better college numbers than, say, either of the Mannings, no one wants to waste a pick on him as a QB.

So where does that leave us? Let's look at the teams that absolutely do not need a QB right now. New Orleans (Brees), San Diego (Rivers), Dallas (Romo), Green Bay (Rogers), NY Giants (Eli), Atlanta (Ryan), Baltimore (Flacco), NY Jets (Sanchez) and Detroit (Stafford).

I left a couple of teams off that list that might surprise most. Indianapolis and New England. These two teams obviously have two of the best QB's in the game in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Peyton is 34, and Brady, while only 32, has been getting beat up recently. Both of these teams have been outstanding at finding and drafting talent in the later rounds of the draft, and both of these teams could afford to draft Tebow and let him learn behind two of the best QB's ever for a few years.

How about some teams that are absolutely horrible in their QB situation that really can't sit around and wait for Tebow to develop? Buffalo (Brian Brohm), Oakland (Gradowski) and San Francisco (Smith).

OK, so that is now 12-teams that I'm pretty sure wouldn't draft Tebow unless he was still sitting there in the 4th round.

As for the other teams in the league, here's how I think they'd play it (listed in order of when they draft, and excluding the teams I've already mentioned).

St. Louis Rams: If they don't take Stafford with their first pick and go with Suh, the Rams would have to take a QB with their 2nd pick, but I'm not sure they'd go with Tebow just based on how they need a QB NOW.

Tampa Bay Bucs: They seem to be pretty set on seeing what Freeman can do, so I don't see them taking Tebow.

Washington Redskins: Now this is an intriguing pick. Again, I don't think they'd do it first round, but could see it happen with their 2nd round pick. They have McNabb to hold down the fort for a few years and then hand over the franchise to Tebow.

Kansas City Chiefs: This team is kind of in no-mans land with their QB situation. There are too many questions around Cassel, and I think in that situation you don't bring in a player like Tebow.

Seattle Seahawks: This is a team that I believe might be aggressive in getting Tebow. I don't have anything to base this on other than a gut feeling. Matt Hasselback is on his last legs and might be able to squeeze one or two more years out. And with Pete Carrol coming in, I could really see this team take Tebow and give Carrol a couple of years to teach this kid the ropes of the position. The fact that they have the 6th AND 14th picks in the first round, I might actually be surprised if they don't take Tebow with that 14 pick.

Cleveland Browns: It's no secret that this team has a pretty shitty QB situation. It's also no secret that Mike Holmgren loves Tebow as a football player. The Browns have Jake Delhomme at QB right now, and just like Seattle, they could let Tebow learn for a year behind Delhomme. Their issue is do you take Tebow with the 7th pick, or hope he is still there for their 2nd round pick? I'd guess here that if the Browns want him, they will try to trade down to the last third of the first round, get another draft pick in the process and take Tebow there.

Oakland Raiders: This team is in such a disarray, I'd hate to see Tebow end up here. The Raiders have so many holes to fill, most people would think they'd focus on players that could help this year. But if any team is a wildcard in all of this, it's Al Davis and his Raiders. After all, when was the last time this team made a good pick in the first round?

Jacksonville Jaguars: With David Garrard as their starting QB, this team very much could use an upgrade at the position. And with the Florida ties, a lot of people are saying this could be a good fit. I'm not so sure with this one though. If you want your young QB to learn the mechanics of the position, do you really want him learning from Garrard?

Denver Broncos: This team does need an upgrade at QB, but with two young guys still trying to prove themselves (Orton and Quinn), adding a 3rd project at QB would be a messy situation.

Miami Dolphins: I might have just missed seeing it, but I have not seen much talk about Tebow and the Dolphins. But I think this is a pretty good fit here. No team excels like the Dolphins do in running the Wildcat, and just think how much better it could be with Tebow, an actual QB taking the snap? He has the rushing skills to just take off with the ball, and his current QB skills would open up the ability to pass out of the formation. The Dolphins currently have a young QB with Chad Henne, but the book is still out on him. I think Parcells is drooling over the chance to add Tebow to his roster. This might be a place where a 1st round pick makes sense.

Pittsburgh Steelers: This teams only QB issue is 'character'. For an owner like Rooney who takes pride in having a 'family' atmosphere in his team, these incidents by Ben Roethlisberger, one would think that he'd love to get someone like Tebow on his team. But Rooney lets his front office guys handle things so I don't see the Steelers taking Tebow just to get a character guy.

Cincinnati Bengals: This is another team I could see going after Tebow. Carson Palmer has been heading in the wrong direction, and the team will probably address the QB position. My thoughts with this team is they will go after Clausen in the first round instead of Tebow.

New England Patriots: As I mentioned above, I could see them taking Tebow, but not with their current first round pick. Watch out for any moves by this team trying to slide up in the 2nd round.

Philadelphia Eagles: This is a team in a transition phase. They have let a lot of big names go this offseason. I'm not saying it's a rebuilding year because they still seem to have a strong team, but I don't see them bringing in a QB in this draft.

Arizona Cardinals: This team needs to let Leinart develop and play this year so they can see what he can do. Adding any QB would be a bad decision for the Cardinals this year.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have an above average QB in Tony Romo, and the only thing keeping him from being a top-tier QB is consistency. When he is on, it's VERY tough to stop him, so there is no need for Dallas to look at a QB right now.

Minnesota Vikings: This is one spot where taking Tebow actually makes sense. Tebow could watch and learn with Favre for a year, and possibly get some playing time in short-yardage or 'wildcat' formations.

When it comes down to it, this is my top three spots I think Tebow could end up:

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Miami Dolphins (If they trade down)
3. New England Patriots.

Views from Walt Disney Worlds Animal Kingdom

The photos in this blog were all taken at Walt Disney Worlds Animal Kingdom theme park.

You can click on any of the photos to view a larger image.

The first is a photo of two Asian Tigers as they play by one of the pools in their area.



The second photo is of a Fruit Bat, the largest bat in the world. But you don't have to worry about it, it's a fruit eater.




The third photo is of a White Rhino taken on the Kilimanjaro Safari.




You can see more of my photos from Disney World's Animal Kingdom here.

You can see all of my Walt Disney World photographs here.

You can see all of my photography here.