KRISTINA HOESCHEN | FOTO

I took this picture from Indian Mounds Park overlooking downtown St. Paul. Arlo almost got attacked by a coyote while waiting for me to get the shot, but luckily we all made it back safely with a fun Christmas gift for my dad. I got it printed to 28X9, framed it in a great frame I found at Goodwill, and got it professionally mounted and matted by my new friends at The Framing Place in West St. Paul. It was a lot of fun to see one of my photos 'done up.'

dude looks like a lady

The other night I got to bring my camera to the Gay 90s in Minneapolis to take pictures of the drag show. They were putting on a fundraiser for Domingo, a 90s' staffer who is battling cancer and doesn't have insurance. The whole thing was really cool -- all the performers and bartenders donated their tips to Domingo, and it looked like he went home with a bucket of cash. Such a thoughtful, generous act. Especially since these girls bring home the bacon. If you haven't been to the 90s' drag show - go. It is some of the best entertainment in Minneapolis, and these girls Work It. And, possibly best of all, it's a judgement-free zone. So go, have fun and dance to the music.

ella

One of my favorite things about photography is light. I love it; it's so interesting. And it's exciting when you catch the good stuff. A few weeks ago, I had lunch with my friend Carrie and her two girls, Ella and Addie. Ella was shy about having her picture taken, but she eventually let me get a shot. I love this picture. It totally captures her personality: headstrong and curious. Who knew you could find such great light through an Applebee's window?

art deco meets new age

Another fun project I got to work on in the last couple of weeks was taking pictures of my friend Morgan's first interior design job. Her client had an eclectic mix of tastes, combining art deco with new age. She asked me to try to get pictures of the lighting and to capture the bold colors she used throughout the house. The color combinations she chose looked fabulous, but unfortunately orange might be one of the hardest colors to photograph. I've posted a few of my favorites; I'm not sure they do Morgan's talents justice.

cooks of crocus hill

I haven't posted in awhile because I've been busy with a bunch of stuff, including taking pictures for my first-ever photo 'gig' at Cooks of Crocus Hill. They asked me to get some shots of their events for promotional materials. I definitely felt the pressure of having to turn in photos that turned out, but once I shook off the nerves I had a lot of fun and felt like I'd gotten a little stronger in my photography. These are a few of my favorites that don't have people in them (that whole pesky permissions thing...). Oh, and a plug for Cooks: they throw an awesome party if you're looking for a unique space for a wedding shower, company party, holiday party, or whatever special occasion you can think of.

lowertown fall

rolling in

ramp

thursday night dinner

Short ribs from Marcus Samuelsson's New American Table, and another test for my exposure lessons.

milestone

Okay, so this isn't the most exciting picture. But it's important. Lately I've been trying to learn as much as I can about exposure; it's the thing I haven't really been able to grasp with my camera. Thanks to a helpful book and a class at National Camera Exchange, this is the first picture I've taken indoors that hasn't been grainy, out of focus in the wrong places, or too orange all over (at least on purpose). I used a tabletop tripod and the aperture-priority setting on my camera. It's an exciting turning point for me...I don't know why I haven't been using aperture priority this whole time and I'll be asking for a tripod for Christmas. This was definitely a milestone in my relationship with my beloved Nikon.

By the way, the stuff in the jar is homemade ketjap manis, or Indonesian ketchup. A cousin to American ketchup, ketjap manis is a sweet, thick soy sauce made with spices (anise, ginger, garlic and coriander), molasses and brown sugar. I couldn't find it at the local Asian market, so I made it for the Marcus Samuelsson short ribs I'm making tonight. I'll try out some pics of the finished product with my newfound exposure knowledge.