I love pretty much any kind of editorial assignment. That said, any assignment involving politics, politicians and voters ranks high among my favorites. Last week I photographed the Republican caucus in Moorhead, Minn., for Minnesota Public Radio News. A few days later I heard GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum planned a campaign stop in Fargo. It seemed to make sense to stop by to photograph the event. Apparently, hundreds of other people had the same idea. Local media reports pegged attendance at last night’s rally at 1,000 or more. Enjoy the photographs and thanks for stopping by. – Ann

P.S. Earlier this year I shared my 12 Creative Goals for 2012, which included a mandate to shoot at least six self-assignments [so those I assigned myself]. I’m counting my photographic efforts at Mr. Santorum’s rally as self-assignment No. 1.

Mother Nature recently treated much of North Dakota and portions of northwestern Minnesota to several days of hoar frost. I poked around my backyard [literally] with my cell phone camera one morning. And, ventured around the block [literally] with my 5D another day. Oh, then I made a few photographs in downtown Fargo before a visit to the Plains Art Museum. Enjoy! – Ann

Kid Quest has come to mean two specific things in our family. For me [a photographer, artist and creative entrepreneur], it’s an excuse to bring our 6-year-old son to the Plains Art Museum to create and consider art. For Young M. [a football fan, Star Wars aficionado and typical 6-year-old kid], it’s a chance to play with an assortment of toys in the second floor lounge. Our practice has always been to complete the art project first and then retreat to the lounge.

That was before we learned about vermin and were encouraged – as part of our Kid Quest experience – to look for them. These 4-inch tall ceramic figures are scattered around the museum in all sorts of places. They are awkward and charming at the same time. Artist Jamie Burmeister has hundreds of vermin installed at museums and public spaces around the world.

As soon as we learned about vermin, Young M. was on the hunt. Finding and counting vermin soon became a shared mission. We hit galleries on all three levels. We checked hallways and stairways. We rode the elevator. We learned to look here, there and everywhere. We counted and re-counted. We offered encouragement to others who were also looking for vermin. We thought we had them all and then found a few more.

Our final tally came in at 336 or maybe it was 339. Regardless of our numbers or how many vermin are actually installed at the museum, we both considered our adventure a resounding success. And, that’s what made last Saturday our most favorite Kid Quest to date.

Have a great weekend. – Ann

A winter wonderland – in the form of hoar frost – descended on Fargo-Moorhead this morning. I’m not a huge fan of photographs made with cell phone cameras [and that might just be because I don't yet own an iPhone], but when that’s what you have in hand that’s what will have to do. The frost was so pretty and inciting.

Here’s to a beautiful day and the start of a new month. Thanks for looking, Ann

On a fine October morning last fall I headed up to photograph at Red Goose Gardens, located outside Shelly, Minnesota. My family has supported the farm through its community supported agriculture [CSA] program for several years. The farm is beautiful. I’ve always intended to photograph there, but somehow never seemed to have the time. My autumn photo outing was motivated by a local arts organization’s call for entry. The Arts Partnership is interested in doing what CSA farms do, but with art. So, art enthusiasts will be able to buy a share and receive a box brimming with work by different creatives. Anyway, the proposal deadline was adjusted so I’m back to working on my proposal and considering that first set of images.

Initially, my intention was to select pairs of images – so two complementary photographs would be printed side-by-side on a single piece of paper. However, I’ve been studying some of my selects from the October outing and am seeing ways to physically connect the images. I’m sharing two examples here. I don’t know that I consider either one of these a finished piece. My latest thought is to look for additional pieces or layers to include. For example, the working title of the image below is “Pepper Chicken” so I’m considering overlaying a recipe or a photograph of a recipe card for pepper chicken in the vacant space.

Regardless of what I ultimately come up with, I’m excited about the evolution of this little project. Best, Ann