Since the introduction of automatic flash fill on camera, photographers have been jumping for joy with the results. Well, sometimes not for joy but in anger.  While photographing the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing tourney on Gull Lake, I realized how important it was to use flash fill but with a modification. 

Congrats to veteran Brainerd Warriors coaches Ron Stolski and Dave Maras for being nominated and/or receiving an award from their respective sports.

Ten years ago this month I boarded a plane for an island country I knew little about and, frankly, had never really given much thought. I was 18, I didn't give a lot of thought to a lot of things. A decade later, it's rare that a day goes by that I don't think about my time in Haiti. When the tiny half-an-island nation was obliterated by the earthquake one year ago today, I found myself glued to my TV. Watching helplessly from the frozen north,  I worried for my friends. I was taken back...

We are blessed with a frozen landscape that has lasted over a week because  of the rain and later snow during the New Year's weekend. One of my favorite subjects in winter is birch trees covered in snow. The problem is white birch bark against white snow will many times illustrate a blank scene for the viewer. Remember to work with the snow and birch bark against a blue sky or a black background. Using this technique, the viewer can experience what you saw in the field.