Northern Minnesota's Traveling Photographers, Hibbing, Virginia, Grand Rapids, Duluth, International Falls, Bemidji,

October 10, 2010

Minnesota State Highway 65 Construction update from Togo – Nashwauk October 2010

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o, we were warned that this construction was coming.  The complete and total dismemberment of the old Highway and replaced with a newer, better road bed.  The company chosen to do the work is NORTHLAND from Duluth, MN.  Though their employees hail from all over the Lake Superior basin.

Ground up Road Bed

The job seems to going well and the Indian Summer has helped push things along.

I was watching some of the equipment during my short 30 minute wait, and if you look at the grader, it had laser leveling devices on the blades.  Pretty high tech for the woods!

So “they” tell me that the plan is to continue to lay pavement up to the existing pavement on the Nashwauk end of the project this year.  And then finish the project next year.So after the lines are painted this fall, we have to look forward to more construction next year, YEAH!

Maybe next year our customers will return to the Togo area business’.  Cause this years construction didn’t help anyone except  NORTHLAND Construction!

So on a lighter note, that leaves are gone, partridge season is in full bloom, the ATV trails are in great shape, maybe a little wet, but in great shape!  The photography season is wrapping up with Christmas Photos and Cards, Most High School Grads of 2011 have their pictures in hand, and Weddings are booking for the Summer of 2011 all over the Northland of Minnesota.

June 27, 2010

Cooking with Marie, when she’s not doing photography, she’s cooking up a storm! Today, Perogies!

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In the past week we have had two inquires for Professional Wedding Photography and none for anything else.  Life, goes on.

So my wife Marie is cooking up a  myriad up good thing in the kitchen today!  This is the How to Make Perogies Section of this Blog.

Roll out the Perogie dough with a rolling pin and a little flour

Mark the dough for cutting with a knife

Fill with your favorite filling (cheese, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, squash)

filling

Close Mold

The Perogie should look like this in the mold

Cut off excess dough

Finished product in the mold

A pile of Perogies

Perogies also known as pedahha, was a staple food during the depression of the 1930′s.  This area we live in was populated by Russian, Polish and Germain immigrants in the 1900′s, 10′s and 20′s!

Next she’s making Cheese Cake from scratch!

May 23, 2010

May Flowers, Butterfly’s and time for grilling with family

So I guess spring is here to stay, in fact today seems more like summer.  Memorial Day weekend we are hosting a Community Wide Garage Sale for the Togo, MN area of Northern Minnesota.  As of today,  their are 6 or 7 families having sales in the area .  So on Saturday, May 22, my Ex-wife and daughter came up from Grand Rapids to have a Pre-shop of our Garage Sale items.  While they were shopping, I was making lunch for the four of us.  My daughter, Miranda picked up some fresh mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and we made Kabobs on the grill.   Yummmm!

Kabob's for lunch

Veggie and Beef kabobs on the grill

After lunch my daughter and Ex-wife returned to Grand Rapids.  Then I had time to think about a Road Side Flower Garden.

I went over to a new business in Bear River, MN to look for some  flowers for the studio. On the way home I too some time to watch and follow some of the Monarch Butterfly’s that show up around this every year.  My but they are fun to watch and photograph.

the mating dance

I have spent hours watching their flights of fancy.

After the Garage Sale next weekend, I will start my 1950′s 60′s gas station photography set.

April 25, 2010

Home made chocolate chip cookies

My daughter Miranda making cookies

Hello from Northern Minnesota (200 miles North of Minneapolis)  Well spring has sprung with rain we have had in the past day or two.  However the fire danger remains very high!  So please no fires in Northern Minnesota.

The studio is all unbundled from it’s winter wrapping and ready for business.  Last fall we hung an New “shingle” on the road sign, it’s 5×7 feet and hard to miss.

This years addition has been in the planning stage for several years, it will be a 1960′s Gas Station set for the photography of Motor Cycles, Cars, Hot Rods, and people.  Figuring out the logistics of what, who and when is the current process.  Basically, I’m thinking Mayberry RFD meets the Clampets.

Once again, Lindell  Trucking from Gheen, MN will be doing the dirt work, Denny Hill and I will be doing the construction and cement work.

Sweet Water Photo Studios has 16 miles of Adopt a Highway in the Togo area of Northern Minnesota.  My daughter and I did the work yesterday, UGG!  We both had fun afterward picking wood ticks off us.

Miranda Fierek cleans State highway 65 & highway 1 in the Togo, MN area

The day was overcast but pleasant, at our half way point, we stopped for lunch at the Junction Bar and Grill for a couple of Bacon Cheese burgers and a house salad.  We found lots of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and misc trash.  No money however!  When we got back home I made a steak dinner on the grill complete with grilled potatoes, peppers and veggies, num!  After dinner Miranda made chocolate chip cookies!  After the cookies, we discussed her future plans to attend Bemidji State in the Fall of 2010 and her move to to Bemidji next month :? ( her dad will miss her much!

Miranda's Home made chocolate chip cookies

March 13, 2010

a1a Changing places and faces

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:36 am

Thank you for coming to Grand Rapids, MN to view our Art / Photo Show at Brewed Awakenings Coffee House.  I’d like to show how the walls look today, Next Monday we are changing out images.Top Left to Right...Engagement, Bekah, the bridesmaidsWe have had a lot of comments from this show!  Thanks to every one that has commented!My wife Marie and I will be taking some of these images down on Monday, March 15th and adding our Northern Lights to the mix!  They have been chosen as 1 of the 20 BEST in the World!  Marie and I hope that all enjoy!

February 28, 2010

Brewed Awakenings Coffee

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 6:07 pm

Welcome Brewed Awakenings Coffee crowd.  Marie and I hope that you find our imagery worthy of the walls at Brewed Awakenings!  Marie and I have been really busy all winter so far and will be adding images to the walls as ours frames arrive.  We come to town from our home in Togo, MN 3 times a week for doctor’s appointments and to tend to Rental Property in Grand Rapids.

We both work full time jobs at Bergquist Switch in Bigfork, MN in the Assembly and Press Operations departments.  Photography, however is what drives us!

Marie attended St. Cloud State for Visual Communications with a minor in Graphic Design.  Jim learned by trial and error and then attended Ohio Institute of Photography & Technology, in Dayton, OH.

Marie started Sweet Water Photo Studios in 1991, met Jim in 98 and after OIP&T, brought Jim on-board in 2002.   Then stuff really started to happen!  We doubled our wedding photography business 4 years in a row!  Now we are working on our High School Senior Photography.  With the addition of our new studio last fall, we hope that will bring us the needed work we desire!

This spring (2010) we will be adding a 1960′s gas station set for Hot Rods and Motor Cycles.  Located just fourty beautiful miles from Hibbing, MN and the Crusers Car Club.  We hope to draw area clubs to our unique setting and location, for that one of a kind photograph.

February 21, 2010

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Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 7:57 pm

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February 12, 2010

The importance of Photography and our home based business

In these trying times, our home based business is more important than ever.  My wife and I have a electronic manufacturing job at a small membrain switch plant 40 miles from our home.  A month ago, the company cut our wages 15 percent, I lost about 1.50 per hour in my wages.  So, even though we have been attempting to grow and nurture our photography business, this year it will mean even more to our bottom line.

We just completed our first bridal show last weekend in Grand Rapids, MN and their was a good turnout.  Bridal shows are like planting the seeds in a new garden, you never know what’s going to germinate and blossom, and whats going to whither and dye on the vine.

OH, for the month of March, we a re going to have a showing of our work at “Brewed Awakenings” coffee shop in Grand Rapids, MN.  We will be showing our various subjects from babies to One Million Dollar “Cabins”.  I’m thinking about where else to put our show for the spring and summer months.  The show will include many large prints, medium sized prints and a Digital Picture frame loaded with several hundred images.  So if your in the Grand Rapids, MN area, be sure to stop in and take a view of our work.

Brewed Awakenings Coffee House

www.brewedawakenings.biz -

(218) 327-1088

January 6, 2010

Marie and I want to wish everyone and Safe and Happy New Year

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:33 pm

Another year…has past into the record books of history.  In the past Decade, we have been witness to Electronic Revolution; Smaller, Faster, Smarter.  From Walkmans to Ipods, Desktop PC’s to Pocket PC’s and from Photographic Film to 32GB cards in 21mp cameras!  O M G!

So in this day and age of Quick, Instant, Green Screen Photo Studios we built an Old Fashioned Studio, Forty miles from town!  Why?

Because we believe in the Old Fashioned Values, Quality not Quantity.  One photo shoot per day instead of Two every hour!  You just can’t rush art!  Anybody can take a picture, but it takes years of practice, thought, experience and yes failure, to know when Art is in the making.

My wife Marie has been a Professional Portrait Photographer (Making her living on photography) since 1989!  And I have been making my living off photography since 2002 when I finished photography school.

Last year at this time we were in the process of changing our lives (we just didn’t know it), our studio has grown, the word has gotten out and we are a recognized name in Professional Photography!   We ask ourselves this question often, (at what point do we quite our day job and do only photography and apartment maintenance?

Stay tuned for more information!

The Grand Rapids, MN Bridal Show is Saturday February, 6th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Timberlake Lodge in Grand Rapids, MN.

December 12, 2009

Sweet Water Photo Studios Website changes – www.sweetwaterphotoonline.com

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 8:02 pm

We have added a Splash Page with the Option of High Speed, Blog, or Dial Up for all our customers, including those on I Phones and Dial Up! The Splash page also includes a FLASH Download for those that have not installed FLASH yet.  FLASH is required for High Speed viewing.  We have added Bellies and Babies to the Ongoing Projects area.  This includes some of the babies that we have photographed during 2009.  ALSO in our Ongoing Projects area we have added Architecture an assortment of photos from a one million dollar “cabin” on Lake Vermillion outside of Cook, MN.  More changes will be coming as soon as the Web Site Gods smile down on me.  Below is a sample of the new background.Web Site Background

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