Category Archives: art photography

Southwest MN Corn Harvest at Sunset

Corn Harvest at Sunset ~ Joyce Meyer

In spite of strong wind with gusts up to 30+ mph, the DJI Mini 2 drone was able to capture this Southwest Minnesota corn harvest in action. Manual setting ISO 100/2.8 /1/500. My heart stopped a couple of times when gusts of wind severely tilted the drone but I felt great relief when it quickly recovered. The sky image was captured with a Canon Mark 3 later that same evening. Composite image edited with Photoshop and Topaz.

Winter Beauty

Image and haiku poetry by Joyce Meyer

Take a Hike

Hiking through a tunnel along the Camino de Santiago. Image by Joyce Meyer. Edited in Topaz.

Winter arrived way too early in Minnesota this year and we are still in the midst of a pandemic. I guess I’ll just have to rely on one of the many lessons learned while hiking… embrace the suck.

Laundry Day

A woman deep in thought while doing laundry in Porto, Portugal. I stare at this image while my own load of laundry finishes whirring in the machine, ready to hang up and dry.

Laundry day… same but different.

Laundry day in Porto, Portugal. Image by Joyce Meyer.

Gate City to the West

People in small towns, much more than in cities, share a destiny. ~Richard Russo

Gary, South Dakota

Gary, SD is a small community (population 224) nicknamed “Gate City to the West” located along the SD/MN border.

Background image photography and edit by Joyce Meyer. Canon 5D Mark 3 with a 70-200, 2.8 Canon IS L lens, cropped and sized in Photoshop to fit the 11 x 17 inch poster format with Impressionistic painting effect added using Topaz Studio.

Kudos to graphic designer, Diane Swenson, Canby Print Shop, Canby, MN, for her stellar design work on the 2019 Gary Rodeo poster (which features my image as the background). Canby, MN is a small, southwestern Minnesota town of just 1700 people located 14 miles east of Gary, South Dakota. Our communities may be lacking in size, but we know how to get things done.

You’ll find the Gary Rodeo grounds located on the northwest edge of Gary, SD, in a natural setting with the quaint prairie community of Gary, SD, as its backdrop.

Maybe it’s time for you to take a little trip and experience the life in Gary, South Dakota!

“Tis the Season

Guess what I’ve been doing lately? Yep, designing grad cards. Graduation will be here before we know it!

Photography and design by Joyce Meyer.

Two images blended using Photoshop CC and topped off with Topaz Studio “Dreamy Day” action.

Camino Portuguese Day 9 ~ Welcome to Spain!

Short video ~ Camino Portuguese Day 9

Tuesday, August 14, 2018:  Excitement fills the air as we make our way from Portugal to Spain. The albergue in Pedreira was kind enough to pack a breakfast for us the night before since we are leaving well before sunrise.

Crossing the border on the bridge over Rio Minho from Portugal to Spain.

We arrive at our destination city, Porrino, and proceed to get lost. Oh, well… we wanted to complete some extra credit hiking today, anyway, to cross over the 30 kilometer mark. 

Senda Sur, Porrino, was a great albergue with super bunks, nice showers/bathrooms. The small kitchenette facilities were quite basic, but all we need is a way to heat water for instant coffee in the morning and we’re happy!

VB Montage

There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory.

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Photography and montage design by Joyce Meyer ~ Unknown quote

Life Lessons

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Image and edits by Joyce Meyer

Baseball teaches that errors are part of the game. ~Ernest Kurtz

Farm Boys Go to War

Marietta Legion Post #156 in Marietta, Minnesota has chosen to honor these fallen soldiers with commemorative metal displays. While working on the images and designs I couldn’t help but wonder about the anecdotes and stories behind these young farm boys called to duty during WW II.

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Did soldiers from the farm really make better soldiers? I’d like to think so. Farming in our agricultural region along the Minnesota-South Dakota border couldn’t have been easy during the Great Depression that preceded the war. They would become competent carpenters, plumbers, electricians, engine mechanics and general tinkerers. If they didn’t have a part they made their own and jury-rigged items together just to get by. Transfer these skills to military life and the powers that be would have considered them invaluable assets.

28-3171aThese were not the only soldiers from our area to die as a result war. The list above includes all Lac Qui Parle County casualties during WW II. I recognize familiar surnames from the area and wonder about their stories, as well.