This year's videos give you a taste of what you'll find on the tour, as well as provide insight into the design process and relationships built between architects, builders, and clients. All of which are viewable on the HBA Youtube Channel.

Here are a few of my favorites.

This weekend, Sept. 17th and 18th from 10am-5pm you can visit 14 spectacular homes designed by Minnesota Registered Architects. I'll be there to meet visitors and get their impression of the tour, the homes, and tidbits from the Architects who will be at the homes they designed all weekend long.

If you're looking for me, this is my Route:

View HBA 2011 Tour in a larger map

D1 10:00-10:45 Home #2:
Habitat Architecture, Hamid Kashani10303 Bittersweet St NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433
    
D1 11:30-12:15 Home #3
Landschute Architects 20260 Lakeview Ave., Deephaven, MN 55331
    
D1 12:30-1:15 Home #4
ALTUS Architecture + Design, Tim Alt 4016 Baker Rd., Minnetonka, MN 55305
    
D1 1:30-2:15 Home #9
Peterssen Keller Architects, Lars Peterssen20 Park Lane, Minneapolis, MN 55416
    
D1 2:30-3:15 Home #7
CityDeskStudio4108 Grimes Ave S., Edina, MN 55416
    
D1 3:30-4:15 Home #5
Quigley Architects, Tim Quigley5000 Arden Ave., Edina, MN 55424
    
D2 10-10:45 Home #14
SALA Architects, David O'Brien Wagner N1516 Pepin View Lane South, Pepin, WI 54759
    
D2 11:35-12:15 Home #13
SALA Architects, Eric Odor 6368 Oak Meadow Ln NW,  Rochester, MN 55901
    
D2 1:45-2:30 Home #10
David Heide Design Studio, Mark Nelson 977 Summit Ave., St Paul, MN 55105
    
D2 3:15-4:00 Home #11
Acacia Architects, Jeremiah Battles9533 Keswick Ave N.,  Grant, MN 55082
    
D2 4:15-5:00 Home #12
SALA Architects, Michaela Mahady 11775 102nd St N., Stillwater, MN 55082

I'm going to be hitting up pretty much every home that we didn't film as part of this years promo. videos. It's going to be a pretty jam packed weekend and I look forward to a day of rest with the family. I hope to see you out there.

Because of the nature of the project, it's helpful to show the historic images. However copyright law may come into affect when you want to republish an image.

Here's an exerpt from of an article on the topic from Standford University:

How long does a copyright last?

For works published after 1977, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. However, if the work is a work for hire (that is, the work is done in the course of employment or has been specifically commissioned) or is published anonymously or under a pseudonym, the copyright lasts between 95 and 120 years, depending on the date the work is published.

All works published in the United States before 1923 are in the public domain. Works published after 1922, but before 1978 are protected for 95 years from the date of publication. If the work was created, but not published, before 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. However, even if the author died over 70 years ago, the copyright in an unpublished work lasts until December 31, 2002. And if such a work is published before December 31, 2002, the copyright will last until December 31, 2047.

Fair use is often used as an explination of republication without a copyright holder's permission but do you know what "Fair Use" actually entails?

acording tothe US Copyright Office,

One of the rights accorded to the owner of copyright is the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords. This right is subject to certain limitations found in sections 107 through 118 of the copyright law (title 17, U. S. Code). One of the more important limitations is the doctrine of “fair use.” The doctrine of fair use has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years and has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law.

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair: 

• 1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
  2. The nature of the copyrighted work
  3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.

In this case, the project is being produced for a not-for-profit entity who's primary purpose is the education of the public about architecture and representation of Architects. So this could be considered teaching, or scholarship. I don't believe it could considered as news reporting because the product I am working on is not part of a journal of record.

It's important however that I also consider that since I am a commercial enterprise, that if I publish it here on my blog, it could be considered advertising. If I put my logo on the video and it is used anywhere, that too could make it considered a advertisement.

So that leaves the necessity to verify the age of the original publication, but more importantly the original copyright holder.

For this project I was Director, Photographer, Editor, Audio Enigineer, and Graphics Editor. I thought that to be a bit much to include on a "Credit slide" so this is the only place you'll see it mentioned. Special thanks goes to the Julia Yager, Alissa Miller, and Jennifer Randolph and the entire staff of PRI, Joe Hamilton and Kim Batcheller from 20 Below Studio, and Chris Hudson from Architecture MN Magazine.

Pt. 1: THIS IS PRI (5m31s)

Designed by 20 Below Studio, PRI’s new home in Minneapolis’ warehouse district reflects PRI’s philosophy for collaboration and communication as well as their ability to uncover layers of a story through investigation and research.

Public Radio International, PART 1 from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

Pt. 2: Why Move? (2m47s)

Evaluating their existing space and identifying it’s disconnect from their company culture, 20 Below and PRI identify the conditions driving the move to a new space.

Public Radio International, PART 2 from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

Pt. 3: Working with 20 Below (2m16s)

Looking for an architect and an architect for a client, is a lot like dating. In this interview, we explore the attraction between PRI and 20 Below’s relationship.

Public Radio International, PART 3 from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

Pt. 4: Visual Listening (2m04s)

20 Below Studio uses a key process to developing a shared language between them and their clients. This interview gives insight to how.

Public Radio International, PART 4 from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

Pt. 5: Diagram Discussion (2m03s)

A way to evaluate options, spacial planning through bubble diagrams is explored during the programing phase of a new project. This can shift conversations and create consensus among diverse opinions.  

Public Radio International, PART 5 from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

Want some project details?

Client: Public Radio International (PRI)

Architect: 20 Below Studio

Principal-in-charge: Joseph Hamilton AIA, CID

Project lead designer: Kim Batcheller Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

Project managers: Joseph Hamilton AIA, CID & Kim Batcheller Assoc. AIA, LEED

Project architect: Joseph Hamilton AIA, CID

Project team: Kim Batcheller Assoc. AIA, LEED AP (Project Designer); Mollie Drabik, LEED AP (Designer)

Lighting designer: 20 Below Studio

Interior design: 20 Below Studio

Construction manager: St. Paul Construction

General Contractor: Greiner Construction

Manfrotto Photo-Movie Head by Drew Gardner from Manfrotto on Vimeo.

Manfrotto Imagine More - Pro from Manfrotto on Vimeo.

I photographed this home and it's several applications of Jockimo's Antique Mirrors. This challenging set of spaces was documented while still under construction. However, you'd never guess from my photos. 

I was thrilled to travel to Charleston to photograph some great projects produced by Jockimo Advanced Architectural Products.

One of my missions on this trip was to capture the quality and beauty of the Jockimo's new MirrorUnique™ wall mirrors. To learn more, click here to visit their website

This video was also produced by Ryan Siemers Photography and Design to quickly give a vignette of each. The full images will be hosted on Jockimo's product gallery (http://www.jockimo.com)

This image was purchased by the City of Bloomington earlier this year to advertise this year's summer activities In Bloomington, including Summer FeteIf you've ever wished you could make it to 2 or three shows when the Fourth of July comes around, Bloomington's annual Summer Fete celebrates independence day a little early.

iPhone Picture of a disturbing new trend for public fireworks. I love capturing the audience's revelry as this light show begins, however in an effort to explore new territory, I decided to be a little further back from the fireworks this year. Partly this has to do with how rude I felt setting up in a location that affected ANYONE's view. That feeling was diminished when I saw folks who set up tent pavilions to wait out the sun the evening's show. The walking path may look like unused space in the day, but as 10-20 minutes before the show, this place is filled to overflowing and almost every patch of earth is filled.

I did spend part of the day earlier taking some pictures of the day's activities. These images are generally only good for editorial use since MN protects the public from commercial sales of an individual's likeness without concen. They are my way of giving back to part of the community I'm part of.

NOW On to the main Attraction! Click on any of the images below to view them full screen, or click here to see the full gallery. To get the best experience, I'd recommend watching the slideshow. Pricing and availability of these images is being determined. But for now, enjoy!

Opening shots are fired at Bloomington Summere Fete

This is the 2nd year that I've seen fireworks this way. I've never been first in anything so I doubt I'm the first to do this. There must be someone else who has tried this before, But I love the magic and unpredictable nature of photographing fireworks in this way. Not to mention that post processing these images leaves so much in the hands of the photographer.

Typically I only like to publish my "polished" work after editing and reviewing on my "27" monitor, but this time I couldn't help myself, and I've taken this image processed solely on my iPad to share as soon as I got up this morning.

I will have a future link from this post that will take you to the full gallery of my spinning fire photos. For now, I hope this brightens your day or night.

Architecture MN successfully dived headfirst into the online world with their short film competition "Videotect" which is where I caught the eye of editor, Chris Hudson (and about 1,000 others).

I've wanted to explore this side of architecture since I first saw My Architect in 2003. About the life of an architect and his work, this film showed me that the experience of Architecture is more powerful when motion is made within a space or through it by others. Motion provides a sense of depth, character and and texture to a place that still images rarely achieve. Not only that, film can give context to the place and time from which a project is created.

Maple Grove Library, is part or my journey to grow in the ability to tell the story of architecture.

The material I produced is intended to be split into 4 bite sized pieces that in whole tell the story of Maple Grove Library. Below are those four parts. While we have titled them "Part 1-4", the order in which you watch them, like all things online, isn't critical to enjoying or understanding a single segment.

Part 1: Maple Grove Library - A visual tour through the completed project set to music.

Part 2: Site & Vision - Get to know more about the context of the library's location

Part 3: Defining "Library" - Understand more of the philosophy behind the design decisions.

Part 4: Integrating Sustainability - "Green" isn't just a word with this project. The goals of sustainable design have been fully integrated not only seamlessly throughout Maple Grove Library, they give form to function.

For those interested in the process behind this feature:

Interviews

I conducted 4 interviews with members of the design team from MS&R Architects and Interior Designers, as well as Hennepin County officials and project staff. This couldn't of been done without the coordinating efforts of Traci Lesneski and Ligeia Cholensky from MS&R, Carla Biermaier and Kathryn Zimmerman from Hennepin County Staff, and Chris Hudson, Editor of Architecture MN.

Film Schedule

3 Days of filming was conducted over the course of 2 weeks to coordinate both interviews, weather, and location availability. Planning and coordination for those days took approximately 8-16 hours of time over the course of time previous to filming.

Over the course of that same 2 weeks, approximately 30-40 hours were spent editing and developing content.

This isn't too dissimilar to the timeline for a full production still photography schedule. Each project is unique however. The amount of content that is generated for the film can also be split by other parties within a production team or members within a design firm.

Staffing

• Filming, editing, and a steep learning curve effort of audio engineering was all produced by just myself.
• This project couldn't of come together without the coordination efforts mentioned above.
• Special credit also goes to Chris Hudson, Editor of Architecture MN for volunteering as my assistant for a day to gather model releases and ask for volunteers.
• There were also additional Image Contributions from MS&R and Photographer Lara Swimmer. Her images are featured in the print edition of this article and used for portions of the interviews to give context to their words.

Gear

For those interested in the investment made to produce a film like this:

• 2 Nikon D7000 DSLR Bodies
• 2 Tripods
• Manfroto Video head and Induro PHQ-3 Pan Head  
• Tokina 11-16mm Wide angle Lens
• Nikkor 24-70mm (However some prime lenses may be used)
• 2 Audiotechnica Lavaliere Microphones
• Promaster LED Studio Light
• Light Stands
• 50" Reflector for bounce light
• 27" iMac, Final Cut, Lightroom, Quicktime 7pro, Drobo & LaCie External Storage.

Lessons learned

Every project has something to learn from, this is what I took away from this.

• An assistant can make or break your production. 
  • #1 If my assistant wasn't there to collect signatures, it would have increased my production time by a few precious hours.
  • #2 Not having someone else to manage Audio and Lighting can create complications quickly for post production.)
• Record Audio for interviews from at least two locations. A shotgun microphone on camera and lavaliere microphone on your subject, can save your bacon if one of them fails in mid interview.
  • Audacity is amazing tool for repairing audio if all else fails, but there is a steep learning curve.
• Filming interviews from two locations provides versatility for editing that is less noticable than condensing clips from a single source.
• Stormy days, make for fantastic clouds.
• Studio LED lights need a fresh change of batteries more often than my children.

I'll be posting articles about each project. Here's a Sneak Peak at what you can come back to see.

UPDATE! All Images in this post are now links to take you to the full gallery of final images from each project. Short Product Films are currently in production and will be posted in the near future.

Monza Restaurant

Mirrors at the Haute Interior Design Studio

Closed for Business

 Mercato Restaurant

Antique Mirrors at Gadsden Retirement Community

Snowden Residence

Cypress Restaurant