NEXT PLACE TO TAKE A PHOTO

NEXT PLACE TO TAKE A PHOTO Have your camera phone ready to go

Chaska has many locations to snap a photo for your social media accounts

BY ERIC KRAUSHAR

If Lynn Laumann could give amateur photographers a piece of advice, when trying to get a great photo, sometimes it comes down to trying and trying again.

“If you take a photo and don’t love it, turn a little and try again, or step into a different area. Try holding your phone/ camera lower or higher. You might take 20 or more photos and then boom you have one you like the way it turned out. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to take photos when you are taking photos for yourself. Just keep taking photos that you love!” she said.

Laumann has been taking photos — professionally — for more than 20 years, occupying a downtown Chaska business on Second Street East. Whether snapping photos of graduating seniors or families, location is so important, and Chaska has a number of unique places for background.

Does your backdrop tell a story?

“If you are at the Arboretum include some flowers or trees behind you or even one of their featured exhibits. For example, in the fall, take some fun photos with the scarecrow exhibit. If you are in downtown Chaska, head over to a building with Chaska brick, that always makes a great background! This area has so many trails and paths. Try using one behind your subject and create leading lines in your photo composition,” Laumann said.

What other tips should you know, whether trying to capture moments for your living room wall, or maybe to post on your Instagram?

Light: “The best time of day for photos is morning and late afternoon/evening for a softer, less harsh light. It is usually best to not have your subject looking directly into the sun for a photo. Too much direct sun may cause people to squint and it can be unflattering. Keep the sun behind your subject or find open shade for softer and more flattering light.”

Props: “Maybe you are checking out the farmers market on a Wednesday in Chaska? Grab an ice cream or some fresh fruit and include it in your photo. If you are at one of the lakes, bring a fishing rod to add to the theme. Grab a seat in front of Dunn Bros Coffee or Red Bench Bakery and include your favorite treat! Hats have always been a fun prop and creates a fun vibe too! Maybe it starts to rain when you are out? Grab an umbrella and have some fun!”

Connection:

“Stand close to each other and even have arms around each other! Put kids on your backs or in someone’s arms and get close! If it is just one person, connect with your surroundings by leaning on a wall, sitting in the grass, or reaching out to touch the tall grass or flowers nearby. Connecting always makes a photo better.”

INSTAGRAMMABLE

Want to explore Chaska for that photo that will get your friends talking and clicking the heart on Instagram? Try these locations.

In Bloom: If you want some of the best sights around, head over to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on Highway 5. The 1,200-acre horticultural garden features more than 5,000 plant species.

“The Arboretum, in a way, is one giant photo studio; fantastic for taking nature photos, portraits and even wildlife shots. Of course, everywhere you turn, there are incredible, colorful blooms, bees and butterflies for close-up photography. But there are also wide, open vistas and forested landscapes that allow for environmental portraits amid incredible scenery, which is partly why the Arboretum is so popular for weddings,” said Sarah Jackson, who works in marketing at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Jackson said fan favorites include the tens of thousands of tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs in early spring. Swaths of bloom in other collections, including crab apples, magnolias, azaleas and, of course, lilacs, follow. In summer, perennials, prairies and wildflowers are in their prime, followed by sunflowers at the Farm at the Arb and colorful fall leaves on many maples and other tree collections in autumn.

“Not all the sights at the Arboretum are purely seasonal: Our Japanese garden is spectacular all year long. And both our Chinese Garden and the Harrison Sculpture Garden are photogenic every day of the year. In fact, I like the Chinese garden best of all when it’s covered in a soft layer of fresh snow,” Jackson said.

In liquid form: Scroll through your phone, how many pictures of brewery-branded glassware do you have? Local breweries see patrons doing this often.

“Craft beer lovers have an affinity for local beer and love to take pictures of their beers because they see it as a work of art. Each brew has a story

PHOTO BY ERIC KRAUSHAR

At a Chaska Hawks sporting event, grab your phones and snap a photo with friends.

“Th ere really isn’t a right or wrong way to take photos when you are taking photos for yourself. Just keep taking photos that you love!”

Lynn Laumann

Professional photographer

to tell from the people behind it to the local culture and why a beer exists. There is tremendous thought gone into each beer, from deciding what styles to brew, what hops and malt to use, stories behind the name and even what style of glass it is poured in. Nothing is arbitrary. There are other local characteristics such as the local water used to brew beers, which can impact taste and color. This is why the same style and ingredients of a beer may taste different from one brewery to the next. No two beers are the same,” said Ashley Schram, owner at Schram Haus.

Sitting atop a bluff on County Road 61, just west of downtown Chaska, Schram Haus, which opened in 2019, gives aspiring photographers a beautiful backdrop on the outside as well.

See if you can spot these three landmarks: Chaska’s Athletic Park, home to the Chaska Cubs; the steeple of Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Chaska; and Shakopee’s Rahr Malting Co.

“We are the only brewery in the state with a view of Rahr Malting Co. from our patio overlooking the bluff. Guests can sit outside drinking a beer and literally see the malt house over the treetops where we receive malt to brew our beers. If that’s not local,” Schram said.

In Flight: Jon Summer came to Chaska High School, following in the footsteps of building and community leaders in former athletic directors, Dick Ungar and Troy Stein. What Summer quickly found was a passion, a pride, for the Hawks inside and outside of the building.

“I love the strong sense of community within our Chaska Hawks school community. Our Hawk pride, along with our school colors of purple and gold, are consistently on display as our community engages and supports our students’ co-curricular experiences,” Summer said.

In recent years, Chaska has won state titles in girls basketball (2021) and football (2019).

Whatever the occasion, a baseball game at Athletic Park, inside the Superfans student section at basketball, volleyball, hockey, and football games, a rivalry contest with Chanhassen High School, if the moment says so, photos with friends are strongly suggested.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK MACLENNAN

Regardless of the time of year, there are always great photos to take at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

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