It has been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic upended all of our lives. The unanticipated lifestyle changes took a toll on all of us; however, people didn’t lose all hope.
In April of 2020, during the state’s shelter-in-place order, Michael Lovett and his wife took long walks nearly every morning. During these walks, going a little further than he typically would have before, Lovett began to notice what was different when life was put on pause. Read more about Hi Friends!
It's that time of year again: The Lens on the Lake photo contest has returned for its 8th year of beautiful photos of our community. This photo contest, presented by White Bear Lake Magazine, showcases the best photographers in our community—not to mention the subjects that give them inspiration.
We're looking for photos that show off the core values of White Bear Lake in five categories: Read more about Lens on the Lake 2017
Summer in the land of 10,000 lakes wouldn’t be complete without spending the nicest days fishing off the end of the dock. Fishermen and women, young and old, flock to the shores of White Bear Lake with the hopes of catching “the big one.” White Bear Lake resident Penny Rendall used her iPhone to capture this snapshot, Going Fishing, of her then 3-year-old grandson Tanner, his fishing pole and tackle box in hand. “We remember taking our son and daughter fishing,” says Rendall. “We just continued the tradition.” Read more about Lens on the Lake: Going Fishing
Summertime in White Bear Lake means the races begin at the White Bear Lake Yacht Club. It was on a Monday evening last June that Jay Rendall captured this shot of an A-scow crew “hiking”—balancing the boat against the push of the wind. The photo, entitled Hiking, took first place in the Activities and Events category of our Lens on the Lake contest. Read more about Lens on the Lake: Hiking
Garnering an honorable mention in the City Landmarks category, Dale Grambush’s photo, Nearing Ice Out, caught White Bear Lake in seasonal transition. “There’s still ice on the lake,” says Grambush, “but not around the docks.” Grambush says that the shadows of the dock and the fog in the distance prompted him to stop and snap the shot; he took the photo near Boatworks Commons with his cellphone one morning late last March.
Driving along Lake Avenue South, Grambush looks out onto the lake nearly every day on his commute. He enjoys photographing the lake throughout the seasons. Read more about Lens on the Lake: Nearing Ice-Out
Julie Orloske was at her White Bear Lake home when she took the photo Hi Neighbor, which took first place in the Pets category of our annual photo contest. Orloske was standing on her driveway in the late spring when she saw her neighbor’s dog, Crixus, peering out through the crack in her fence. Placing her Canon 70D camera on the ground, she captured the dog in action. “This is Crixus,” Orloske says. “This is how he is.” Read more about Lens on the Lake: Hi Neighbor
Julie Orloske was at her White Bear Lake home when she took the photo Hi Neighbor, which took first place in the Pets category of our annual photo contest. Orloske was standing on her driveway in the late spring when she saw her neighbor’s dog, Crixus, peering out through the crack in her fence. Placing her Canon 70D camera on the ground, she captured the dog in action. “This is Crixus,” Orloske says. “This is how he is.” Read more about Lens on the Lake: Hi Neighbor
In december 2014, Ron Hawkins, a White Bear Lake firefighter and paramedic, photographed a veteran emergency dispatcher named Wendy taking a call. Hawkins used his Fuji point-and-shoot camera to capture the photo, “911, What’s Your Emergency?,” which was taken at the White Bear Lake Public Safety Dispatch Building and took second place in the People and Families category of our Lens on the Lake contest. Read more about Lens on the Lake: 911, What’s Your Emergency?
Rick Dott has a passion for his main hobby—photography—and it translates to his photos, including “Dedicated Bookworms,” which won second place in the City Landmarks category. Every winter, locals dress up the “children” in the statue located a few steps outside the White Bear Lake library.
“I just like the photo and it makes me smile,” Dott says. “It seemed like a small-town picture and what people in the town would do.” Read more about Lens on the Lake: Book Lovers
Carla Scholz didn’t have to travel far to capture this beautiful view; it was right outside her window where she spies many incredible sunsets. “At least once a week, when there’s a good sunset, I take a photo,” Scholz says. Taken with her iPhone while she was looking out at the lake, “Fall in the Air” is a glimpse of the beauty that can be seen every night from the comfort of Scholz’s home. Read more about Lens on the Lake Photo Contest: Fall in the Air
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