Don Tredinnick's Photographer's Playground
What is the Photographer's Playground?
- A series of free workshops led by MVPC member Don Tredinnick
- An opportunity to experiment and try different techniques, approaches, genres, etc.
- We pick a different topic each month to experiment with
- Locations vary depending upon topic
- Sometimes it will be a local get-together
- Other times, it may be a field trip
- Come to one and learn more about us
Submit topics you're interested in learning about. Please limit suggestions to "family friendly" subjects.
Photographer’s Playground is led by one of our most experienced photographers, Don Tredinnick.
Don has been teaching photography for over 11 years. Currently, his classes are offered through the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Roseville Community Education, Centennial Community Education, and Hot Sam’s Foto Park. In addition, Don offers several location based workshops.
As a photographer, Don specializes in nature photography in the areas of landscape, botany, and wildlife. More about Don and his class offerings can be found at www.frozenhiker.com.
2025-26 Events
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Sep
11 |
Bees and Butterflies
Wood Lake Nature Center
5:30pm – 7:30pm
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Oct
11 |
Fall Skyline Photos
Wic̣aḣapi Regional Park – St. Paul
Meet at the shelter near the intersection of Earl St and Mound Blvd. Bring a tripod. We will be walking to several vantage points.
3:00pm – 5:00pm
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Nov
22 |
Wide Angle Photography
Bde Maka Ska Lake
9:00am – 11:00am
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Dec
11 |
Small Town Christmas
Northfield
7:00pm – 9:00pm
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Jan
24 |
Winter Macro
Fort Snelling State Park
9:00am – 11:00am
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Feb
21 |
Minimalist Winter Photos
Ritter Farm Park - Lakeville
9:00am – 11:00am
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Mar
19 |
Night Photography
Fireman's Park - Chaska
6:00pm – 8:00pm
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Apr
25 |
Early Spring in St Paul
Summit Ave and Grand Ave
9:00am – 11:00am
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May
30 |
Franconia Sculpture Gardens
Franconia Sculpture Gardens
10:00am – Noon
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Past Events
 | FEB 8 | Trumpeter Swans 7:00am - 8:45am Location: Hudson, WI - Meet at Dunn Bros Coffee (529 2nd St., Suite 200, Hudson, WI |
 | MAR 18 | State Capitol Attractions Cathedral Hill at St. Paul 6:30pm - 8:30pm Location: Meet in front of the steps by the Cathedral |
 | APR 15 | Golden and Blue Hour Skylines by the Lake Harriet Bandshell at Lake Harriet 6:30pm - 8:30pm Location: Meet at the Lake Harriet Bandshell |
 | MAY 3 | Road Trippin! - Mimi and Papa's Place + Fort Belmont First stop will be Mimi and Papa's Place in Windom, MN. We should arrive around 10:30am. A little after 12:00pm, we will take a lunch break. After lunch, head over to Fort Belmont. 8:15am - late afternoon Location: Meet at Burnsville Center |
 | MAY 24 | Blue Heron Rookery Marshall Terrace Park 2:30pm - 4:30pm Location: Meet in the parking lot for the park (2740 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis) |
 | JAN 14 2025 | Macro Photography 6:30pm - 8:30pm Location: Savage Room (2016C), Diamondhead Education Center, 200 W Burnsville Parkway, Burnsville |
 | DEC 17 | Small Town Christmas Photograph lights, window displays, and whatever else we find. 6:30pm - 8:30pm Meet at the corner by Leo's Grill and Mall Shop (131 S Main St, Stillwater) |
 | NOV 19 | Most of the sculpture are light up at night. You can also get light trails from cars from the pedestrian bridge that goes over to Loring Park. 6:30pm - 8:30pm Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis, MN 55403 |
 | NOV 16 | Introducing Road Trippin' Road Trippin' will be road trips around MN, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The idea is to find locations close enough to do a day trip Our first road trip will be at the ForestVille Ghost Town. This is a state park that has quite a few interesting buildings. The site will be closed, but they allow self-guided visits. The only drawbacks are that the buildings themselves will be closed. On the plus side, other than paying the State Park admission fee, you will not need to pay the separate fee for the ghost town. The plan will be to leave Burnsville at 9:00AM. The drive is approximately 2 hours and 16 minutes. We can find lunch in the area, and then spend the afternoon in the park All Day, Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, 21071 County Road 188, Preston, MN 55965 |
 | OCT 29 | They encourage taking photos and there is no fee for parking or admission. They close at sunset, which is why we need to meet earlier. 3:00pm - 5:00pm Barten Pumpkin Patch, 5716 W 280th St, New Prague, MN 56071 |
 | SEP 19 | The historic downtown area should provide plenty of subject matter for this outing. Everything from wide angle to telephoto will be in play. 6:30pm - 8:30pm Meet at parking lot by Levee Park, 101 Sibley St., Hastings |
 | MAY 25 | Perhaps the most creative type of lens that someone can have in their bag. They can be used for everything from landscape to close-up photography. At the same time, they can also be a challenge to use. We will be working with a wide range of subject matter. It is important to note that the Arboretum does not allow tripods. What to bring:
8:30am - 10:30am Minnesota Landscape Arboretumh, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska |
 | APR 23 | Long Exposure / Capturing Motion We will be taking long exposure photos of water as well as vehicles and possibly clouds. The sunset is at 8:10pm, so we should be able to get some light trails toward the end of the session. One fun subject could be the light rail as it passes by the area. What to bring:
6:30pm - 8:30pm Minnehaha Falls - Meet by the building |
 | MAR 23 | Video We will be exploring the world of video. This is not something I have done, so if there are some people in the club that would like to help and guide us, that would be awesome. We may need to follow this session up with an editing session later in the month. What to bring:
9am- 11am Ritter Farm Park, 19300 Ritter Trail, Lakeville |
 | FEB 20 | Refraction We will be experimenting with taking photos through crystal balls and water drops. This type of photography can be both fun and extremely challenging, and that is before you even try to take the shot. I will be bringing a spray bottle, syringes, plexiglass sheet, crystal balls, lume cubes, and Luxli Chello LED panels. What to bring:
6:30pm - 8:30pm, Diamondhead Education Center - 2016C Savage Room, 200 Burnsville Pkwy, Burnsville |
 | JAN 24 2024 | Urban Nights We will be photographing various bridges, Boom Island Lighthouse, Grainbelt Beer Sign, and other signs and buildings. What to bring:
6pm - 8pm Parking lot by the Nicollet Island Inn, 95 Merriam St., Minneapolis |
 | DEC 21 2023 | Create Bokeh Background It is said that the background can make or break a photo. One way to manage the background is to create a pleasing blur. We can also get really creative when there are lights, reflective surfaces, or repetitive objects in the background. During this session, we will take advantage of the holiday light displays. Holiday lights turn to multi-color dots which can greatly enhance a photo. We will look for either a city display, or a well decorated neighborhood to photograph. We will also experiment with using bokeh to essentially make distracting background elements "less distracting." Since we will be shooting after dark, a tripod will be necessary. Also, be sure to dress for the temps. 6:30pm-8:30pm Pat & Rich Roberts yard in Rosemount, MN |
 | NOV 18 2023 | How to Photograph 'X' and What Camera/Lens to Use Things were much simpler back in the early SLR days when the kit lens was a 50mm prime. This forced everyone to start from the same place and then as they figured out what interested them photographically, other lenses and camera bodies were acquired. Today, there is no shortage of zoom lenses and camera types. How do you know what the right combo is? During this session, we will spend time exploring the area around the Stone Arch Bridge. This will allow us to experiment with different combinations. For example, we can compare the difference between taking a photo with a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens of the same subject and watch how that choice impacts the background. Ultimately, this will show how compression, depth of field and camera steadiiness are affected by our lens choice. 9:00am-11:00am at Stone Arch Bridge |