Category: Michigan Page 30 of 37

Big Red

On May 23, 2016

Holland Lighthouse The Holland Harbor lighthouse is the most photographed lighthouse in Michigan and like all of Michigan lighthouses, has an interesting history. The United States Lighthouse Board (yes, that was an actual thing. Oh, the things I learn while doing research for this blog) initially recommended construction of a lighthouse in Holland Harbor in 1870. The original lighthouse on this spot was built in 1872. In 1880, a new light was installed in a protective cage on top of a pole. The lighthouse keeper used a pulley to lower the lamp for service. Can you imagine? The current lighthouse, commonly known as “Big Red” was built in 1907.The architecture of the building was designed to reflect the Dutch influence in the area. Like many Michigan lighthouses, it has been abandoned by the Coast Guard but was restored and preserved by a private historical group. Because you would have to cross private property to see it up close, private access to the lighthouse is limited. But, it can be viewed across the channel from Holland State Park. (wikipedia)

About this Photo:
This wasn’t much of a planned shot, I know the lighting wasn’t great when we were at the park, but I snapped this shot while walking the pier at the state park. This was a single RAW exposure with basic edits done in Ligthroom. I was able to pull some detail back into the sky by pulling out the highlights (this is a great save if you ever have a shot with a blown out sky).

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 50.0 mm f/1.8 handheld

Date Taken:
May 8, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr!

Wordless Wednesday: Flowering Trees

By Ashleigh

On May 18, 2016

In Flowers, Michigan

Tulip Festival

By Ashleigh

On May 16, 2016

In Michigan, Photo Tips

I saw recently that the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan was just rated the #1 flower festival in the US by USA Today readers. This was the second year that I made the trek over to Holland to see the blossoms and it really is beautiful! To see tulips of all colors, lined up in rows really is a sight to behold! The festival is over now, but if you are planning a visit for next year, I highly recommend Windmill Island Gardens. One thing to note, it gets very crowded during the Tulip Festival. If possible, plan your trip before the festival starts to get the gardens to yourself!

About the Photo:
If you are into photography at all you have probably heard about the importance of lighting. In the middle of the day on a sunny day, the sun is directly overhead and it casts harsh shadows. I’ll be honest, I’ve heard this over and over again and I tried to obey it but I never really understood what it meant. Well, looking at my Tulip Festival pictures, I finally understand. You can see the uneven shadows on that white tulip. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. All rules are meant to be broken sometimes, and I think the shadows add something interesting to the image. Below, I’ve posted a photo from my visit last year when it was overcast and lightly raining. It doesn’t look as bright as the above photo (a flash would’ve helped with that), but the cloud cover provided nice, even light. The water droplets don’t hurt either.

Camera Gear (for both photos):
Nikon D3100 with 8.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens handheld

Date Taken:
Top: May 8, 2016
Bottom: May 10, 2015

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! Visit TulipTime.com to plan your Tulip Festival visit!

#igtravelchallenge May: Great Skies

By Ashleigh

On May 15, 2016

In Michigan, Photo Tips, Project: State Parks

When talking skies, I had to go back to my trip to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. Rain was on the forecast, but we decided to take the chance and drive up there anyway. The results were stunning! We got beautiful shots of the rain falling over Lake Michigan. I learned my lesson, that’s for sure! Don’t let the weather deter you from exploring and photographing!

About the Photo:
When I saw the sun in the sky this day, I knew it was the perfect candidate for a sunburst! To do this, you’ll want to be in Manual or Aperature Priority Mode on your camera and set a small aperture (larger number). I recommend starting around f/16 and taking shots, each time getting a smaller and smaller aperture. Especially if you are shooting RAW, you may not see the results on the back of your camera, but once you import it into Lightroom, pull out the highlights and you should see a sunburst in the sky!

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, handheld

Date Taken:
April 1, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr!

Wordless Wednesday: Walkway at Sunset

By Ashleigh

On May 4, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Marsh Sunset

By Ashleigh

On May 2, 2016

In Michigan

The other day, I wanted to go shoot somewhere I had never been before, so I posed the question in a Michigan Photography Facebook group. Someone suggested Crosswinds Marsh. I had never heard of this place so I did some research and found out that it is a Wayne County park in New Boston. It seemed interesting enough and not too far of a drive for a sunset shooting trip, so we decided to check it out. Crosswinds Marsh is the largest man made wetlands in the country. It was built t replace the wetlands that were destroyed during the expansion of the Detroit Metro Airport. It is a really peaceful place that I definitely recommend to visit, especially if you’re into bird watching or fishing. It would also be a lovely place for a picnic!

About the Photo:
In my research of this place, I found some gorgeous pictures taken of the marsh but when I got there, I really struggled with my compositions. I think my problems were due a lot to the position of the sun as compared to the foreground objects. Photo Tip: To avoid lighting struggles like this, check out The Photographer’s Ephemeris (free for desktop) so you can see where the sun will be when you go out! Frustrations aside, I will definitely go back and try again another day. This shot was a single RAW exposure with basic edits done in Lightroom.

Photo Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, handheld

Date Taken:
April 23, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr!

Chris Corner #11: A Planned Shot

By Chris

On April 30, 2016

In Chris' Corner, Michigan

Gold and Black Aisle by Christopher Mowers on 500px.com

My work of the past few weeks has been rather uninspiring, so we’re going to hit the back catalog today.

This is not a perfect photo by any means, but I wanted to post it because it is an example of a planned shot. I wanted a shot of an aisle between trees, and then I went and got it. Sometimes in photography, one will grab his or her camera, go to a great location, and hope for the best; however, very frequently, the best pictures are those which one will consider in advance.

Good light for photography is a fleeting thing, and when shooting landscapes one doesn’t always have enough time to really get it right without forethought. Being familiar with locations and thinking of compositions in advance can be a helpful practice.

About the photo:

This photo was taken near our cottage in Paris, MI. In the upper part of Michigan’s lower peninsula, there tends to be a lot of trees that were planted in rows such as this. The Civilian Conservation Corps planted them this way. I do not know if these particular trees were planted by the CCC, but certainly this is typical to see.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

Date Taken:
June 25, 2015

Thank you for reading. You can see my best work on 500px and can also find pictures of the “trying my hardest to be good at this” type on Flickr or Pixoto.

Also, be sure to like the Go See Do Facebook Page, and follow Ashleigh on Instagram and Flickr! Check out our Gear page to see inside our camera bag!

Wordless Wednesday: Empire Bluffs Trail

By Ashleigh

On April 27, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Storm Rolling In

By Ashleigh

On April 25, 2016

In Photo Tips, Project: State Parks

Over Spring Break, one of the places I wanted to visit was the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. It was supposed to start raining and turn into snow on the day we had chosen and I was skeptical about whether or not we should still go. Well, Chris talked me into and I’m glad I decided to brave it! It was a great photographer’s sky! Those rays in the sky are not Photoshopped in! That is the rain coming in off the lake! Tip for photographers: Don’t let “bad” weather stop you from exploring and shooting! Be brave! Clear sky days are the time to stay home and do housework!

About this Photo:
I knew going to the dunes that I was going to want the widest lens I have and that wasn’t even really wide enough, so I decided to go the panorama route. This was 5 shots stitched together in Lightroom. Once Lightroom did its thing, I did my basic edits and voila!

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, handheld. Tip: If you’re planning a visit to the dunes, bring your camera bag with you. It is quite a climb up there and you don’t want to get any sand in anything!

Date Taken:
April 1, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr!

Chris Corner #10: Driftwood

By Chris

On April 23, 2016

In Chris' Corner, Michigan, Project: State Parks

Driftwood by Christopher Mowers on 500px.com

The posting of the photos that I took while on vacation continues this week, and we are back to Silver Lake State Park near Mears, MI.

We were at Silver lake on this sort of blustery, cold day, where rain was imminent. Really, it was actually snow that was imminent, but we didn’t know that yet. Overall, that week’s weather had been pretty nice for the first week in April, but the upcoming weekend was about to teach us a lesson, and that lesson was to not assume that spring had arrived just yet.

About the photo:

This beach, near the Little Sable lighthouse, had some really cool driftwood; this one was my favorite piece. Unlike the picture I posted a few weeks ago, where I had enhanced the light beams, these ones are straight out of the camera.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

Date Taken:
April 9, 2016

Thank you for reading. You can see my best work on 500px and can also find pictures of the “trying my hardest to be good at this” type on Flickr or Pixoto.

Also, be sure to like the Go See Do Facebook Page, and follow Ashleigh on Instagram and Flickr! Check out our Gear page to see inside our camera bag!