Go See Do Explore

Travel by Any Means Necessary

Author: Ashleigh Page 85 of 94

Belle Isle Aquarium

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On February 15, 2016

In Michigan, Project: State Parks

Belle Isle Aquarium

I have wanted to visit Belle Isle in Detroit for some time now, so when we had a warm(ish) winter weekend, I made my way east. I had driven through Belle Isle once before, but it was before the park service took it over and was in a deserted, dilapidated state. It was good to see the historic buildings being restored and people walking around, enjoying the beautiful weather.

While its still being renovated, I fell in love with the Belle Isle Aquarium. Before it closed in 2005, it was the oldest, continually operating aquarium in North America. It reopened in 2012 and now seeks to inform the public about invasive species that are taking over the great lakes. The aquarium first opened in 1904 and was designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. The stone facade atop the doorway depicts two spitting fish and the emblem of Detroit. (Belle Isle Conservancy)

About the Photo:
For this trip, I stuck mostly with my 18-55mm kit lens. It is the widest lens I currently have and it was a sunny day so I wasn’t worrying about speed. This shot was a tough one to get as people were coming and going from the aquarium and I was kind of standing in the way. I decided to shoot up high and get less of the doorway to avoid having people in my shot. This was cropped down a bit and a basic edit from RAW done in Lightroom.

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

Date Taken:
January, 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: Frozen River

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On February 10, 2016

In Michigan, Project: State Parks

Blizzard Schmizzard

Chicago Skyline

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On February 8, 2016

In Travel

Chicago Skyline

On my last trip to Chicago, I was very excited to go to the top of the Sears (Willis) Tower Skydeck and get some cool shots of the city, although I was quite terrified of the elevator. On this trip, we elected to try the CityPass, which saved us a little bit of time, I would imagine it would be a lifesaver during busy times. When I got up to the Skydeck I noticed two things: 1.) There were a lot of people up there, all trying to do the same thing I was trying to do and 2.) I was not going to get the skyline shot I had in mind. Luckily it was a beautiful day and I was able to get a few shots that I could work with.

About the Photo: 
As I eluded to, I had to do a little more editing on this photo than I usually do. Shooting through (dirty) glass is an added challenge; I had to take out some of the grime and reflection that I got from the windows. It was edited from a JPG with Photoshop Elements.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens handheld
Date Taken:
January 1, 2015

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

Wordless Wednesday: Blue Sky Windmill

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On February 3, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Stover

Snowfest

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On February 1, 2016

In Michigan

Carving Vader

This past weekend was Zehnder’s Snowfest in Frankenmuth. I really wanted to go and get some shots of the action! We chose to go on the coldest day but I’m glad we did because I didn’t want any sad, melting sculptures (this weekend we got temps in the 50s!). Frankenmuth holds a special place in my heart (and I’m sure I’ll share why in a future post) so I will take any excuse I can to visit. As expected, it was packed and all the restaurants had long waits, but that didn’t matter, I had my camera in my hand!

I wanted to focus on getting environmental portraits of the snow carvers because I feel it adds more story to the image. This was a lot trickier than I thought. Many of the sculptures were surrounded by ladders and other clutter. Tourists were taking selfies and there were piles of discarded snow everywhere!

About the Photo:
Since we were visiting at night and I knew I was going to try to capture the carvers at work, I grabbed my fastest lens and was prepared to crank my ISO, although some of the sculptures were well lit enough to bring it back down. This was shot wide open (f/1.8) with 1600 ISO to get my shutter speed fast enough for my 50mm lens. Luckily I was shooting towards the sky, so I was able to crush the blacks in Lightroom and get rid of any noise without worrying about losing my background. I planned on bringing my tripod but I forgot it at home and I was glad I wasn’t lugging it around. It would’ve been a pain to set it up and take it down at each sculpture. This is a time I feel I could’ve benefited from the added stability of a monopod.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 50mm f/1.8 lens handheld

Date Taken:
January 29, 2016

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! Check out my new Gear page to see inside my camera bag! For more information on Snowfest and other Frankenmuth events, visit Frankenmuth.org

Wordless Wednesday: Moody Windmill

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On January 27, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Moody Windmill

Duke Chapel

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On January 25, 2016

In Travel

Duke Chapel

Durham, North Carolina is home to Duke University. The one thing that sticks in my mind about Duke is how stunningly beautiful the campus is. From the gorgeous architecture in Duke Chapel to the natural beauty of the Sara P. Duke Gardens, Duke’s campus stands out in its beauty. When I visited the chapel, the choir was practicing which really adds a haunting element to the architectural beauty.

About the Photo:
This photo has been one of my favorites for a while. I love how the light comes down by the steeple; it adds an angelic nature to the shot. This photo was taken with my first digital point & shoot camera and edited with Google’s free photo editing software, Picassa. I’m not saying that my photography hasn’t improved with a DSLR, the ability to shoot in RAW, and Adobe editing software, but I strongly believe you can take a quality image without all of those things, especially when you have a beautiful subject.

Camera Gear:
Kodak EasyShare CX7300 point & shoot

Date Taken:
March 2008

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! Check out my new Gear page to see inside my camera bag!

Wordless Wednesday: Snowy Squirrel

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On January 20, 2016

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

Squirrel!

Clingman’s Vista

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On January 18, 2016

In Travel

View from Clingman's Dome

The hike up the 375 ft ramp with a 12% grade to the Clingman’s Dome viewing platform was much harder than I expected. At an elevation of 6,643 feet, Clingman’s Dome is the highest mountain in the Smokies. It was 20 degrees colder up there than it was at the campground the previous night and it started raining on the walk up. Despite all that, the view was totally worth it!

About the Photo:
Because of the fog and rain, I wish my lens had windshield wipers on it; I had to keep wiping droplets off of it. One thing you will learn about my photos is that I don’t tend to do a lot of editing. This photo was edited from a JPG with Photoshop Elements.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens
Date Taken:
June 21, 2014

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

Wordless Wednesday: Savannah Sunset

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On January 13, 2016

In Travel, Wordless Wednesday

Fountain at Sunset

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