Go See Do Explore

Cruise Dreaming II

On May 9, 2016

As the school year winds down, my stress level winds up. While I am looking forward to our summer road trip, I am going through serious cruise withdrawal! Oh, how I would love to be lounging on Great Stirrup Cay listening to the sound of the waves, without a care in the world! I think its time to start planning my next cruise!

About this Photo:
This is really not my most artistic shot, but I wanted a shot of this rock for my cruise scrapbook. So, I took this shot on my way back to the tender, after all the tourists were done posing for the ship photographers. This was a single RAW exposure done in Lightroom.

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

Date Taken:
June 17, 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: 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!

Wordless Wednesday: Lighthouse Vista

By Ashleigh

On April 20, 2016

In Project: State Parks, Wordless Wednesday

Road Trippin’

By Ashleigh

On April 18, 2016

In Michigan, Project: State Parks, Road Trip, Travel Tips

Since Spring Break is over, I have been busy planning our summer road trip. I was looking for an app or website that would help me with this planning; something that could help me choose an order for stops and let me know if the distance between stops was unrealistic. Well, after a quick Google search, I found exactly what I was looking for. Furkot.com does all that and more (and no one is paying me to say this). Furkot can help you find lodging in your chosen destinations or at certain intervals throughout your trip that you can customize. It will also help you plan your meals and activities once you’ve finalized your stops. If you are planning a road trip, you’ve got to check out Furkot!

About this Photo:
This photo was taken near the Little Sable Lighthouse at Silver Lake State Park near Mears, Michigan. This shot was taken right as a snow storm was blowing in off of Lake Michigan. It was a single RAW exposure with basic edits done in Lightroom.

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

Chris Corner #9: Path to Water

By Chris

On April 16, 2016

In Chris' Corner, Michigan, National Parks & Places

Path to Water by Christopher Mowers on 500px.com

I have visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore many times. As a child, the “Dune Climb” was something to be done every few years. One time, in my college days, I tricked Ashleigh into doing the entire hike with me all the way to Lake Michigan. “Just one more dune,” I would say, and eventually we made it to the lake. We also one time had the good forture of being able to have a fire between Lake Michigan and the first large dune near the Lake Michigan overlook, which was really special.

About the photo:

This photo was taken from the Empire Bluff Trail, a really great trail just south of Empire, MI, with a picturesque view of the dunes, Platt Lake, and at least one of the Manitou Islands. It was pretty cloudy the day we were there, which allowed for nice, even lighting.

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

Date Taken:
March 30, 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!