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Tag: Grand Rapids

The Amway Grand Plaza

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On February 20, 2017

In Michigan

Amway Grand PlazaI’ve stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza a few times for an Early Childhood conference. Each time I’ve been there, I wished I had a wide-angle lens to capture the beauty and the detail of its architecture. So, when Chris rented a wide angle lens to shoot a racquetball tournament in Grand Rapids, I agreed to go as long as we could stop at the Amway and I could take a few pictures.

Being that this was the first time I shot with a wide angle lens, it was harder than I anticipated to get the composition I wanted. I am definitely not used to the wide angle distortion (I don’t know how long I stared at this image trying to decide if it was straight or not) but overall I am very happy this shot and I think I captured the opulence that is the Amway Grand Plaza. Now I want to add this lens to my bag.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, handheld

Date Taken:
February 4, 2017

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Butterflies & Sculptures

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On April 11, 2016

In Michigan

Butterfly on Leaf

Every spring, butterflies abound at the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids! I’ve always wanted to visit during Butterflies are Blooming! In the caterpillar room, you can see caterpillars crawling and forming their chrysalides. Then, walk into the tropical greenhouse where 50 different species of butterflies soar high and stop on the flowers for a quick drink. You could see Monarchs, Golden Birdwings, and Common Morpho who is tan on the outside and bright blue on the inside. In the gardens, the flowers weren’t yet blooming, but it was a good time to explore the sculptures without the heat and the crowds.

About the Photo:
Shooting butterflies is a great learning experience for photographers. If you want to learn to shoot in manual, small, fast moving subjects are a great way to learn! A zoom lens with fast shutter speeds and high ISO are needed to freeze the motion and capture the tiniest details. This was a single RAW exposure, with basic edits done in Lightroom. This was shot at ISO 3200, which with my entry-level DSLR is quite noisy, so I did a lot of noise reduction as well.

Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens handheld.

Date Taken:
March 28, 2016

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Frederick Meijer Gardens

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On August 10, 2015

In Michigan

B-Tree II 66/10
When I am in Grand Rapids, one of my favorite places to visit is Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Meijer gardens is a very unique in that it is a mixture of nature and art. As you walk the winding paths of the sculpture park, you see interesting works modern tucked behind beautiful flowering trees and gardens. This photo was taken in the sculpture park from underneath B-Tree II, a sculpture by Kenneth Snelson.

For the plant lovers, the gardens are made up of several distinct areas: the shade garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Farm Garden. The Japanese Garden is the newest addition to the park and features unique Japanese landscaping including bridges and lanterns, surrounding a central pond.

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To plan your visit to Meijer Gardens, visit www.meijergardens.org/.

Wordless Wednesday: Grand Rapids Reflection

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On July 8, 2015

In Michigan, Wordless Wednesday

DSC_0204_edited-2

Wordless Wednesday: Purple Flower

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On May 20, 2015

In Flowers, Wordless Wednesday

Purple Flower

Walkway by the Water

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On April 25, 2015

In Michigan

A Walkway by the Water

This weekend I am enjoying all things Grand Rapids has to offer! This weekend is the Michigan Early Childhood Conference where preschool teachers come from all of the state come to share ideas for the classroom. This is always one of my favorite weekends of the year!

This photo was taken on a walkway above the Grand River behind the Amway Grand Hotel. I think the black and white really emphasizes all the lines in the walkway and the hand rail.

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

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