Tag: Lighthouse Page 6 of 7
In Sault Ste. Marie I picked up a Michigan Lighthouse Map which shows every lighthouse in Michigan and whether or not its open to the public. So, when we were making the drive down the Lake Huron coast, we made a point to stop at all the lighthouses we could. We managed to stop at 7 lighthouses on our way down south including three in Presque Isle, two of which we climbed. The above photo is of the Tawas Point Lighthouse.
For our night on Lake Huron we stayed at Hoeft State Park in Rogers City (south of Cheboygan). This park surprised me. We were there the Friday before the Fourth of July and I was expecting it to be kind of rowdy but it wasn’t at all. It seemed to be mostly families, a lot of which had bikes and were making use of Huron Sunrise Trail. The sites were big and wooded, but the bathrooms didn’t live up to Hartwick Pines (this was the theme of the trip). If I was looking to stay near Lake Huron, I come back here in a heartbeat!
About the Photo:
I got incredibly lucky with this picture! There were no Photoshop tricks or external flash used here. We happened to get to the lighthouse when it was sprinkling a little, but a bigger rain was definitely on its way. To the west, the sun was not covered by clouds with made for this awesome cloudy background with evening light on the lighthouse. This was a single RAW exposure with basic edits done in Lightroom.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit lens and polarizer, handheld
Date Taken:
July 2, 2016
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Over Memorial Day weekend, I had the joy of returning to Ludington. This time, I truly fell in love with Ludington State Park. Between the half-mile Skyline Trail’s stunning dune vistas (look for a photo on Wednesday), the beautiful Lake Michigan beach, and the historically striking views at the end a two mile hike on the Lighthouse Trail. After this visit, I am making plans to return for a camping trip. The Jack Pine campground is a hike-in campground (meaning no road access) halfway to the lighthouse. This is a wonderful opportunity for photographers, because I would be able to stay at the park later (the day use areas close at 10) to capture the sunset and night sky at the lighthouse.
About the Photo:
This photo was a single RAW exposure with basic edits done in Lightroom. I really wanted to the catch sunset at the lighthouse, but, as I mentioned above, the day use areas (read parking lot) close at 10:00 and in the summer, the sun sets on Michigan’s west coast after 9:00, leaving very little time to get our shots, hike two miles, and get back to the car before they close the gate. So, if you want to get a true sunset shot, visit in the winter or camp in the park (there are several modern camping options in the park if you don’t want to carry in all your gear, but you would have more walking from the lighthouse than the hike in campground).
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit lens handheld
Date Taken:
May 29, 2016
Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page. I have started my summer photo a day project again this year. To make sure you don’t miss a single day, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To plan your visit to Ludington State Park visit the Michigan DNR or VisitLudington.com.
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
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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
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When planning our Belle Isle trip, Chris did some research into other photo-worthy spots in Detroit. One spot he found was the Windmill Point Lighthouse in Mariner Park, which is right on the border of Detroit and Grosse Point Park. This area is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of Detroit” and as we drove in, I could see why. The homes are situated on canals that run to the river. Every home seemed to have a boat on a lift. I never knew anything like this existed in the city! If I’ve piqued your curiosity, check out this photo feature on Daily Detroit from a few years ago.
So, I had no idea this “Canal District” or this lighthouse existed. And it seems like no one else knows it exists either. We visited on an unseasonably warm Saturday in January and it was just us and a border patrol agent on his lunch break. If you search online for Windmill Point Lighthouse, it doesn’t seem like a lot of photographers have discovered this spot either.
Like many Michigan lighthouses, this one has an interesting history. The original lighthouse with an light-keeper’s quarters was built on this spot in 1848. In the 1920’s the Public Health Service acquired the land for a new Marine Hospital. The main tower of the light was left standing and was converted to an electric light while the keeper’s quarters were demolished to make room for the hospital. The hospital was torn down long ago and the area is now known as Mariner Park. Looking at old photos, both the lighthouse keeper’s quarters and the hospital were beautiful buildings. I wonder what they would look like today if they were still standing. (LighthouseFriends.com)
About the Photo:
When we made this trip, I really wanted to get a shot of the ice in the river (I did get this one). When we got there, I really wanted to get both the ice and the lighthouse in one shot. Well, both the fence and my lens made that kind of difficult. This was one instance where I wish I had a wider lens! This was a single RAW exposure, with basic edits done in Ligthtroom.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens handheld
Date Taken:
January 2016
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This summer, I made the trek over to Silver Lake State Park. Unbeknownst to me, this is a big ORV park and at first I was curious as to why all the cars had flags on them. We parked and began climbing the dune and we started hearing the sounds of engines revving and people laughing. The view at the top of the dune was unbelievable! White sand dunes as far as the eyes can see and off to the right, the flags made sense; cars were driving up and down the dunes, stopping in a cloud of falling sand. Dune driving is not really my cup of tea, so after we enjoyed the view, we drove over to The Little Sable Lighthouse.
The lighthouse was built following the loss of the Schooner Pride in 1866, although it was delayed until 1874 due to lack of roads in the area. The natural brick exterior of Little Sable Light was a blessing for the lighthouse keeper as he did not have to whitewash it. When electricity reached the lighthouse in 1954, the lighthouse keeper’s dwelling was destroyed and the light was automated. If I could go back in time, it would be pretty cool to live in a lighthouse. Although, I don’t know that I would want to be the one to carry the kerosene up those narrow, winding steps.
For this trip, I had just got my telephoto lens and I was very excited to use it. Shooting a lighthouse is not exactly the perfect use for a telephoto, so I had to get creative. One of my favorite shots of this day was a panorama of the lighthouse that I stitched together in Photoshop. I would really like to go back here with a wider lens to better capture the feel of the lighthouse.
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