Tag: The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is one of the greatest attractions in the state of Michigan. Beginning in 1906, Henry Ford began collecting objects of historical importance that are now housed in the museum. What kinds of things did Ford collect? George Washington’s camp bed, an Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, the chair from Ford’s Theater where Abraham Lincoln was shot, the bus where Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat, Thomas Edison’s last breath in a sealed tube, a collection of Presidential vehicles including the limousine where John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a replica of the Wright Brother’s flyer, and many other fascinating objects from American History. The “of American Innovation” was only recently added to the museum’s name to clarify that this is Henry Ford’s museum, not a museum of the life of Henry Ford.
Originally known as the Edison Institute, the museum was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on the fiftieth anniversary of Edison’s first successful incandescent light bulb. In attendance at the dedication were Marie Curie, George Eastman, John D. Rockefeller, Will Rogers, and Orville Wright. (wiki) One of my favorite pieces in the museum is a painting near the entrance to the museum that depicts the dedication of the museum and you can see all of the famous faces sitting in the place where you currently stand.
The Henry Ford (the complex that houses the museum as well as Greenfield Village and The Rouge Factory Tour) is known as America’s Greatest History Attraction for a reason. I believe everyone should make a point to visit at some point in their life. The exhibits in the museum are well put together and there are things here that you will not find in any other museum. I always manage to find something new and interesting each time I visit.
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I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for Greenfield Village to open up again for the season. We had a beautiful day this weekend and we had to head over for our first visit of the season. One of my favorite places to visit is always the glassblower shop. The people who work here are amazingly talented and they are so fun to watch. We also rode the train and got an interesting lesson in the history of gasoline (it was more interesting than it sounds, I promise) from the driver of a Model T. It is always fun to step back in time at Greenfield Village! I can’t wait to spend more time there this season!
Photographing glassblowers is tricky because it tends to be dark in the glassblower shop and of course, they are moving around in there so a fast shutter speed is key. So, I popped on my nifty fifty and had to deal with the limited focal range. I set my ISO to 1600 and opened my aperture to f/2.5, that gave me 1/160 shutter speed and allowed me to freeze some of the motion.
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This Christmas Season, I was finally able to do something that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember, attend Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village. Its a staple of the Christmas Season in Metro Detroit and I had never been! Holiday Nights begins at 6:30 and goes until 10:00 and those three and a half hours flew by! We rode a Model T and had a Christmas singalong on a horse drawn carriage. We saw Santa and his reindeer. We listened to carolers, a fife and drum corps, and warmed up around the fire and enjoyed music from Michigan’s Troubadour. Some of the historic homes were open and were cooking period appropriate holiday meals and you can sit fireside and watch dramatic retellings of classic Christmas stories. The restaurants were open and additional tents were around serving holiday treats and warm beverages. They even have ice skating available, but I didn’t think that was the best idea with my camera, so we skipped it. The night ends with a singalong and fireworks. We went on one of the coldest nights we’ve had so far this winter, but between the warm houses and the various fires set up around the village, it didn’t seem that cold. I was truly surprised by how much fun we had. I think Holiday Nights will become part of our Christmas traditions for years to come! If I’ve talked you into checking it, be aware that tickets sell out weeks in advance, especially for Fridays and Saturdays before Christmas, so when they go on sale, I wouldn’t sit on the fence too long or you might not get the day you want.
About the Photo:
Honestly, I didn’t do too much to this photo. The painted look it has came from the fact that my lens was a little fogged up. Apparently when its that cold, putting your gloved hand over your lens (something I tend to do in crowds to protect my lens) fogs it up. Between that and the poor high ISO performance of my entry level camera, it actually gave the photo an interesting look. This was shot in RAW with basic edits done in lightroom.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 18-55 kit lens, hand held
Date Taken:
December 18, 2016
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Today’s picture is the door handle on the Cotswold Cottage. The Cotswold Cottage is a building which now resides at Greenfield Village, part of The Henry Ford, a history attraction in Dearborn, MI.
The following regarding this cottage was taken from http://www.thehenryford.org/
The families who lived in this home had a variety of jobs. From the early 1700s to the mid-1800s, several generations of the Sley/Robins/Smith family worked as farmers and stone masons. Being a stone mason was a good job for the family because most of the homes in the area were made from stone.
About the Photo:
I took this photo right after I bought our 50mm 1.8 prime lens and I was getting used to the incredibly shallow depth of field made possible by the wide aperature. I focused on the interesting textures in the metal and just let it blur out on the edges. I also did some relatively minimal editing in lightroom including some color correction and a white vignette.
Camera Gear:
Nikon D3100 with 50mm 1.8 lens handheld
Date Taken:
September 26, 2015
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On a recent visit to Greenfield Village (part of The Henry Ford, “America’s Greatest History Attraction”), I noticed a change since I visited as a child. As a kid, I remember enjoying the period clothing and how they put on a show, talking to guests like living history. Yes, walking through the houses, you can still see the way people used to live, but now the focus is on the creative. They no longer dress in period clothing in Liberty Craftworks. Instead, you can pay to blow your own glass. If you’re lucky, they’ll let you try out the printing press. At first this change bothered me, but then I realized what it is all about. Innovation is the key word here. The CBS Saturday Morning Television Show, Innovation Nation is being filmed on The Henry Ford Campus. The purpose (at least as I see it) is to show children people that anyone can be a creator, a difference maker. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs, were just regular people who had an idea and put it into action. The Henry Ford is looking to inspire that next generation of innovators and creators.
This shot was hard to get. It was so dark in the Pottery Shop my kit lens wasn’t fast enough to freeze the potter’s motion. Luckily, I had my new 50mm f1.8 prime lens. With such a wide aperture I was able to use a fast shutter speed and stop the motion of his hands.
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 The Henry Ford, visit TheHenryFord.org