The Wandering Photographer

Dunes and Beaches of the Sleeping Bear

Some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and dunes can be found along the Eastern coast of upper Lake Michigan in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The park was designated a National Lakeshore in 1970 and administration was assigned to the National Park Service.

From the NPS website:

"The Park was established to preserve the 'outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena...for the benefit, inspiration, education, recreation, and enjoyment of the public.' "

The Park includes thirty-five miles of Lake Michigan Coast almost exclusively made up of ancient dunes and wonderful beaches. The park also encompasses a number of historic sites, including the Port Oneida Rural District and a nineteenth century US Lifesaving Station at Glen Haven.

The dunes are named after the "Legend of the Sleeping Bear" and the park took its name from the legend as well.

The heart of the park however are the dunes. Here is a few more views from various points along the shore.

It is no wonder that "Dr. Beach" named the beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes as the best beaches on the Great Lakes.

Hope you enjoyed his look at one of Michigan's wonders.

© 2011 Tim Marks

Easy Black and White with Silver Efex Pro 2

JPEG version of Original RAW file as it imported into LightRoom 3

I captured the above image of The Old Mission Point Lighthouse on a trip to Michigan's Grand Traverse region last Summer. I really liked the composition but like almost all RAW files it needed some post processing to bring out its best.

I took a look at the photo, and noticed a number of things that needed attention in order to make the image reflect what I saw that day.

 Marked up for post-processing

Three of the major problems are shown above. What was a gorgeous blue sky looks faded and boring in the photo. The clouds lack definition and the rails are way overexposed distracting the eye away from the centerpiece of the image, the lighthouse. The entire image looks flat and lifeless.

I opened the photo in Lightroom's develop module and began to process the image.

• Basic Tab - Auto as a starting point
• I adjusted the exposure until it looked right
• I adjusted the black point
• I chose "Strong Contrast" in the Tone Curve Tab
• I set the Vibrance to +43
• In the HSL Tab, I set Luminance Blue -48 and Green -57
• I used the Adjustment Brush to tone down the exposure on the rails

Result is below.

Color Processed version

I thought it looked pretty good except for the fact that I over saturated the sky so it looked a bit garish. That is easily fixed but before I started correcting it I thought, "ya know that might look pretty good in Black and White."

There are a number of ways to convert a color image to B+W. The controls found in both Lightroom and Camera RAW work very nicely and of course you can go through a bunch of steps in Photoshop to get there, but I find working in NIK Software's Silver Efex Pro 2 both satisfying and intuitive.

I opened the image in Silver Efex Pro and started to play with the myriad of presets that come with the program. After sampling a number of them I settled on "High Structure Harsh" ending up with the results below.

Output from Siver Efex Pro 2

Not bad, if I say so myself. Of course there is that nasty bit of flare in the sky (circled). Back in Lightroom I used the Adjustment Brush in Healing mode to replace the flare with clouds. I also further darkened selected spots on the rails to even things out a bit.

The final result is below. I really like the way the clouds form a halo around the tower. I think I'm going to keep working on this one to refine it even more, but as far as I'm concerned this result is not too bad for only about 25 minutes work.

Old Mission Lighthouse at the tip of the Old Misssion Peninsula in Grand Traverse County, MI Half way between the equator and the north Pole (45 degrees North)

Playing around with black and White conversions is fun and rewarding. While I find using Silver Efex Pro easy and fun, if you have any other image editing software, you too can create great Black and White images, just like in the days of Film.

Give it a whirl!

You can see my earlier post about the Old Mission Light here.

© 2011 Tim Marks

Quick Review: Olympus E-PL2 Micro Four-Thirds System Camera and Lenses

William McKinley Memorial and grave site. Canton, Ohio

Note: I know there has been a year long gap in posts on my blog. It was unfortunately unavoidable. But, I'm back and I'll make a sincere attempt to post at least three stories a month in the future. Thanks for all the support.

Introduction of the Four-Thirds camera system allowed Olympus and Panasonic to create high quality interchangeable lens camera systems that are much smaller and much lighter than traditional Full Frame and APS-C DSLRs. The Micro Four-Thirds cameras reduce the size and weight even further, with no loss of image quality. The smaller sensor in the M-Four-Thirds cameras results in a so called lens "crop factor" of 2X, as apposed to 1.5X with my D300 (ASP-C camera). Therefore the 14-42mm kit lens delivers an angle of view equivelent to a 28mm-84mm lens on a 35mm camera.

 The desire to cut weight, and save my poor back, led me to explore the Micro 4/3rds system and I ended up going with the Olympus PEN E-PL2 and the 14-42mm kit lens. The PEN delivers 12 mega-pixel images of a quality indistinguishable to me from my D300, The body weighs only 12-7/8 oz. and the lens add only 5-1/2 oz., My D300 body alone weighs in at 29 oz. (almost 2lbs). As you can see below the Olympus is much smaller than a DSLR.

Olympus PEN E-PL2 with 14-42mm lens sitting next to a Canon EOS 30D with 18-200mm lens

To Round out the kit I added a Panasonic Lumix 20mm f1.7 pancake lens (3-1/2 oz.), yep the Panasonic uses the same Micro Four-Thirds lens mount, and an Oly 40-150mm (6.7oz.) for a complete package weight of only 28-1/2 oz. (1-3/4 lbs). Thats right the whole kits weighs less than the D300 body alone! I carry it all in an unpadded Duluthpack #100 Double Shell Bag That brings the weight of the entire package, incuding bag, to less than 4lbs.

So, how well does the PEN system work for me? So far very nicely. I was able to take system with me on a trip to Mid-Ohio and used it exclusively. I also to it with me on a visit to Belle Isle Park in the City of Detroit. Despite some limitations I was quite happy with the results.

The image at the top of the page is a shot of the William McKinley gravesite in Canton, Ohio. Shot with the 14-42mm lens set at 21mm and an ISO 0f 200 I was qute happy with the results.Image quality is excelent up to 400 ISO and quite nice at 800. Anything above gets awfully noisy but can be used in a pinch. Below is a photo inside the Canton Stark Museum and a small 100% blowup to show the noise. The photo was shot with the 14-42mm lens at 800 ISO as you can see the noisy is noticable but for my purposes acceptable, especially for online presentation.

Interior shot at the McKinley Presidential Museum in Canton, Ohio

!00% example of noise at 800 ISO

The visit to Belle Isle yield some very nice images as well. These pictures were taken with the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 at 200 ISO.

 Downtown Skyline including the General Motors Headquarters (Renaissance Center)

 Belle Isle Casino (not the gambling kind)

So what is the bottom line? This camera won't replace my D300, but I think I'll be finding myself carrying the Oly more and more often. There are a number of pros and cons. The thing I miss the most from my DSLR is a viewfinder. There is an add-on available but it is way overpriced at $200+. Despite the price I will probably eventually buy one.

Pros

• Extremely light weight
• Extremely high image quality, especially at 200 & 400 ISO
• 12 mega-pixels are more than enough.
• Small package fits in a small bag for a very easy day of carrying

Cons

• Noise at 800 is acceptable, at 1600 not so good
• Viewfinder is high cost extra
• Not a lot of lenses available yet
• Build quality is good but not at a pro level

My recommendation is that if you want a lightweight system camera for short trips or long days walking aroung the city take a close look at the Micro Four-Thirds system. It is reasonably priced and the number of lenses and accessories for it is growing.

Below is my Duluthpack bag with body, three lenses and ThinkTank Peewee Pixel Pocket Rocket. Lots of room in the front pockets for phone, wallrt, etc. Since the bag is not padded I have the lenses in neoprene pouches.

Come back later in the month for some more adventures in photography.

© 2011 Tim Marks

Great Lakes Lighthouses: Old Mission Point Lighthouse

Last week I wrote about The Grand Traverse Lighthouse on Lake Michigan at the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay. Today I'd like to show you some images of The Old Mission Point Light on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City.

The lighthouse sits 14-1/2 miles South South East across the Grand Traverse Bay from the Grand Traverse Light and 16 miles North of Traverse City at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula.

Built in 1870, the light was intended to guide ships into the West arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The Light is no longer active as it was replaced by a Beacon 2-1/4 miles off shore.

One of the interesting factoids about Old Mission Point is that it is located almost exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, very near 45° North latitude. A coordinate reading taken form a Delorme software atlas puts it at N44° 59.5' (44.99°).

Old mission Point Lighthouse, another great reason to visit Pure Michigan.

© 2010 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Great Lakes Lighthouses: Grand Traverse Light Station in Northport, MI

One of the grand Lake Michigan lighthouses sits at the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay at the tip of Michigan's "little finger." Built in 1852 and rebuilt and relocated in 1858 the Grand Traverse Light guided ships through the Manitou Passage as they headed to the Straits of Mackinaw and Lake Huron or Lake Superior.

Sitting on the grounds of Leelanau State Park, the light houses a museum and gift/book shop. The light and the surrounding beach is a great place to spend a few hours with a camera at any time of year.

When we visited this past July the landscaping was in full bloom.

 

The grounds are nicely landscaped and well kept up, however, the plaster seagull is a bit kitschy.

 

Winter is another great time to visit the light as this shot from February 2007 shows.

Another Winter view of this grand light.

Next time you are in Northern Michigan be sure to drop by a lighthouse. There is bound to be one nearby.

You can see my earlier post about photographing the nearby Point Betsie Lighthouse here.

© Tim Marks all rights reserved

Barns and Farms: Port Onieda Rural Historical District

In the mid 19th century a number of sturdy immigrant families settled and built farms along lake Michigan near Pyramid Point. By 1862 the people had built a dock and named their small settlement Port Onieda after one of the first ships to visit the village, the SS Onieda. By 1908 all of the original farms, except one, in Port Onieda had been abandoned. New families arrived and the village thrived until World War II. Today only a few families live in the immediate area.

Today the village is being restored as one of two historical districts by the National Park Service, in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I had the chance to spend an afternoon driving around the village and photographing some of the wonderful farm ruins and relics. I hope you enjoy the results.

The outhouse on the Carsten Burfiend Farm c. 1893

 

Here is a close up of closure hardware on one of the Burfiend farm out buildings

 

A small shed on the Martin Basch Farm c.1880s

 

A detail from the Miller Barn c. 1855. the Miller Barn is also shown in the picture at the top of this post.

 

This one is the detail of a shed on the Echart Farm built about 1862.

 

Detail of the old farm house on the Eckhert property. Obviously this one needs work.

 

This historical site is well worth the visit. I could easily spend hours here making images of an interesting past that was an important part of the Northern Michigan experience.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes are located in Benzie and Leelanau counties in Northern Michigan. the National lakeshore is a treasure of natural beauty and historic discovery. Visit them on the web at www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm

© 2010 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Lake Superior Beaches

Walking along the beach is a favorite activity of folks in the Great Lakes region. There are no better beaches to walk than those along Lake Superior.

Known to the native Ojibwe as Gichigami, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with a total area of almost 32,000 sq mi (82,500 sq km). The lakes beaches range from sandy to rocky and are often fronted by cliffs of copper bearing rock or sandstone.

Most of these pictures were shot along the beaches of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Shot during a hike on the Hunter's Point Trail at Copper Harbor, MI

Further along the same beach at Hunter's Point. As you can see the beach is made up of small stones rather than sand.

Just a few miles down the coast the beaches are very different.

A walk along any beach is bound to be photographically productive.

The Superior shore is dotted with numerous picturesque lighthouses.

There is no better way to end a day of hiking and photography than to sit on the deck of your motel and watch the sun set over the Lake.

© 2010 Tim Marks all rights reserved

An Evening Cruise on Narragansett Bay

During a 2008 visit to Newport, RI, we decided to take a sunset cruise on Narragansett Bay. It was a perfect way to see the city from a different perspective. It was also a chance to get some awesome pictures of the Rhode Island coast.

Not wanting to carry my heavy DSLR with me I carried my Nikon CoolPix 8800 "Superzoom" compact Digital Camera.

While waiting for cruise time we sat in a dockside tavern and had dinner.

As we left the dock we passed hundreds of private yachts. Not all of them were as large and opulent as this one. I think you could buy the entire city for the price of this "boat."

Another yacht, though this one is locally owned and dates back to the Gilded Age. It was used to travel between Newport and Manhattan, NYC.

This is the Lime Rock Light. Built in 1854, it is now privately owned and serves as the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

The Coastline is dotted with old mansions dating back to Victorian New England. This one, built in 1874 for explorer Alexander Agassiz, is now the renowned Castle Hill Inn.

One of the more colorful sailing vessels to be found on the bay.

Castle Hill Light marks the entrance of Narragansett Bay. It is on the grounds of the Castle Hill Inn Resort, however the resort graciously allows access to the public. This light is one of the most picturesque, and most photographed, lights on the East coast.

Heading back to port we passed by the Pell/Newport Bridge (named for Senator Claiborne Pell) and the Rose island Light. Built in 1870 the light is accessible by ferry during the summer months.

Back at the dock we settled into the dockside pub to watch the end of the sunset. As far as I'm concerned, a leisurely evening cruise is a great way to see Newport from a different perspective, and there is no finer way to end the evening than sitting on the dock enjoying a snack and beverage.

© 2010 Tim Marks all right reserved

Basque Country Images III

After Leaving Bilbao we spent the next week walking the Basque Country with small guided walking tour offered by Country Walkers. The Guides were Basque natives and they were knowledgeable, informative and fun. this is a great way to take a tour.

The Basque Country, known as Euskal Herria in the Basque language,  is set in the Northwest corner of Spain and the Southeast corner of France. Beautifully set in the Pyrenees Mountains, the Basque countryside offers mountain views, lush vineyards, and ancient villages. A perfect place for photography.

Basque shepherds tend their flocks in the mountains. Walking down the well worn footpaths, you often come across centuries old farm buildings. Still in great shape ans still in use after hundreds of years.

One of the real joys of walking the Pyrenees was coming upon the towns and villages of the region. The architecture, much of it dating back to the 16th, 15th and even 14th centuries, is colorful and photogenic. The people are extremely friendly and the food in the cafes is delicious.

A school in St. Jean Pied de Port, France. The school complex is surrounded by a (now) dry moat.

Another view of St. Jean Pied de Port.

Hotels like this one are common in the small villages of the Basque countryside.

This is a view of a private home. The Crosses cut into the shutters are called a Lauburu, an ancient Basque symbol. Historians still argue about the meaning and origin of the symbol. 

So ends our sojourn into the Spanish/French lands of the Basque people, for now anyway. Come back next week for something completely different.

© 2010 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Ohio's Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills State Park

You may remember my post about Upper Falls at Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills State Park. Well, Upper Falls is only one of a number of falls in the park. Today I want to highlight Cedar Falls.

Cedar falls is probably the most photographed falls in the park. Therefore it can difficult to get a unique view, but any view will be wonderful.

Waterfalls are often best shot on cloudy days. The contrast and colors are often better and it is easier to use slow shutter speeds to get that great silky look to the water.

I didn't have one this day but it is helpful to have a neutral density filter in order to lengthen the exposure even more. Most of these were shot at around 1/5 to 1/2 second. Two seconds or more would be even better. You can get some silkiness even at 1/20 to 1/30 second.

Views of the entire falls are important and lovely but make sure you zoom in and get detail shots. They often turn out to be the best of the day.

Of course you have to realize that you aren't going to be the only people taking shots. This couple was having as great a time as I was. I'm sure they got some shots they can be proud of.

Hocking Hills State Park is located near Logan, Ohio. Logan is located on US 33 about an hour Southeast of Columbus between Lancaster and Athens, Ohio. A visit to Ohio University in Athens is well worth the side trip.

Keep on shootin'!!!

Thanks to Debbie at Delicious Baby for facilitating Photo Friday.

© 2009 Tim Marks all rights reserved