The Wandering Photographer

Favorite Photos Series: Mount Blackburn

View of Mount Blackburn

Here's another one from Kennecott, Alaska. I shot this view from the porch of the Kennecott Glacier Inn. The inn is located directly across the strreet from the Wrangel St. Elias National Park Headquaters and sits a the foot of the Root Glacier. The buildings n the near background at the ol mill from the abandonded Kennecott copper mine. The Mountain in the background is Mt Blackburn.

We spent hours just sitting on the porch looking out over the mountainscape.

The image was made on Fujichrome Provia 100F slide film with a Nikon N90s SLR.

This and other of my images are available for purchase at my SmugMug site.

© 2012 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Mine Building: Wrangell St Elias National Park

Old Kennicott Copper Mining Buildings

 Another in my favorite images series. This was taken during a 2000 trip to Alaska. The location is the abandonded mining town of Kennecott, AK. Kennecott was the home of the Kennecott Copper Company and is now the gateway to Wrangell St. Elias National Park, It is situated at the end of a 65 mile long dirt "highway" at the foot of Root Glacier.

As you can see, the old mining (in this case it is not the actual mine but the mine's mill) buildings make outstanding photographic subjects.

Unlike my more recent photo excursions, I had no digital equipment on this trip. The image was made using a Nikon N90s shooting Fujichrome Provia 100F. I have no recolecion of the camera settings. In the film days a photographer had to be careful of how much film she/he shot. A roll of 36 frame slide film cost about $10 and processing added another $2-$3. On this two week trip I shot about 20 rolls of film, that's 720 exposures. These days I have been known to shoot that many in one day. Isn't digital cool?

The image was scanned utilizing a Nikon Coolscan V slide scanner.

If you get to Alaska, the Kennecott/Mcarthy area is well worth a visit, and since it takes the better part of a day to get there from Anchorage it is best to stay at least 3 or 4 days.

 If you like this image you can purchase prints of it or other of my photos at my SmugMug portfolio www.photowanderer.smugmug.com.

© 2012 Tim Marks all rights reserved

 

Grand Teton National Park

Here is another of my favorite landscape images. In September of 2007 we took a trip out west. It included a week in Jackson, Wy, home to Grand Teton National Park. We didn't always have the best weather, but sometimes a dark and cloudy day can be useful.

I find this shot brooding but hopeful. The mountain rising into the light in the sky gives hope to the dark and dried out meadow in the foreground.

This is just one of many great images I captured in Grand Teton and Yellowstone that trip.

Shooting Info

• Nikon D200
• Nikkor 18-70mm
• Lens at 38mm (effectively 57mm)
• ISO 100
• 1/80 sec at f/8

Prints of this and others of my images are available for purchase from my SmugMug Portfolio at www.photowanderer.sugmug.com or you can click on the "Buy Prints" link at the top of the page.

© 2012 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Michigan: Lake Superior Beach

Pointing the Way: Lake Superior Beach, Keweenaw County, Michigan

In September of 2009 we took a trip to Keweenaw County in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula. While driving south along M-26 on the western coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula we came upon this stretch of sandy beach. Since much of the beach along Lake Superior is rocky this is somewhat unusual. We spent a good hour hanging around, watching the lake and taking photographs. This was one of my favorites

It was shot around noon so the light wasn't perfect but that didn't seem to affect the results. I was attracted by the log laying in the sand, seemingly pointing to the distant clouds (hence the title). I think the cloud formations give a certain distinctiveness to the image.

Living in Michigan I am a sucker for beaches and dunes and we certainly have an abundance of them to photograph.

Below is the shooting info:

• September 10, 2009
• Nikon D200
• Tamron 18-200mm f/4.5-6.3
• 18mm (effectively 27mm)
• 1/130 at f/9
• ISO 100

Prints of this and others of my images are available for purchase from my SmugMug Portfolio at www.photowanderer.sugmug.com or you can click on the "Buy Prints" link at the top of the page.

© 2012 Tim Marks all rights reserved

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

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

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

Copper Harbor Lakescapes

The Keweenaw Peninsula is as far from Detroit as you can drive and still be in Michigan.  At the tip of the Keweenaw is the tiny town of Copper Harbor (year round population 75).  The town sits on Gitchigumi (Lake Superior) and is the gateway to Isla Royale National Park.  We spent some time there in 2006 and I got some very nice “lakescape” shots while hiking along the town maintained trail on Hunter’s Point.

Nikon D200,  Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 @ 78mm,  ISO 100,  1/640 @ f/5.6

As we got out to the lake the rocky beach was still shrouded by fog, presenting us with the opportunity for this eerie picture.

Nikon D200,  Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 @ 65mm,  ISO 100,  1/1000 @ f/5.6

Turning 180 degrees dished up this classic beach scene.  The brown pebble beach, deep blue sky and lake and the dense forest is quintessentially Upper Peninsula.

Nikon D200,  Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 @ 60mm,  ISO 100,  1/30 @ f/13

Just up from the beach the large rock formations were made up of many minerals including quartz, iron and, surprise, copper.

Nikon D200,  Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 @ 200mm,  ISO 100,  1/750 @ f/6.3

As we hiked, the wind kicked up and confronted us with this view.  I think the waves add a dynamic element to the image.  By the way, these are very small waves for Lake Superior.  The power of the lake is legendary as recounted in the Gordon Lightfoot hit song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Nikon D200,  Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 @ 32mm,  ISO 100,  1/13 @ f/4

After a post hike dinner at one of the local restaurants, we returned to our 1950s style motel and were blessed with the scene above.  I can’t think of a better way to spend a day.

© Tim Marks all rights reserved

Small Boat Cruise to Alaska

Back in 2000 when we decided to head to Alaska on vacation we decided that we wanted to spit our time between a cruise and a land portion.  (You can see pix from part of the land portion here.)  We began looking at “small ship” cruise lines as we didn’t want to be lost amongst thousands of other travelers.  A number of companies with 70 – 100 passenger ships looked interesting and I was about to call one of them when I came across the web site for Discovery Voyages. 

Dean Rand captains the MV Discovery on 5 and 6 day cruises in Prince William Sound.  The MV discovery has a passenger capacity of 12, that’s right I said 12.  The six cabins on the 65 foot boat are small but the cruise and the experience of Prince William Sound are well worth it.  The food is wonderful and the scenery is breathtaking.  It is admittedly a cruise for people who like people.

Each day we would take the zodiacs ashore and explore the wild surroundings of the sound.  From Icebergs to waterfalls we explored them all.

The view from the deck of the boat was magnificent and the view from land was often even better.  Wildlife that we saw included humpback whales, orcas, sea otters and black bears, all seen right from the deck of the boat.  The orcas were so close my moderate telephoto lens was too long to capture the large mammal's face.

If you want a real adventure consider a cruise on a small boat, a really small boat!  It is the best way to see Alaska.

© Tim Marks all rights reserved