The Wandering Photographer

Favorite Photo Series: Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

Another of my favorite photos. This one is of Old Mackinac Point Light at Mackinaw City, MI. Shot from South of the light, the image shows the lighthouse in the forground with the "Mighty Mac" (the Mackinac Bridge) in the background.

The lighthouse sits at the northernmost point of Michigan's lower pennisula on the shore of the Staits of Mackinac. It guided ships between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron from 1892 until it was decommisioned in 1960.

In 1889 Congress allocated $5500 to construct a fog signal building at the point. Three years later they approriated $20,000 to add a light station to the property. The light went into active duty in October that same year. The light was closed after the opening of Mackinac Bridge made the navigation light unnecesary.

In 1972 the surrounding park was opened with the light as the prime attraction. In 1989 the park closed and did not reopen until 2000 with the renovation of the fog signal building. The lighthouse renovation, begun in 1999, was completed in 2004 and the building was reopened as a museum. The museum is currently closed for the Winter, however it will reopen on May 6, 2013.

Photo tech info:

• Nikon D200
• Tamron 18-200mm seta at 56mm
• ISO 400
• 1/500th at f/5

© Tim Marks all rights reserved

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

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

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

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

Glen Haven Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

One of the jewels of Northern Michigan is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, part of the U.S. national park system. The lakeshore encompasses the natural beauty of sweeping sand dunes and wooded forests as well as abandoned villages turned into museums. One of those abandoned towns is Glen Haven.

Glen Haven was settled in 1851 when C. C. McCarty built a saw mill and inn on the Lake Michigan beach near Glen Arbor, MI. By 1878 Glen Haven had become a harbor for steam ships to replenish their supply of wood fuel. D. H. Day continued development of the community and by 1920 Day had established a fruit canning company near the beach.

The Cannery building is now a boathouse museum with a number of interesting vessels on display. With the extension of the railroad to Glen Haven the shipping dock went unused and closed in 1931.

Glen Haven continued to be a tourist destination until the 1970s when the National Park service bought up what was left in the village. The inn Closed in 1972. NPS has restored a number of the buildings as museums and tourists continue to visit especially in the summer.

The General store has been restored and serves as an exhibit and visitor's center. Other buildings that have been restored include the blacksmith's shop.

All of the vintage hardware in the restored buildings is made on site in this working blacksmith's shop. During the summer visitors can watch skilled smiths and apprentices make hooks, hinges and other iron products for restoration use.

Glen haven gives all the opportunity to learn about the life of loggers, sailors and tradesman in Northern Michigan. Insights about fishing, farming and tourism are ours for the asking.

Source material from the National Park Service web site

© 2009 Tim Marks all rights reserved