The Wandering Photographer

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 The Light is no longer active as it was replaced by a Beacon 2-1/4 miles off shore.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

Happy Halloween

There is nothing like a walk through an old graveyard on Halloween. Here's some ghostly inspiration.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France

Pere Lachaise in Paris again

Church Yard in Old Charleston, SC

New England Grave Yard

The Old Yard, 1725 - New England

Happy Halloween. Beware of ghosts!

© 2009 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Fort Point Lighthouse at Trinity Bay Newfoundland

Today starts a week of three blog posts about photographing Newfoundland, Canada.  In 2004 we drove from Michigan to Newfoundland for our vacation, a journey of about 2000 miles.  This eastern most Canadian province is an island of wonderful landscapes, quaint villages and some of the friendliest people we have met.

Some of the best photo ops on Newfoundland are its myriad lighthouses that mark the entrance of most the harbors and points on the island.  One of those lights can be found at Admiral’s Point at the entrance to Trinity Bay.

The current Fort Point Light (also known as the Admiral’s Point Light or Trinity Light) was built in 2003 and is an active aid to navigation.  The first light at the location was built in 1871 and updated in the 1920s.

Several old cannons can be seen on the grounds honoring the light station’s history as a site defending the entrance to the bay.

Being so new, only a year old when these pictures were shot, this is one of the province’s prettier lights.  The rocky hill upon which it stands makes for dramatic photos.  This one was well worth the drive over from the town of Trinity.

Come back on Wednesday for some images I made while on a Whale/Puffin viewing tour.

©2009 Tim Marks all rights reserved

Photo Friday: There’s that Missing M*A*S*H Unit, it Relocated to Alaska

While visiting Kennecott Alaska back in 2000 I was able to get wondrous landscape shots almost everywhere we went (you can see other images from the trip here and here).  Everything is not mountain vistas however.  Alaska does seem to have the problem of folks abandoning their vehicles in the most remote spots.

Nikon N90s, Fujichrome Provia 100, Lens & Exposure Unrecorded

While wandering around the edges of the town of McCarthy, AK we came upon a picturesque river and decided to make some images.  Walking along the river I saw this abandoned, very old, military ambulance (look close to see it).  Not a very pretty picture but it did make me wonder how and why it got there.  After all we were in a town with a population of 42 and the nearest hospital is hundreds of miles away.

This is a mystery I’ll never solve but I’m glad I got the shot to keep me wondering.

Thanks to Debbie of Delicious Baby for organizing Photo Friday and spreading such wonderful images across the Web.

© 2009 Tim Marks all rights reserved