My Favorite Images from Memorial Day 2014
Detroit Fireman’e Memorial at Elmwood Cemetery
Great Lakes National Cememtery in Holly Michigan
Owosso Michigan Oak Hill Cemetery
Saginaw Michigan Oakwood Cemetery
Downtow Stockbridge Michigan
Midland county Courthouse
On Woodward Ave in Midtown is the beautiful David Whitney Jr. house which is now a restaurant called The Witney. you can see photos of the inside of the home on their website HERE
The Historical Marker out front reads
This mansion was once described as “an American palace enjoying the distinction of being the most pretentious modern home in the state and one of the most elaborate houses in the west.” David Whitney, Jr. (1830-1900), its owner, was one of the wealthiest lumber barons in the Midwest. Begun in 1890, the house took four years to construct. Its exterior is made of pink jasper, mined in South Dakota. The luxurious interior is reminiscent of residences of Napoleonic Paris. Its features include silk-covered walls and ceilings, tapestries, extensive woodwork, leaded crystal and Tiffany windows.
The Whitney House in 1905 from the Library of Congress archives
The Round Island Lighthouse was completed in 1895. Operating under the auspices of the United States Government, this facility was in continuous use for fifty-two years. It was manned by a crew of three until its beacon was replaced by an automated light in 1924. A sole caretaker occupied and operated the station from 1924 to 1947. Following the construction of a new automatic beacon near the breakwater off the south shore of Mackinac Island, the lighthouse was abandoned. The United States Forest Service now supervises the structure which is located in the Hiawatha National Forest. The lighthouse serves as a sentinel for the past, reminding visitors of the often precarious sailing and rich history of the Straits of Mackinac.
You know what they say in Michigan. “If you don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes and it will change”. I thought I would do a post on how I deal with the weather when taking photos. Not so much as camera settings and weather proofing, but what and where to photograph when Mother nature gives less than Ideal conditions.
When it’s nice and sunny, I like to photograph big open spaces that show a lot of sky, such as farm fields or the shoreline of a lake. The best time is sunrise or sunset, but I still like to take pics all day long. The mid-day sun is harsh and most photogs will tell you to stop taking photos but I don’t want to stop taking pics just because its not perfect, what in life is perfect. In bright sunlight It’s best to have the sun at your back so you are taking photos of buildings so if the sun is in the east then take pics of buildings facing west. If I find someplace I really like I will take a pic of it no matter what and then remember to go back and get a pic when conditions are better.
When it’s cloudy, I like to photograph downtown areas, that way I don’t have to worry about shadows on buildings. On a sunny day you could have half a building in sunlight, and the other in shade. I will make for a difficult situation when photographing. I also like to convert the cloudy day photos into black and white since the color captured on a cloudy day tends to be a little blah.
When it’s raining out I like to photograph trails and streams in forest and parks. Leaves and grass are nice and saturated when they are wet, and since the sky is nothing but gray, it’s hidden by the trees. Rainy days are the perfect day to get photos of waterfalls if you are near one. If you have a tripod rainy days are the perfect day to use it.
I love taking photos in northern Michigan, but since I can only make it up there a few times a year Mother Nature likes to challenge me with not so perfect weather, but I still photograph anyways. I have learned that you can still get some beautiful photos, even if they are not of sunny skies and sunsets, you just have to go with what you are given and not “force” a photo that’s not there. Check out my blog post HERE if you want to know how I find the places I photograph
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the old Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Station in St Louis Michigan which is now the home for the St. Louis Area Historical Society, you can also see some old photos and more info about the station HERE
I like old wooden churches. Sometime the paint is flaking off, but it seems real, many older churches were covered in plastic vinyl siding, I know its “maintenance free”, but it just comes off a machine somewhere and stuck on, wood is natural, and came from a tree that was grown with the sunlight from heaven and watered with Gods love. Protecting the wood, is paint applied from a brush with human hands. I also like that you can still see the corner stone laid in 1881 A.D.
The historical marker reads
“This skillfully designed board and batten Gothic Revival church, first served local Episcopalians in 1880. The congregation had been formed in 1871, the year the town was incorporated. During the 1870s Caro grew to be a major commerce center for the Thumb Area. By the 1920s, however, church membership dropped and the building was sold to the Nazarenes. In 1974 preservationists saved the church from demolition.”