Upper Peninsula Discovery

I was prepping some files for a client from a shoot I did well over a year ago in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The client was finally ready to proceed with the project and requested a nicely edited suite of images from the trip.

I stumbled upon this outtake of a vintage car passing me. It was totally a grab shot...the camera pointed out an open window...a small diversion from hours and hours of driving in between cities.

The shot is totally over-exposed, blurry, technically flawed, random...

...beautiful.

(You can see earlier posts about this trip here and here.)

The Rotunda

I had the pleasure of going with my daughter Hanna's exuberant 4th grade class to Lansing today to visit the State capitol. Although I've been to Lansing many times, I had never before been inside our Capitol Building.

It was a great tour. I was truly moved by the beauty of this building, its architecture, history and attention to detail.

I only wish our legislative and executive branches weren't so intent on polluting the process of serving the people of Michigan with personal politics and greed. The last 4 years have been an embarrassment to all that work inside this building...they've filled it full of gridlock and grand standing.

Shame on them...they don't deserve such a nice office.

back home

I drove over 1600 miles in 5 days...got back late Tuesday night. My trip to northern michigan and the U.P. was a blur of beautiful fall colors, historic downtowns...and bad hotels.

I once again was impressed by the beauty of our state and how vital our water resources are... everything possible should be done to protect them.

more Tahquamenon Falls

into the mist

I've always wanted to shoot Tahquamenon Falls in the UP...but amazingly I've only shot in the Les Cheneaux Islands previous to this trip.

I arrived at the upper falls in the late afternoon today and found I was shooting squarely into the sun...not ideal.

But with a little help from a mild breeze, the mist off the falls was backlit.

Wind farms...soon please!

About a month ago I was driving with the family across Indiana to my grandmother's house for her 90th B-day (go Grams!)...and came upon a HUGE wind farm.  It was amazing and there were what seemed like HUNDREDS of them. Crews were actively putting up more in what were basically corn and bean fields.

I couldn't help but think we are so incredibly STUPID here in Michigan not to invest in this simple technology more aggressively.  

Why do we allow ugly cell towers everywhere but not these elegant windmills?  The foot print isn't much bigger than what a cell tower requires.

Wind is free, and renewable; there will be more wind tomorrow (I promise). Plus no one will kill anyone for it...or have to scar the earth or oceans transporting it.

Please...please...please do this now...end rant.

missing vacation

Man...missing the beach today...

Speed Bumps...May You Rest in Peace

Just another casualty of political correctness...this sign was on the beach road by our cottage.  We drove by it nearly every day.

Gosh...all they really had to say was "Intentionally placed mounds to dissuade a high rate of speed."

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room - Video 2

Glen Phillips at The Photography Room - I Still Love You


I only made one song request when Glen Phillips performed at the gallery...he was gracious enough to accomodate me even though he said he hadn't played it in a very long time.

The video's a little shakey at the start (people passing by) but from the sound of the song, it's seems to me like Glen pulled it off without a hitch!

The song is called "I Still Love You" and is off of his "Mr. Lemons" album released a couple years ago...it's a great record.

"Across The Grand" - photography commission

In September of last year, I got a call from Joe Tomaselli who is the top executive at Amway Hotel Corporation (Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, the new JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott downtown, etc).

Joe asked me if I would consider creating a special photograph to commemorate the opening of the new JW Marriott hotel. The commissioned photograph would be given to 1000 guests at a special gala fundraising event at the JW. The gala benefitted the Grand Rapids Public Museum (across the river from the JW Marriott in the Van Andel Museum Center).

Needless to say I was flattered and accepted. Joe had two requests:

1. The photograph should depict both the museum and the hotel (no easy task since there is a substantial body of water separating the two properties)
2. Each building should be given equal weight compositionally and not allow one building to dominate the other in the photograph

I also worked closely with Rebecca Westphal who is the head of marketing and PR at the museum (who is GREAT to work with btw). She helped coordinate everything I needed at the museum (lights, carousel operator, etc).

I shot the buildings from a variety of angles (even aerials!). But in the end we kept coming back to this image as the final choice. The photograph is called "Across the Grand." Let me know what you think:

Sledding - Merry Christmas

Nothing says winter in Grand Rapids quite like true fear on the sledding hill near our house...

My daughter Maddie and nephew Owen white-knuckle it on a Red Torpedo.

Merry Christmas, everyone!