Author: Heather

Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

When There Are No April Showers

Photo: Partially frozen Grand Traverse Bay, colorful sunset
Patches of liquid water separate sheets of solid ice as the Grand Traverse Bay melts

I’d like a print!

Four frames (20mm, iso 100, f/9, 1/100) stitched together in Photoshop.

“April showers bring May flowers” …but only if there are April showers. Though this winter has been relatively mild, the past two Michigan winters were brutal. We watched in fascination in 2014 as the Grand Traverse Bay froze completely solid. We were less fascinated as it collected snow, looking like a flat field instead of the brilliant blue lake it is. With the longer days and persistent sun, the thick ice began to break up in mid-April. This day remains one of my favorites, because it was such a surprise, and the weather was perfect for between-the-ice reflections. The air was warm, but the ice was cold, reminding me of ice cream in the summertime. It was a sweet evening – the kind that makes me glad I live Up North.

Check out these galleries for more winter scenes and colorful sunsets.

Moody Monochrome Dock
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Moody Monochrome Dock

moody-monochrome-dock
Surrounded by the astonishing array of blues and greens in northern Michigan’s lakes, as well as our four very distinct seasons, I have a tough time letting go of color. I search for ways to highlight color in my images, and as a result, I sometimes don’t “see” in black and white very well. So, during this rather monochromatic moment in a recent sunset, I decided to think even more in monochrome – which let me dial up the contrast. Since the overcast skies were blue rather than grey, increasing contrast in the color image would’ve looked ludicrous, but the B&W conversion let me play with highlights and shadows, and fully display the scene reflecting in Cedar Lake in all its moody glory. As you can see, though, I wasn’t content with a straight black and white landscape; I added a touch of blue to the midtones.

Traverse City’s Clock Tower Under a Full Moon
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Traverse City’s Clock Tower Under a Full Moon

Photo: light trails, moonrise, Traverse City
Cars stream past the clock tower in Traverse City

Yesterday’s partly sunny skies became thick cloud cover just in time to dispel any notions I had of capturing an interesting sunset over the ice in Traverse City. As the color bled out of the day, so did those pesky clouds – just in time to uncover the full moon’s diaphanous orb. Having previously made images of the full moon over West Grand Traverse Bay, I wanted something different. I wasn’t sure what that was until we approached Traverse City’s downtown from West Front Street, and then I hopped out of the car with my camera and tripod in tow (but no coat or gloves – what was I thinking? It was 15F out there!). I framed the photograph several ways, and experimented with various exposures before I settled on this portrait version. I opted for a small aperture and low ISO, and then dialed in my shutter speed at 15 seconds for a good exposure of the scene. Then I just had to wait for the right amount of traffic to head toward me.

Elk Rapids Icebergs – Black and White
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Elk Rapids Icebergs – Black and White

black-white-icebergs
I made this image mid-morning on January 27. Overnight skies had been clear, so when the sun rose, it brought fog off the relatively warm waters – hence the cloud layer over the bay. As a Northern Michigander, I love a blue-sky day in the winter, but they make things tough for a photographer. Even fairly early in the day, shadows are harsh, and the sky – though beautiful – is boring as far as landscape imagery goes. But I like to keep an eye on the ever-changing ice scene, so I walked along the anchor ice (the part of the ice shelf that is anchored to the beach and not floating above water) until this line of icebergs caught my eye. I photographed the scene several ways, but chose this image with anchor ice in the foreground, rooting the image and providing a stark contrast to the darker water. I also like that you can see reflections of some of the icebergs, and the underwater part of some of the nearer ones. I’m glad I spent time with these in the morning, because when I came back that night for a sunset, the skim ice had melted, and the icebergs had disappeared.

Glowing Sunset Over Frozen Torch Lake
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Glowing Sunset Over Frozen Torch Lake

Photo: Glowing sunset reflects off a frozen Torch Lake
Torch Lake’s frozen blue waters reflect a warm setting sun

With steady cold temperatures most of our inland lakes are frozen, which brings new photographic opportunities and challenges. I initially set up at the Marina in Alden for a time-lapse, but with Torch Lake’s surface frozen nearly solid (it’s not quite there yet – you should hear the ice crackle!), the video just wasn’t very interesting. Instead, I opted to keep a set of images I made just before I started the now-trashed time-lapse. I exposed one image for the vibrant, glowing sky, and another to capture the detail in the snow and ice. I blended the two exposures in Photoshop for this final version. Was I disappointed that the video wasn’t stunning? Sure. But I am thrilled with this “fire and ice” composition that I walked away with.
Check out these galleries for more winter scenes and colorful sunsets.

Doggy Snow Day
Posted by Heather on in Pet Photography, Portraiture

Doggy Snow Day

northern-Michigan-pet-photography-winter
One of my favorite things about dogs is how they live in the moment. Watching them romp joyously through the fresh snow reminds us to appreciate the simple, clean beauty around us – even if we’re not frolicking quite like they are. Photographing dogs can be tricky, and I find it’s best to let them explore their new surroundings before asking them to settle in for portraits. On this day, the pups bounded through the deep snow for a bit, and then snuggled in on the bridge over the Rapid River for some photos. As they leaped off for some more snow racing, Mom and Dad huddled for a few portraits of their own. We all marveled at the perfect Michigan winter scenery, the dogs had a blast playing in the fresh air, and we captured some marvelous memories!

Stars Over Alden
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Stars Over Alden

Photo: Alden, Michigan, night sky
Stars shine above Alden, Michigan

We ventured out the other night in search of the rumored aurora borealis. Unfortunately, it was early – meaning that the aurora was best visible farther east on the planet where it was later in the night – and the full moon was quickly rising. Though no photos of the northern lights were forthcoming, the cold, clear night made for great star viewing, despite the moon’s bright light. Plus, the moonlight illuminated some of the ice lining Torch Lake, as well as this peeling paper birch. I used my flashlight to help my camera find focus on the tree, and then switched it back off. I love how the moon highlights the white edge of the tree while still preserving the silhouette framing the lake and the Alden Marina in the distance. Thanks to the moon’s light, I was able to shoot this one at a low ISO for 30 seconds at f/2.8.
Find more starry images in the Night Sky gallery.

Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Chapel Beach Waterfalls

Upper Peninsula paradise. This beach waterfalls/cascade is at the end of Section Creek on Chapel Beach. You have a few options for your hike. They’re all beautiful, but they all include over 6 miles of hiking: plan accordingly, and plan to go!

This photo was made a little southwest of Chapel Rock (seen in the distance), where Section Creek cascades down a little waterfall into Lake Superior. The light was dazzlingly bright, but I used a CPL to cut reflection and give me a bit of wiggle room with my shutter speed. At 1/6 of a second, I was able to capture the movement in the water without getting much motion blur in the fall trees.

Peaceful Harbor Sunset – Elk Rapids
Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Peaceful Harbor Sunset – Elk Rapids

Photo: sunset reflections, Elk Rapids harbor
A peaceful sunset reflects in the Elk Rapids harbor

We haven’t seen much of the sun lately, which has sent me back through the photo archives in search of images to develop that suit my mood. This is good; some nice stuff gets lost with the progression of time as I make more images. Yesterday, though, the sun flitted in and out of the clouds. It wasn’t sunny, but there was enough interesting light for me to grab my camera. About ten minutes after astronomical sunset, the remaining light of the day painted few clouds in the sky pink. Because of their angle, I dashed over to the arching breakwater (which I knew would compliment the clouds above and their reflection in the water) in the Elk Rapids Harbor to set up my tripod. The water was already pretty smooth, but I wanted to ensure I captured the serene mood. I set my aperture as small as I could (f/22), and reduced my shutter speed to two seconds – slow enough to smooth out the water while maintaining most of the detail in the clouds.

Posted by Heather on in Landscape Photography

Grass River Boardwalk Sunset

On a cold, windy, moody day at the end of October, conditions looked ripe for an interesting sunset. I had been to most of my usual favorite places lately, and so my husband happily suggested we hike around the Grass River Natural Area. The sunset turned out to be both long-lasting and spectacular. Parts of the sky were bruised and red, while others were luminous and golden. I ran – literally at times – from vantage point to vantage point, seeking the best light. I love how the boardwalk in this image leads to the fall-colored hills in the distance, and how the vivid sunset reflects in the Grass River. I hadn’t grabbed the tripod for this outing, so I opened the aperture to f/2.8, upped the ISO to 200, and shot with a 1/40-second shutter speed.