Keewenaw Dawn

Dawn breaks at the tip of the Keewenaw Penninsula in Michigan. The Keewenaw juts out into Lake Superior. Early one morning a group of friends from Michigan Photo Adventures hiked up through the dark to witness and photograph the dawn…It was a beautiful morning and highlight of the early autumn trip up north!

Before the Dawn

As I strolled the beach before dawn one spring morning I was treated to beautiful light bathing the shoreline at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina. It always amazes me how beautiful the pre-dawn light can be! I'm very fortunate to have been born a "morning person." It's never been too difficult for me to roll out of bed to pursue a beautiful sunrise. That said, I do appreciate a siesta every once in a while! Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina is a great location to explore. There's a very beautiful beach, an historic lighthouse, wildlife and much more! I'll be leading a photo workshop in South Carolina this March for Michigan Photo Adventures and Hunting Island will definately be on our list of photo locations!

An Early Seven

Shooting sunrise in Chicago, Illinois during the summer months is darn near insane! The nights are very short…Too short! The sun rises soooo early in the morning! To catch pre-dawn light and sunrise, one must be up and out of bed just after 4am! I shot this scene very early one morning and used a long (123-second) exposure to smooth out the lake. The morning was beautiful and it's always interesting to watch the city come to life. I'm pretty sure I took a nap that afternoon!

Straits at Dawn

The Straits of Mackinac at dawn...I was on my way into the Michigan Upper Peninsula with  +Thomas Nighswander  to lead a Michigan Photo Adventures photo workshop around Lake Michigan. We timed our travel to be at the Macinaw Bridge just before dawn (no, I haven't misspelled either the straits or the bridge...it's complicated). Southwest of the bridge we set out to explore the lakeshore and find a spot to shoot the pre-dawn light. Using a slow shutter speed I included some nearby rocks in the foreground and placed the bridge itself in the upper third of the frame. The result is a cool blue sunrise with a nice warm glow on the horizon.

Lake of the Clouds Dawn

The lookout at Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains State Park is one of my favorite spots to visit whenever I'm in the Michigan Upper Penunsula. It's especially magical at dawn. The anticipation on-site of a spectacular sunrise is palpable. Sometimes the magic happens and sometimes it doesn't. Whether it happens or not the experience of witnessing a dawn at a spectacular location is worth the effort. This is where a golf analogy is appropriate...In golf one good shot is enough to keep bringing you back for more...Same thing applies for sunrises (and sunsets)...If you happen to be there just once for a magical experience, you'll keep coming back for more! 

The Power of Three

When I visited Great Smoky Mointains National Park this spring I made sure to visit Cades Cove. Arriving before sunrise and waiting in line at the gate, I anticipated the early dawn light illluminating the bucolic scene at Sparks' Lane...An iconic location I have visited many times in many seasons. This time I was planning on getting a variation of photos all from the same location. I captured the standard color photo that no doubt is similar to those captured by the four dozen other photographers there that spring morning. Then I switched cameras and made an infrared exposure with my dedicated-infrared D 200 camera. The result was a very cool "color" infrared photo:

In post I converted the color infrared to black and white in Nik Silver Efex 2. The result resembles a winter scene. One scene...three very different iterations.

Bare Bluff Dawn

Michigan Photo Adventures hosted a photo workshop this fall in the western UP and Keewenaw Peninsula. Early one morning we hiked up in the dark to Bare Bluff to view the tip of the Keewenaw Peninsula at dawn. The scenery was amazing even though the sun rise over Lake Superior wasn't all that spectacular on that particular morning. I must say the experience and company was wonderful. This is easily one of my favorite hikes in the upper peninsula. MPA members Michael Marowske and George Hamzik busy at work on the Tip of the Keewenaw:

Hoodoos Standing Tall

I never tire of shooting at Bryce Canyon in southern Utah. A life-long flat-lander, I find mountains, foothills, buttes, and hoodoos to be endlessly fascinating. Every trip west with my camera is a visual awakening. Whenever I'm in the region I squeeze in at least a day or two at Bryce Canyon National Park. Red rock and reflected light is a photographers' dream! I shot this last month at sunrise just after a dusting of snow. I was in Utah leading a Photo Workshop with Michigan Photo Adventures. Trying to arrange my schedule so I can get back to southern Utah this winter...Maybe mid-February.