Welcome to My Michigan (The Mitten)
I took a fifteen year break from photography to spend as much time as possible with my family. Now that the kids are out of school and I find myself with more free time I have decided to join the digital age and pick up where I left off.
For me photography is a labor of love. It helps me see everything in a new light and a new way. Everyday events become forever memories. Insects, flowers, animals and birds become magical and mystical. My eyes see a whole new world around me, sometimes alien but always beautiful. This is what I love to do, winter, spring, summer and fall, immersed in the great out of doors with a camera in my hand.
Come and join me on my expeditions. And just maybe, like many others, you will come away "Smitten by the Mitten".
Thank you for stopping by.
Jim
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Snug as a Bug ...
We discovered this female Northern Oriole while paddling on the Black River last week. We could tell there was a family because of the baby bird chirping coming from inside. I wonder what it is like to live in a homemade treehouse hammock? You would definitely have a birds eye view.
Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway.
Here are a couple of IR photographs of one of my favorite places in Michigan.
Green Heron
I was lucky to get this shot. The Green Heron, Butorides virescens, is pretty shy. Most of the time they fly off before I get close enough to get a pic. This one landed in front of me long enough to take one picture and then it was gone. What a beautiful bird!
Flutterby
Don't you just love Monarchs? This is a male feeding on Swamp Milkweed.
And another view...
Alternate Energy
One of 125 Nordex 2.4 MW turbines located on a wind farm in Ithaca Michigan. The turbines are designed specifically for low wind sites by incorporating a super long rotor blade. The tower is approximately 328 feet tall and the blades are 131 feet long, making the total height of the structures an impressive 463 feet.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/04/community-wind-farm-idea-unites-farmers/
Nature's Neon Lights, Take Two
Natures neon lights. Advertising warm magical summer nights in Mid Michigan. Come out and play!
Mobile Retirement Home (IR)
I have finally found my retirement home. It has character. It is air conditioned. It is mobile, and it doesn't require a lot of upkeep.
This is an Infra Red photograph converted to black & white. The next photo shows you what the original looks like straight out of the camera.
This is a RAW image. So I need to do a little bit of developing. I set the gray point, increase the saturation and contrast, adjust the exposure .... until it looks like an IR photo should. Then I swap the red and blue channels. Here is what the photo looks like after being "developed". Now and you can see why my IR converted camera is called a goldie.
The final step is to convert it to black and white. Voila! Easy as 1, 2, 3.
Natures Neon Lights
Here is something else I have been wanting to try for quite a while. The hot dry weather has really brought out the fireflies. This is a "time lapse" photo of 10 one minute exposures stacked to make one.
Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod
The smoke from forest fires out west is making for some pretty colorful sunsets. Here is a pic of a Lansing landmark. This photo was taken from the south campus of MSU. I think they are slated to be torn down sometime in the not to distant future.
Bringing Home the Bacon
In my travels on the Grand River this year I kept seeing this pair of Bluebirds in the same area. I knew there must be a nest in a nearby tree but for the life of me I couldn't find it ... until today. It's a good thing too because It looks like the babies are ready to leave the nest any minute now.
Take My Picture!
Nathan and I went kayaking on the Grand River yesterday and along the way we picked up a friend. This handsome dude would sit in a tree as we passed then fly by us upstream and land in a tree, sit in the tree as we passed then fly by us upstream and land in a tree ... I told Nathan that I thought he must want his picture taken. As soon as I took this picture he stopped following us. Go figure!
