Category: Lake Michigan

Snow Storm in May?

April 27, 2019
environmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLandscapesLighthouse Beachnature photographyThe Sweetwater SeasVideovideo productionwinterWinter Landscape PhotographyWinter photography

With snow expected today I thought I post something from February to remind you it won’t be all that bad! Besides we won’t need to shovel since it will be 50’s on Sunday! So enjoy… you can watch a video of the shoot with this link: https://vimeo.com/329873301

Winter on the Great Lakes can be a fantastic opportunity to see the power and fascination of nature. Went back to Lighthouse Beach to shoot the Ice Island which had formed off the beach at sunrise to get the light shining through the ice sheets. Shot mostly video for The Sweetwater Seas documentary but took some time to shoot some still images as well.

Started at 6am in 9 degrees, at least there was no wind at all so it seemed warm with all the layers on! (Just had to watch where your breath went so it didn’t get in front of lens!) Spent about 2.5 hours out there. Enjoy!

Ludington State Park

December 1, 2018
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Last September I rolled into Ludington State Park for a one-night stay on my way back from filming in Traverse City. I had never visited this park before, so I spent the evening walking the dunes and looking for images. To my surprise, while the campground was almost full, no one else was out wandering the dunes – much to my pleasure. Having the place to yourself gives you time to wander and take in the place and space you are in. It was interesting to find areas without any footprints in many places. It was a peaceful evening filled with images everywhere.

In the morning, while folks were still not out on the dunes yet, I flew a drone over the area before heading back home. Enjoy.

Cheers,
Richard

Line 5 Flotilla Protest

September 25, 2018
Aerial PhotographyCanonDJI MavicdroneenvironmentEquipmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake HuronLake MichiganLine 5Richard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's BlogThe Sweetwater SeasThe Sweetwater Seaswater

Line 5 Flotilla Protest from Richard Mack Photography, Ltd on Vimeo.

On September 1, 2018 I was up in Mackinaw City, Michigan for the Flotilla Protest to shut down Line 5, a 65-year-old oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. And that is what The Flotilla – a protest by the Tribes of northern Michigan to promote the issues surrounding Line 5 was all about. Keeping our waters safe. It started with a blessing of the waters and then the flotilla protest with Native American’s and others joining in to show their support for shutting Line 5 down. It was organized by all the tribal leaders, tribal nations, and water warriors across the Great Lakes region in the 4th Paddle Out Protest to decommission Line 5. Especially the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

Why you may ask should it be shut down? Line 5 is owned by Enbridge, a Canadian company, which is the 3rd largest pipeline company in the world. In fact, they have several pipelines which go around the Great Lakes, instead of Line 5, which is the only pipeline which goes through the waters of the Great Lakes. And at 65 years old we know it is not in good shape – we’ve seen it. It was laid on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in 1953. Now the coatings are decaying, the currents have shifted the sands beneath the pipeline leaving gaps unsupported for 300 feet. The law says they should be every 75 feet. They have already put in 147 supports and need another 48. The currents are stronger that the flow of water over Niagara Falls. Enbridge also pushes 50% more oil through the line than it was originally designed for. It is not a question if it will break, it is when – before or after a rupture of the line? With 500,000 gallons of oil flowing every hour through the line it will within hours destroy the waters of both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It is time to shut it down!

It was great to see the support. The issue of Line 5 is a part of the documentary we are working on The Sweetwater Seas – North America’s Great Lakes. The rain held off during the event and it was great to be able to be there.

Enjoy,

Richard

#WaterIsLife #shutdownline5 #thesweetwaterseas #greatlakes #lakemichigan #lakehuron

Ludington State Park

September 13, 2018
CanonDJI MavicdroneenvironmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLake MichiganLandscapesRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyThe Sweetwater SeasThe Sweetwater Seas

Ludington State Park from Richard Mack Photography, Ltd on Vimeo.

Last Thursday I rolled into Ludington State Park for a one-night stay on my way back from filming in Traverse City. I had never visited this park before, so I spent the evening walking the dunes and looking for images. To my surprise, while the campground was almost full, no one else was out wandering the dunes – much to my pleasure. Having the place to yourself gives you time to wander and take in the place and space you are in. It was interesting to find areas without any footprints in many places. It was a peaceful evening filled with images everywhere.

In the morning, while folks were still not out on the dunes yet, I flew a drone over the area before heading back home.

#thesweetwaterseas #GreatLakes #LakeMichigan #LudingtonStatePark #MichiganDNR #DJIMavic #Canon