Category: storms

Lake Michigan Waves & Evening Light

October 29, 2012
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLake MichiganLighthouse Beachnature photographyRichard Mack Photographystorms

Took a break from framing for the gallery show with Jill Buckner next week and headed to Lighthouse Beach to see the waves and moonrise if possible. For the last few days the report was we would have those big waves and I knew that tonight was the best night to shoot this month’s full moon rise. So in my head I was thinking maybe I could get a shot of the old pier with huge waves and the moon rising in the background. Would be so cool I thought.

Never saw the moon and didn’t have 20’ waves. Change in my perspective lead me to and enjoy the evening light, clouds and waves and even the extremely strong wind which blew the sand across the beach in a sandpaper kind of feeling on your skin. Plus the winds made it very cold! I’ve been in some very strong winds – like a few years ago in the big snow storm we had – but this one was so strong it wanted to blow over the tripod with my camera and 28-300 heavy lens on it. I hung the camera bag from the bottom of the column of the tripod but then the bag kept being blown around and I had to steady it with my knees. Alas, many of the shots were not sharp at all.

But, because I let go the idea I came down here with I made some images which show the evening light, waves and even the wind in the sand. I could not get to the old pier, but used the board walk and sand to frame the images. Don’t know if I will like these in the future but it certainly was a fun thing to have done! And in the wind you felt the strength of the storm and the feeling of being alive! While I was only there for about 30 minutes, I was also never alone as folks would wander, or really, take that tough walk in the wind, to see the edge of the lake and feel the wind. Then they would turn around with w quick hello and be off. Bet they felt as alive as I – although maybe not as cold!

Glad I could change my thinking and accept what was presented to make some interesting images in the evening light.

Enjoy,

Richard

To see the other four I chose quickly use this link: Evening Light

 

In nature photography you often get something you didn’t think you set out for…

October 23, 2007
changing lightcloudsExpectationsnature photographystorms

lighthousebeach-0067.jpg

In nature photography you often start out to get one image and end up with something quit different. That happened to me last week. I had received a call from an agency in New York which supplies Fine Art prints to institutions and individuals and they wanted a selection of images of water and sky. Well I originally sent them a selection and they responded that while nice they wanted a more “minimal” image. So, having seen the sky was clear blue at the studio one late afternoon, I set off for Lighthouse Beach on Lake Michigan. When I arrived there were only a few small puffyclouds floating overhead. Perfect I thought. So I shot some variations on these and in the 45 minutes I was there the storms moved in from the southwest!
lighthousebeach-0105.jpglighthousebeach-0226.jpg

All before my eyes the huge thunderhead moved across the sky and the afternoon light illuminated it beautifully! As I moved around the beach capturing different images with this thunderhead it kept moving on past until lightning was coming out the bottom. Unfortunately I did not capture any of this, but did get the storm brewing overhead in a dramatic way. All in all a rather fruitful 45 minutes one late afternoon. And not what I expected on my way out the door of the studio, but even better! These are the times you look to the sky and just say, “Thank you!”

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