Tag: Richard Mack

Statue of Liberty

May 30, 2019 Richard Mack

Architectural Photography Canon digital Expectations Photography

#NPS mackphoto.com Richard Mack Statue of Liberty

I recently went to the Statue of Liberty while in New York. While it was a cold and blustery day with dark skies overhead it is always a compelling place to visit knowing that millions of people had their first glimpse of Lady Liberty as they came to this nation. I did not know what kind of shots I would get on a day like this but found closeups of the statue more compelling than further ones. While I did not have a lens longer than 105mm it was long enough to get in close enough. Had I carried my 28-300mm with me I would have been able to get even closer for interesting detail shots. Next time I won’t worry about the weight.

To me Lady Liberty stands for our nation, or at least for what I believe our nation is. One of welcoming all, caring about all, working with other nations to fix problems from climate change to nations with health, food, and education issues. We are a nation for good. Or at least we used to be. Currently some folks want to go back to an isolationist idea, turning our backs on the world. Maybe that is why I like the image from the back of Lady Liberty so much – it represents where I think some people in this country think we need to be. I disagree wholeheartedly. In many ways it is a sad image. From the front it sends the idea we still accept what the Statue of Liberty stands for – Liberty for All.

As for the images, much like Ansel Adams taught photographers, see your image before you click the shutter, know the exposure and what filters you need to get the tones you want in a black & white image. In my case I knew I would darken the sky and lighten Lady Liberty to bring out the contrast I imagined on such a gray day. It is easier with today’s digital imaging to know before hand what you want it to look like and then make it happen in the digital darkroom. Although maybe not as fun as watching a print come to life in the developer.

And the big plus is shooting in digital you get both a color and B&W version of the image! Sometimes it is very hard to decide which you like better! You go with a perceived idea and come back with some unexpected images you may like better.

Enjoy,

Richard

#richardmackphoto #NewYork #StatueofLiberty #Canon #Canon5DMarkIV #NPS

Snow Storm in May?

April 27, 2019 Richard Mack

environment Great Lakes Project Lake Michigan Landscapes Lighthouse Beach nature photography The Sweetwater Seas Video video production winter Winter Landscape Photography Winter photography

Ice Lake Michigan Winter Richard Mack The Sweetw Winter on the Great Lakes winter 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!

Happy 100th Birthday Grand Canyon National Park!

February 26, 2019 Richard Mack

environment General Landscapes National Parks national parks nature photography Richard Mack Richard Mack Photography Richard Mack's Blog Sunrise travel Travel Photography

Grand Canyon National parks Richard Mack Richard Mack Photography

Today marks the 100^th Birthday of Grand Canyon National Park! It has been 19 years since I was last at the Grand Canyon. As anyone knows who has seen this magical place it is awe inspiring when you see it for the very first time. Breathtaking, spectacular, unbelievable, remarkable, enormous, spiritual are just some of the words used to describe this place. I have only been to the South Rim nineteen years ago for New Year’s Day 2000 with the family. We enjoyed the momentous passing of the millennium sitting on the hood of the car (to stay a bit warmer) watching a starlit sky filled with more stars than the kids had ever seen before. It was a magical night knowing the passage of time was marked on the calendar, used by most of us today, by a millennium.

It is the second most visited national park (behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park – which yes I have a book on…) and because of these massive numbers of people at the park, it faces challenges of over use, management of the Colorado River system that fails to adequately adopt strategies for the protection and restoration of native animals, as well as cultural resources and wildlife habitat, sound and air pollution, mining just outside the park, and yes the effects of climate change are already apparent in the park.

I have not been to the north rim or even down below the rim more than a few hundred yards. It is on my list of things to do, along with visiting some of the Native American sites along the canyon. Here are four images from my last trip there for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s sunrise back on Jan 1, 2000. Yes, before digital.

Enjoy,

Richard

Ludington State Park

December 1, 2018 Richard Mack

DJIMavic Great Lakes Great Lakes Project Lake Michigan Ludington State Park Nature Photography Richard Mack The Sweetwater Seas

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.