Sunrise, Lighthouse Beach

October 2, 2013
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLake MichiganLighthouse BeachLighthouse Beach PierQuiet Light PublishingTwenty|Ninety-Five

I went to Lighthouse Beach this morning for sunrise. I wasn’t really planning on it but as I was awake at 5:15 I thought get down there! As you may know I have shot this particular area of the beach many, many times over the years as it is only a mile and a half from my home. It will certainly play a part in my book Twenty|Ninety-Five on all five of the Great Lakes.  I often wonder if I can see anything new, shoot a new view or make a more compelling image having been there so many times. But as I tell folks it is all in the way you see things and you must try and change your perspective, view point and work with how the light plays out in front of you to create a compelling image. No two moments will ever look the same. Maybe similar, but certainly not the same.

This morning I wanted to get down low and use a wide angle lens to get in close to the image and let it stretch out in front of the viewer. Then as the sun cracked the horizon I realized a long lens would be a different perspective. In addition the sun was coming up where I have wanted to see the moon rise for many months so I could work it into the image with the pilings. The sun instead of the moon at this moment.

When I arrived there was a gentleman already there who is a member of a camera club and wanted to shoot for a photo contest the club was having. We talked as I set my equipment up and he asked me if he could watch and learn. Of course. He also asked me to tell him my thoughts as I choose where to place the camera. It was an interesting experience which I enjoyed. Kind of like a mini-workshop!

Here is a link to the images from this morning. Only a small amount of adjustments have been made in Lightroom so far. Hope you enjoy the images! Maybe these will become a part of my book on the Great Lakes, Twenty|Ninety-Five which I am currently continuing to work on.

https://www.mackphoto.com/BlogImages/Great_Lakes_Project/LighthouseBeachSunrise/index.html

Peace,

Richard

 

The Summer of Projects

September 17, 2013
GeneralJill Bucknernew projectsPrintsSavannahtravelTravel Photography

This summer has been filled with many projects for a variety of clients. The folks at AbbVie have been great to work with and I shot people in the studio for them for two different campaigns. I also did architectural and lifestyle images for The Whitman in Savannah along with tourism images of the area. There were projects for retailers and a few musicians for their upcoming CDs. And of course work on my next book project Twenty/Ninety-Five about all five of the Great Lakes.

In Georgia I was part of the team to shoot architectural and lifestyle images for The Whitman, a historic mansion across from Forsythe Park which has been meticulously renovated and is now a beautiful event space for corporate events, weddings, family gatherings and anything you can imagine. We had over 40 people on set the days for those shoots as art directors, and talent for the production. You can view some of those images on the Whitman website.

While in the Savannah area I also shot many images for use in tourism marketing and fine art prints. As this project was in conjunction with Jill Buckner we both explored the city. It is always interesting to shoot a city or area you don’t know because you must do some research into what is around and how to portray it in the best way. It is also a joy to explore a place for the first time and record your impressions of the place so others may want to enjoy it as well. We shot the old historic part by the river front to the new bridge across the river and a few shots of the shipping and harbor area. In addition we went to the ocean beaches and the Atlantic Coastal areas and of course went to the famous Wormsloe State Park and Bonaventure Cemetery.

To see more of the tourism images from the area you can use this link. https://www.mackphoto.com/BlogImages/Savannah/

There were a lot more projects we don’t have space to talk about now but will in the future.

But I have to say the highlight of the summer was my son’s wedding! He and Kelly married on the shores of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park on a beautiful summer’s day in July.

Enjoy,

Richard Mack

 

 

A Busy Start to the Year

February 1, 2013
Great Lakes ProjectGreat Smoky Mountains BookJill BucknerLake SuperiorNew WorkPhotography ToursPhotography WorkshopsQuiet Light WorkshopsRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyTWO PHOTOGRAPHERS | ONE VISION

SPEX Art+Vision Show, GSMNP Book Reprinted, Updated Websites, Workshop Dates

It has been a busy year so far in 2013 with the opening of the SPEX Arts+Vision show with Jill Buckner as part of the TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS | ONE VISON project (www.twophotographers-onevision.com) encompassing our images from Italy and Morocco. When you have roughly 30 images framed for a gallery show it takes a lot of work to edit and print each one before framing and hanging the show. The show will be at the SPEX on Central Street in Evanston through February. If you are in the area you should stop by and check it out.

Great Smoky Mountains book

In addition, my book Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Thirty Years of American Landscapes is now being reprinted as we will soon be out of stock if we don’t! Part of this process is deciding if there should be any changes before you roll the presses. In this case we had to update the signature page with the updated info, change a Photoshop error on one of the images, and update the current Quiet Light Publishing book list to the final page in the book. We also added four of the best book awards, out of the dozen the book won, to the back of the dust jacket. The book went on press yesterday.

We also released the Quiet Light Workshop schedule for 2013 and updated some of those trips. More on all of that later. Check our websites for the updates. And speaking of websites both the Quiet Light Publishing ( www.quietlightpublishing.com ) and Richard Mack Photography (www.mackphoto.com) websites have been updated with new images and projects!

So the year starts off with a bang and next month will be the same as I get back to working on my next book Twenty/Ninety-Five part of the Great Lakes Project (www.quietlightpublishing.com/GLP.php) with a trip to Lake Superior to capture images of the ice and snow. This is a shortened trip from the one I was supposed to make the first three weeks of March. Will feel great to get back to this project! Stay tuned for updates!

Peace,

Richard

 

Out of Tragedy Change Can Spring Forth

Bill Mack
December 21, 2012
ExpectationsPolitics
Bill Mack

My brother Bill Mack

Twenty-Four years ago today my brother Bill was murdered when Libyan terrorists blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. His spirit still lives within many people. His love of life and infectious laugh I can still hear. And I know his presence in my life has guided me many times over the last 24 years. He was returning from a trip with Liz Marek on a vacation to London. The day is one of those which is frozen in place. Yet I know good can come out of bad. I was part of the family organization which sprang up right after the bombing. We worked to change the airline laws, push the government to find out who was responsible and then pushed through many channels including Congress, the Whitehouse and the United Nations to get those responsible to a trial. Changes can be made.

This week’s news out of Newtown, Connecticut struck close to home for many reasons. Liz Marek’s family lives in the next town over. And in all tragedies such as this I am immediately struck by the feeling of being back there on the wrong side of a news story. My heart goes out to those who have lost family and friends. And to those who helped the victims’ families and all who are affected by this event.

The call for changes in the laws need to be met by all of us speaking out. Change can come from tragedy. We can get a ban on assault weapons and bullets. We can get better healthcare for those who need it and not have it be so difficult or so expensive that you cannot get the health services you need. But we must all stand up for what we believe in. Write your Senators, Congressmen and Congresswomen and tell them what you believe and that you won’t support them if they don’t write a series of laws to help prevent this in the future. We can all post in blogs and in tweets but that will not change things. Support the organizations in Washington working for the change in gun laws and healthcare. If your representative to Congress doesn’t tell them they will not get your vote in the future. Attend a rally. Be vocal. And work by lobbying from your point of view. Perception is that large groups with lots of money always win in Washington. Not always. But we must be louder and yes, make the politicians think they won’t keep their jobs if they don’t actually represent those who elected them. That is what change is about. I was privileged to work with many amazing people as we worked for change.

Liz Marek & Bill Mack

Liz Marek & Bill Mack

I honored Bill & Liz by working for change. We were on the right side of the issue. We as a country are on the right side of the issues facing us now. May change take place – so those murdered in Newtown will be honored in the same way.

May Peace Prevail,

Richard