Anatomy of a Composition - Harbor Wanderings
Michigan is home to some 150 lighthouses along the shores of the four Great Lakes that it borders. As a child and young man growing up there I can recollect 20 to 30 different lighthouses, ranging from Marquette all the way down Port Huron, around the point of Old Mission Peninsula and across the Straits of Mackinac. I grew up in the shadow one, the light at Charlevoix and even stargazed from another at the bottom of Beaver Island. But, returning to photograph these unique and beautiful sights in as many dynamic conditions as possible is now a new interest.
Arguably, sunrises are my favorite - the chance for fog and dynamic light are much greater in the morning because of changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure. But sunsets are easier to compose as you tend to have more time before the sun actually sets in order to set the shot up. Sunrises I find I’m almost always scrambling around for a “better” shot, as I couldn’t see exactly what I want when arriving in the dark. And, with the evolution of my night sky photography, I find sunrises a bit harder to get too.
With this trip east I’d intended to keep it simple but visiting Chicago for a few nights to catch up with Tanner and then to head north so see my parents and maybe get some time on the St. Mary’s River connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Those first parts went along easily; a quick drive across the I-80 landed me in Chicago. Tanner and I took care of a few projects, but mostly just enjoyed each other's company and some incredibly long walks around his neighborhood and through downtown. Next up was Northern Michigan, which is an easy day drive, especially compared to the I-80 push, and with a night at my parents we head across the Mackinac Bridge to the little community of Barbeau. Here we were able to rest for a number of days and I was able to take in the sights of the big lake boats traveling south. Much of this ended up as really interesting footage and the final videos turned out really well.
After ten days with my parents and a couple of sunset outings to Charlevoix, it was time to think about a journey back to Colorado. I had one planned stop, the little town of Caseville on Lake Huron, but ended up exploring parts of eastern Michigan that I’d not yet had the chance to. Point Tawas Lighthouse and Sturgeon Point Lighthouse became two new destinations. Tawas Point is often described as the Cape Cod of the midwest, and its flat, white sandy beach supports that. Sturgeon Point, further to the north, offers more Pine trees and presents a different feel, with its heritage of lumber and fishing. Light wasn’t ideal for either, and I will most certainly return to each to take advantage of their prominence and the landscape.
The west coast of Michigan is more familiar to me, and after an unexpected visit by the Aurora Borealis over Lake Huron I decided to head to Lake Michigan in search of the Little Sable and Big Sable lights, and while I misjudged my timing with each, I learned how to approach and shoot them and then found the best sunrise of not just the trip, but undoubtedly the whole summer at the light in Grand Haven. I’ve wanted to capture this pier and lighthouse complex for a while, as it is incredibly dynamic and can be photographed from so many perspectives. This single image doesn’t capture my time completely, but it represents making something unique as both the settings and conditions conspire to give a one in a life experience.
Grand Haven Light, Lake Michigan - July, 2022
ISO 100 | F/13 | 2 sec. - Sony a7siii w/Sony FE 24-105G - edited in Lightroom and Photoshop