Detroit Skyline after dark!

Detroit Skyline, shot from Grosse Ile

I received a lot of positive responses form the last post I did with the Detroit Skyline, so I thought I would go out again and snap another shot, after dark.  I figured I'd be able to hop over to the island, and grab a quick capture, so after making a few other stops Downriver, I headed over the bridge to Grosse Ile. 

I crossed the bridge just after dark, and headed for the east side of the island.   I found a spot to park, and walked along the shore line to get the angle I wanted.  After setting up my tripod, I got the camera ready, and then framed my shot.  Correct exposure was going to be about 15 seconds, so I used the 2 second timer to avoid shake, and fired off a shot......

Just then, I saw a pair of headlights coming from camera left....and right into frame.  The SUV pulled up right next to where I was shooting, and a man got out and approached me.

He asked what I was doing.....taking a photograph I told him.  Of what?  I pointed to she skyline in the distance and told him that was what I was taking a picture of.  Isn't that too far away he asked?  I showed him the 200mm lens I was using to take the shot, and he got back in his truck and drove away.  Nosy people, but what can you do, I set the exposure up again and took another shot, and was out of there before I attracted anymore attention.

I like the shot.  Maybe next time I'll cross the bridge and take it from a little closer! 

-MT

Tonight....the blog's going Retro!

Yashica 44A - Given to my father in the 60's by my Uncle Paul!

Tonight, I was fully prepared to post some (hopefully) cool landscape shots that I took earlier today, but I thought this one was much cooler!  It's a Yashica Model 44A, Medium Format, Twin Lens Reflex Camera, from the late 50's!  It uses 127 Roll Film, either color or black and white, which is 4x4". 

This particular model, once belonged to my Uncle Paul (my Godfather), who was a photographer long before the days of digital, and one of the first individuals I talked to when I first got into photography!  In the mid 60's, Uncle Paul passed the Yashica on to my father, who has kept it in pristine condition ever since. 

After a day out and about around town, shooting at various locations from Belleville and Van Buren, to Grosse Ile, I ended up in my parents neighborhood, so I decided to stop in for a quick visit.  I sat on the couch as we talked, cleaning each of the lenses that I had used for the day's shoot, and the conversation quickly turned to cameras. 

I had mentioned that I was going through study guides, for the Certified Professional Photographer exam, and that I was currently reading about Twin Lens Reflex cameras.  Dad had thought that he had, at some point in time, given me his old Yashica TLR, and asked if I had ever got it working or not.  I told him that I didn't have it, just an old Argus 8mm film camera that had been given to me by my grandmother....so the search was on to find the old Yashica.

He found it in the hall closet, in an old leather box that used to house a Polaroid 20 "Swinger."  In the box, was the Yashica in it's own leather case, a leather strap, 2 cable releases, a flash bracket, 2 different flash bulb holders, and a roll of Kodak C 127 that expired in the early 80's!

It's in great shape!  I cleaned the lenses and inside of the film compartment, and the ground glass viewer on top.  All of the knobs and dials work, but unfortunately the shutter spring appears to be broken or jammed.  Tomorrow's adventures will include a stop at the camera shop to see if they can fix it, and if not, a journey across town to Feldmans Camera Repair in Wyandotte.  Luckily, they still sell 127 film, both color and b&w, and Huron Camera still develops medium format film, so I'll be definitely doing some shooting with it, as soon as the shutter is fixed!

-MT

"Follow this blog, you must," says Yoda....

I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging and shooting for the past few days, to finish up on Mandy's Senior pics, and to catch up a bit on some other work I've been doing lately.  I'll be out and about shooting tonight, however, as well as later in the week, so expect more photos to come real soon :) 

In the mean time....I've received a lot of questions about purchasing prints of some of my work.  If you are interested, all of the photos in this blog can be purchased directly from my website, which is linked to each photo, so click on any of the photos in this blog to be taken straight there!

Stay tuned......more to come :)

-MT

First Senior Portrait Shoot of the Season :)

When I started this blog, I didn't initially intend to post only landscapes and architecture.  Since the winter time in Michigan is usually a bit slow for Weddings and Senior Portraits, I've been occupying my time shooting whatever I can find that I think will interest people.

Tonight I had the pleasure of hanging out with my dear friend Maria, who I haven't seen in quite a few years, and her niece, Mandy.  Mandy is graduating this year, so we met up to do some head shots for Mandy's yearbook photo!

Mandy was a little shy at first, but as it turned out....she was a natural in front of the camera!  We got several great shots, and had a lot of fun doing it!

We'll be heading out to do location portraits as soon as things warm up a bit outside.  I can't wait to meet up again for some more great photos :)

-MT

Hogwarts after dark :)

The Law Quad on UofM Campus......or Hogwart's :)

Tonight's photo is of the very Hogwartesque Law Quad on the UofM Campus.  The funny story behind this shot, is that although beautiful, the very intricate brickwork was incredibly slippery after the rain had stopped, and had a few minutes to ice over!  Just as I set up my tripod, and was preparing to click the shutter, I lost balance and fell hard, straight to the ground!

Can you imagine.....a slip and fall in the Law Quad??  Where's a lawyer when you need one?

-MT

An Old Gothic Library

University of Michigan Law Library

Blogging is a lot of fun, but sometimes it is a huge challenge going out and getting worthy content to present to your readers/viewers.  Last night was no exception....as I pulled in to the parking structure in Downtown Ann Arbor, I knew the weather would be cold and windy.  A thick fog covered the area, rendering some of the buildings I had photographed just a few weeks earlier with complete clarity, unrecognizable through the thick haze.

From the sky, a thin cool mist was falling, which would soon turn into a light rain, before the air turned even colder, freezing the mist to the ground as thin, invisible sheets of ice. 

Depot Town in the Snow....

Depot Town - Ypsilanti, MI

So as I emerged from the depths of Riverside Park the other night....headed back to where I had parked my truck, I came up on the above scene.  On a bar night, in a college town, it's not too often that you can walk up on almost deserted streets, but the heavy snowfall ensured that the sidewalks would be virtually deserted.

My Canon caked with snow, batteries almost dead, I knew I couldn't just head back to the truck, I had to try and make the picture before the last bit of juice was drained and the camera went black.  After all, when would I get a scene like this again?  Not likely anytime soon.

I set up my tripod alongside of Cross Street, wiped the snow and condensation from the front of the lens, and the top LCD, and framed my shot!

I'd like to think that if Thomas Kinkade visited Depot Town, his painting would look something like this. 

-MT