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| Ypsilanti Water Tower |
Ypsilanti is home to a number of local landmarks, but by far, the most well known is the old Water Tower that sits across from EMU's Campus. Finished in 1890, the tower was the only water tower in the Ypsilanti area, and was designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the State of Michigan in 1974. The tower has many local nicknames....most with varying degrees of derogatory connotation due to it's most decidedly phallic shape. Local legend has it that if a virgin were ever to graduate from EMU.....the tower would crumble to the ground!
Today's photo was a challenge.....the rest of the story after the jump.........
This evening's photo adventure was to be a quick one......out of work at 8, and a quick jaunt to a local Ypsi landmark for a few snaps.....then off to dinner with a few friends at quarter to 9. I had thought about the water tower, but knew it wouldn't be lit, so that was not my destination tonight. The plan was to eventually make it to the water tower, when it was a bit warmer out, and do a complete Strobist workover with Speedlites and remote triggers. Tonight would be a different landmark, that I knew would be lit at night......an easy night to be sure!
As I drove East on Washtenaw, I thought for a moment about the tower......in daylight it can be seen from a mile up the road, but as I neared Eastern's Campus, I couldn't see it.....so I knew I wouldn't be shooting it tonight! Yeah right!
As I approached the Domino's Pizza, about a block from the tower, it started to reveal itself from the black sky behind it. Lit by just a little ambient from a nearby street light (half a block away) it would be far too dim to shoot.....I definitely wouldn't be doing that tonight!
Then suddenly, my inner photographer took control of the wheel, and suddenly I found myself pulling into Mike's Used Books and parking the truck. I grabbed the camera and tripod, and walked over to the tower. I quickly framed a shot.....and suddenly knew that I had to shoot it! Metering the light, however, did not produce such optimistic results.
The longest exposure my camera can handle on full Manual mode is a 30 second exposure. At f/11, ISO 100, a 30 second exposure was far too underexposed! What that means for me.....frozen fingers and a late dinner, that's what!
The final exposure was a 15 minute exposure.....in Bulb mode, and carefully timed with a timer app on my phone! The bulk of the post processing was done on my Macbook Pro, at the bar at Red Robin over a Turkey Burger and a few shots of Tequila :) Enjoy!
-MT
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