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

Problems with Amazon, and the M.A.S.H. photo!

So tonight I had a nice looooong conversation with Amazon Customer Service.  I had ordered a piece of equipment for a shoot I have lined up next week, and UPS brought it today!  Like most guys, when UPS brings a new toy, you have to go home and play with it, so I figured rather than head out for another landscape, I would do a shot at home, using the new gear.

So I headed home after work, grabbed the box, and excitedly opened it up!  Then I saw it......the wrong item!!

I realize mistakes sometimes happen, but it always sucks when it's something that you ordered to do a job, and now you're unsure if you will be able to get a replacement before the upcoming shoot.  I hurried to Amazon to grab the customer service number, and see what could be done to remedy the situation......

Another Bridge at Elizabeth Park

Tonight's shot is another one from Elizabeth Park, shot a couple of days ago.  You can still see snow along the banks (that didn't last long), and just before the bridge, a group of ducks swim playfully in the icy water. 

Off in the distance, the stream opens up into the Detroit River, and if you look real close, you can see the distant banks of Grosse Ile. 

Due to a slower shutter speed, the water looks like glass, but in reality, the wind was whipping by pretty quickly, and the water was rushing fairly steadily. 

A few minutes later, the sun fell behind the horizon, and the weather quickly turned too cold to shoot, so we headed back home.

-MT

A Tale of Two Countries....

Detroit Skyline, from Grosse Ile, Michigan

Some people look out of the window, and see dark, overcast skies, and think man this is crappy weather!  Others, called photographers, look through the same window, see the same dark gloomy skies, and see a thing of beauty and drama! 

The skies were dark, and the wind was cold and heavy.  The sky was filled with dark, dramatic clouds, that were moving very quickly by as I stood along the Grosse Ile coastline, framing my shot!  In the distance, the Canadian Coastline, and a little further off, Detroit's Renaissance Center, and the rest of the Detroit Skyline.  I crouched down in the mud, and composed the shot!

For those of you who like trivia....it is a little known fact that Detroit is the only place in the United States, that you can stand along the shore and look South and see Canada.  It is an even less known fact, that along the coastline of Grosse Ile, you can look North, and see the edge of Ontario, Canada, with the Detroit Skyline towering from behind! 

Had a great time shooting, and got a lot of great shots......they may all be dreary and grey, but that's ok!

-MT

Sunset through the trees

Today's photo, is another one from the River Walk in Wyandotte, Michigan, right along the Detroit River! 

As I finished the shot of the willows, I noticed that the sun was only minutes from dropping behind the horizon.  I had originally intended to shoot the sunset at another location, but I definitely wouldn't have time to make the drive.  As I scanned the area, I noticed how the rays of light were coming through this set of trees, and leaving long, dark shadows on the ground, and I knew it was the shot I was after!  I set up, framed my shot and snapped off a few, before heading back to the truck.  By the time I had my tripod collapsed, the sun was completely gone. 

-MT

Willows Weeping by the River

Weeping Willows on the River Walk in Wyandotte, Michigan

Last night I went down to the River Walk in Wyandotte, to get some fresh air and watch the sun set.  The weather was in the upper 40's, and was very nice compared to the below freezing days we've had as of late. 

When I arrived, the sun was very low in the sky, and cast a warm orange glow over the ground and trees.  I found these two weeping willows alongside the river, bathed in the orange glow, and decided to make a frame.

A few minutes after I took this shot, the sun dropped down over the horizon and was gone.  The sky darkened, and the weather quickly turned colder.  Off in the distance, the Detroit Skyline popped up over the river, but I was without my 70-200 f/2.8, so that picture would have to wait for another day!

-MT