North Pier Details
Feb. 25, 2010
Ice Triplets
How often do you photograph the scene as a whole and call it good after that? My wife would describe me as someone who shoots for the detail in a shot. If you break down a single shot you can come away with a multitude of other images that tell even more of the story. While shooting the North Pier Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan I am always looking for smaller vignettes that tie in with the original overall shot.
Catwalk Detail
I’m cheating just a bit and posted this image above titled Catwalk Detail from last winter to get us all ready for another winter of great images from the pier and beyond. I really look forward to getting out on the ice and one must be properly prepared for this or you will not be found if at all until next season. It can get pretty dangerous on the pier and the surrounding ice. Get yourself some good ice cleats and dress warm-it gets cold very fast! If you do head to the pier make sure you let someone know your plans. Take your cell phone in case something happens. Whenever I tell my wife I’m headed to the pier to get some shots her reply is-”You have enough shots of the lighthouse”. Every time I go out to the North Pier it never looks the same and I am always pleased with the results I come back with. Check back later in the season to see my new winter images of the pier-let me know what you think!
Frozen Railing
Texture, Color & Ice
Curtain of Ice
Images from the Pier
February 4, 2010
New image from the North Pier looking at the Outer Lighthouse was taken before the temperatures took a climb and melted what your looking at. It was really amazing to be out on the pier at sunset and witness all these formations, and how it transforms the pier into a completely different environment. I actually like shooting the pier in the winter because it’s constantly changing. The North Pier will never look the same in a 24 hour period in the winter months. I think I have mentioned before that it can be a very dangerous place if your not prepared for it. So if you happen to be out on any pier during the winter months please be careful and take your time walking around and be aware of your surroundings.
North Pier Sunset
North Pier Lighthouse & Catwalk
The two shots with borders were generated using onOne software that I’m sure most of you have heard of or seen applied to photographs. I personally like the use of them as long as the border does not overpower the shot. The applied borders on the shots below were generated by PhotoFrame Pro 3.0. At present they have updated to 4.0 which looks like they have added some creative and useful borders and edge effects. My one criticism about the software is that you have literally thousands to choose from and will hardly ever use all of them. You will find that you gravitate towards your favorites leaving the other borders/edge effects within the software to just sit on your hard drive.
North Pier Catwalk
How cold does it have to be to keep you home, sitting on the couch, and missing out on getting some good photos? Will you go out when it’s below 10 degrees Fahrenheit if you think you might get a good shot.
It was about 5PM on January 16, 2009 when my son Reed and I decided to head to Tiscornia Beach to grab some shots of the North Pier Lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan. Due to heavy snowfall, and roads that had not been plowed, we had to park our vehicle outside of Tiscornia and make our way to the pier .
Walking the extra couple of hundred yards just to get to the pier was bone chilling. In total I took about 60 shots, spent about 1 hour on the pier. At that junction in time our fingers and toes had gotten extremely cold to the point of numbness. The decision was made between to very cold guys. Time to go.
