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Team Bonding

 

Eben Ice Caves

Unbelievable

 

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

 

Wagner Awash

After a week straight of rainfall at Porcupine Mountains State Park, the flooded Presque Isle River was a raging torrent on October 11, 2018. As I looked down from a bridge over the river near its terminus at Lake Superior, I was struck by the thought that the various paths the water was taking made the water look like angel’s wings. A 10-second time exposure helped me accentuate that feeling

 

The Holiday Inn Express in Munising, Michigan has become our home away from home when we are photographing in the Upper Peninsula. Thanks to a Facebook alert on my cell phone, I knew the northern lights might appear in the middle of the night. Every hour I got out of bed and went out on the porch of our hotel room to check. At around 4:50 a.m., I could see the lights over Grand Island. I set up my camera and tripod and made this image. In a few short hours my dad and I would be hiking across the ice to photograph the caves on Grand Island.

What a View

 

Kitch-Iti-Kipi

 I had visited Bond Falls several years prior to making this image. I had been wanting to go back since I drove out of the parking lot on that first trip! Finally, I made the voyage back to the falls from my hometown of Custer, Michigan. I was eager to see the beautiful scene as I walked through the pathway from the truck. It was just as stunning as I remembered. Because of heavy rainfall in the area the week before, the falls were roaring. It was powerful, and I knew it could be dangerous if I got too close. I worked for an hour making images of the area around the falls. Then, I could focus on every inch of the falls themselves. I tried to think outside the box. As I worked my way up the falls, my mind kept coming back to this spot. I knew that I had to get as close as I could, while being safe. I got in position, and went to work. I was so excited with the image that I made!

My dad and I have hiked several miles today carrying our heavy telephoto lenses, full camera bags, and tripods all over Isle Royale hoping to get a photograph of a wild Michigan moose. Unfortunately, we never saw a moose, but we did find some wonderful views on our adventure. On our way back to our room at the main lodge, we explored Suzy's Cave. My dad photographed inside the cave and I climbed to the top and photographed the grand view from above.

How can one not bond with Bond Falls? I fell in love with Bond Falls the first time I visited there years ago. The magnificent Michigan Upper Peninsula waterfall has been drawing me back ever since. It was nearly dark already when my wife, Debbie, and I climbed the stairs to get to this spot during a September 27, 2013 visit. While my mind’s eye was yearning for more daylight, my tripod-mounted camera was able to accumulate enough light during a 30-second exposure to brighten the scene. The outcome from the movement of the water during that time made this my all-time favorite Bond Falls image.

 What better way to spend a beautiful fall day than traveling across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger on our way to shoot the vibrant color in the Upper Peninsula. Todd and Debbie Reed, Brad and Betsy Reed, Sarah Genson and I decided to have a fall get-away to the UP. It was a bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, and smooth sailing way to start our journey. We then traveled through Wisconsin towards the Porcupine Mountains. We knew we wanted to make a stop at Bond Falls, and the closer it got to dark, the more worried we were that we would miss shooting the sunset there. We made it, got our waterproof clothing on and hurried to the falls. It was a stunning experience and a great way to end our first day of shooting!

My dad and I would probably never have ventured across the ice on Lake Superior to the Grand Island Ice Caves if it were not for Facebook. We both spend a lot of time on Facebook looking at other Michigan photographer's work. Several people had been posting excellent photographs of the ice caves near Munising, Michigan and we knew we had to go. We called our friends Mike Schlitt, Bill Dietrich, and Wally Barkley and the five of us made the journey to Grand Island. D7000, F9 at 1/60, ISO 100, 10-20mm lens at 10mm

Falling Down