The Wandering Photographer

Memorial Day

Tomb of the Unknowns

Arlington

Please Remember as you celebrate Memorial Day.

© Tim Marks All Rights Reserved

Favorite Photos series: It's a Duesy!

Duesenberg Aircraft Engine

A visit to the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana is a photographer's dream. Floor after floor of gorgeous automobiles from the early 20th century to admire and photograph. Cars are not the only things to make images of however.

I came across this aircraft engine in the Drafting Room on the second floor of the museum. The repeated pattern of the exhaust pipes immediately caught my eye and I made several images of the engine.

When I arrived home and began editing my images I thought this one would look more striking as a monochrome image. I made the conversion using Nik Silver Effects Pro and tweaked it a bit more in Lightroom.

Here is the full color version of the image.

I think the black & White version has more impact, but that's just my opinion. The monochrome version placed 2nd at my camera club competition. Which do you like best?

Here is an earlier blog about my day at the ACD Museum.

© Tim Marks All Rights Reserved

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks: Baseball in Lansing MI

Cooley Law School Stadium: Home of the Lansing Lugnuts

Here in Detroit, planning a family outing to the ballpark is an expensive proposition. Four tickets run $100 to $140, parking $20 to $25, not to mention way overpriced hotdogs, snacks, pop and beer. Planning a night out at a Lansing Lugnuts game is much less painful. Infield box seats are $11 each and food and drink are affordable.Even considering the 90 mile drive from Detroit, the price can't be beat.

A Swing and a Miss!

Midwest Guest and I had the opportunity to catch a game this month as the Lugnuts took on the Dayton (OH) Dragons. This is Class A Minor League Baseball at its finest. The players in this league are on their way to the majors, so you get to see some great baseball at bargain prices.

The city owned stadium seats 11,000, making for a cozy atmosphere. (see the stadium layout here). Sitting this close to the action would cost you $75 per ticket in most Major League stadiums.

And the Pitch

This is baseball as it was meant to be played. These are the big-leaguers of the future, see them now before you have to catch them on the tube.

Whether you are a real fan of the game, or you are just looking for a cool family outing, Lugnuts Baseball is the way to go.

© 2013 Tim Marks, All Rights Reserved

Thanks to the Greater Lansing Michigan Convention and Visitors Bureau for sponsoring my visit to Lansing, providing lodging, meals and a tour of Lansing area attractions for my review during my recent visit there, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinions about the stay and experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.

A Michigan Poem

 

Poetry is not really my thing, and usually you find posts about photography on this blog, but I came across this poem by Jane Johnston Schoolcraft and couldn't help myself. Jane was born at Sault Ste Marie in the Michigan Territory to an Ojibwe mother and and Irish father. Her name is probably familiar to many Michiganders because in 1822 she married Henry Rowe Schoolcarft. Henry was a federally appointed Indian agent and became a very important Michigan historical figure.

Jane spoke and wrote Ojibwe (probably Odawa), French and English. Around 9 years old Jane was sent to England and Ireland by her parents to get an education. Very homesick, she returned within a couple of years. Sometime later she wrote a poem about her first sighting of a Michigan Pine upon arriving back in Northern Michigan.

To the Pine Tree

The pine! the pine! I eagerly cried,
The pine, my father! see it stand,
As first that cherished tree I spied,
Returning to my native land.
The pine! the pine! oh lovely scene!
The pine that is forever green.

Ah beauteous tree! ah happy sight!
That greets me on my native strand
And hails me, with a friend's delight,
To my own dear bright mother land
Oh 'tis to me a heart-sweet scene,
The pine---the pine that's evergreen.

Not all the trees of England bright,
Not Erin's lawns of green and light
Are half so sweet to memories eye,
As this dear type of northern sky

 

The poem was also transcribed in Ojibwe. Here is the first few lines.

Shing wauk! shing wauk! nin ge ik id,
Waish kee wau bum ug, shing wauk
Tuh quishin aun nau aub, ain dak nuk i yuan

 

It is unknown whether it was written firsat in Ojibwe or in English.

I found the poem in The Norton Anthology of American Literature 8th edition vol. B. The biographical information about Jane came from that volume as well.

I think this ought to be the state poem of Michigan. What do you think?

 

 

Favorite Photo Series: Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

Another of my favorite photos. This one is of Old Mackinac Point Light at Mackinaw City, MI. Shot from South of the light, the image shows the lighthouse in the forground with the "Mighty Mac" (the Mackinac Bridge) in the background.

The lighthouse sits at the northernmost point of Michigan's lower pennisula on the shore of the Staits of Mackinac. It guided ships between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron from 1892 until it was decommisioned in 1960.

In 1889 Congress allocated $5500 to construct a fog signal building at the point. Three years later they approriated $20,000 to add a light station to the property. The light went into active duty in October that same year. The light was closed after the opening of Mackinac Bridge made the navigation light unnecesary.

In 1972 the surrounding park was opened with the light as the prime attraction. In 1989 the park closed and did not reopen until 2000 with the renovation of the fog signal building. The lighthouse renovation, begun in 1999, was completed in 2004 and the building was reopened as a museum. The museum is currently closed for the Winter, however it will reopen on May 6, 2013.

Photo tech info:

• Nikon D200
• Tamron 18-200mm seta at 56mm
• ISO 400
• 1/500th at f/5

© Tim Marks all rights reserved

Favorite Photo Series: Celebrating the African Diaspora

Another favorite photo. This one was taken of the first day of the 2011 Concert of Colors. The first night was a celebration of the African Diaspora to the Americas. Presented at the Charles Wright Museum of African American History the evening included American Hip Hop, Afro-Caribbean music and dance as well as story telling and poetry. 

As any regular reader of theis blog knows, I am a big fan of the Concert of Colors. The Concert is an annual Detroit celebration of diversity held in July in the Midtown area of Detroit.

You can get more information about the festival at the Concert of Colors web site. The Arab American National Museum also presents a Winter series of world music, "Global Fridays," that is well worth seeing. Dominique writes about that series in her blog, Midwest Guest. 

© Tim Marks All Rights Reserved

Carmel IN: Drumming At the Center for the Performing Arts

In November I had the opportunity to visit Carmel, Indiana along with Midwest Guest. One of the highlight of the visit was the opportunity to see The Royal Drummers of Burundi at the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts. 

The center is made up of three distinct venues, the Palladium (where we saw the drummers), the Studio Theater and the Tarkington. The Tarkington is a 500 seat venue perfect for large theatrical presentations and makes for a great venue for small concerts. The Studio Theater is a great spot for intimate performances. The spectacular Palladium seats 1600 in a space with exquisite accoustics perfect for grand musical performances. 

Our visit started with an informally led drum circle for patrons before the main show. In an upstairs room to drumm leaders helped a large group of children and adults get into a drumming mood.

Adults got the opportunity to let their inner child out.

And Children got to act like themselves. Of course the children held the upper hand.

The drumming circle inspired me to gift Dominique with a drum for Christmas.

Moving from the drumming circle to the main venue we were in for a real treat. The Royal Dummers of Burundi performed an energetic show that can only be described as amazing. 

Founded in 1960 the drummers have toured the world spreading the good music and the good will of Burundi in their wake. They have recorded several albums of their own as well as appearing on albums by artists such as Def Leppard ands Joni Mitchell. 

 

The show begins with the drummers entering the stage with the drums balanced in their heads, drumming the entire time. As the show continues, the drummers place their drums on the stage and continue a combination of drumming rhythm and dance that can't help but get the audience tapping their feet.

 

 Not only did we get to see a great show, we were able to visit a fun city and experience a great entertainment venue. Not only that we added a new musical instrument to our home.

If you get down to the Indianapolis area you would do well to take in a show at the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Thanks to the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau for sponsoring our visit to Hamilton County, providing lodging, meals and entry to the performance for my review during my recent visit there, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinions about the stay and experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.

© 2013 Tim Marks

Tony Spina: Photojournalist.

Tony Spina Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.

Bourke-White, Eisenstaedt, Adams, Cartier-Bresson; some of the greatest photojournalist of all time. To those add the name Spina, Tony Spina. Tony Spina was a photographer for the Detroit Free Press during the hey-day of photojuornalism. 

Born in 1914, Spina joined the Free Press in 1944. In 1952, he was appointed Chief Photographer and remained in that position until his retirement in the late 1980s. Spina's photography was brilliant. he brought the city and nation to us each morning, sometimes gritty, sometimes poignant, some times gentle, always important and informative. 

 Unlike today, during the 50s, 60s and 70s, local papers brought us great phoptojournalism daily. Breaking news was featured thoughout the paper and the back page was reserved for feature photography of the highest quality. 

I became a fan of Spina when I was a Free Press carrier in the mid 1960s.

 While scouring my bookshelves for something to read one afternoon, I came across a copy of  Spina's book On Assignment:Projects in Photojournalism. In the book Spina describes a number of assignments he was tasked by the Free Press. He describes how he went about completeing each assignment including planning, gear, technique and result. It gives a wonderful insight into the life of a press photographer. The volume is long out of print but it can often be found in your public library, especially in the Detroit area.

A couple examples of his work are presented below.

Tony Spina Collection,Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University

Spina was called into the office early in the morning on July 23, 1967. What some call a riot, and others call a rebellion, broke out along 12th Street in the City of Detroit. Spina describes outfitting himself with a helmet marked PRESS, a pair of goggles, two Nikon F camera bodies and two lenses, 35mm and 85-200mm. He proceeded to walk down the street amongst the chaos, shooting images as he went. 

The image above of a Michigan National Guardsman, captures, in Spina's words, "the event's tension and fear." This photo came to symbolize the events of that dark week in July. It ran in papers across the country and around the world. It is a perfect example the power of photojournalism. 

Tony Spina Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University

While the so-called riots of 67 divided the city, an event just a year and three monthes later brought us back together and Spina brought us images that helped bridge the divide.

In 1968 the Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant and found themselves facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Tony Spina was there to capture the action. Down three games to one, the Tigers entered game five for a do-or-die game.

Spina captured this photo of the collision at home plate between St. Louis left fielder Lou Brock and Detroit catcher Bill Freehan. Brock was out and the Tigers went on to win games six and seven taking home the world championship. This is the photo that greeted us in the morning paper.

It was photos like these that brought the world to our door. Unfortunately, news papers no longer hightlight photography as they once did. There are still great photographers travelling the world to bring us images of war, sports and politics; but so often the local touch has been lost since so many photojournalists today are freelancers or working for a wire service. They do great work but we don't know them the way we new the Tony Spinas of the world.

Tony Spina's lifetime of work is archived at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University. Many of his photographs can be viewed on the web at www.reuther.wayne.edu/image/tid/540

I wish to thank the Walter P.Reuther Library at WSU for their kind permission to use these photos in my blog. 

Photo Rights: All rights, including those of further reproduction and/or publication, are reserved in full by the Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.  Under no circumstances can the user distribute the image(s).  All image inquiries are to be forwarded to the Walter P. Reuther Library's Audiovisual Department.  Photographic reproductions may be protected by U.S. copyright law (U.S. Title 17).  The user is fully responsible for copyright infringement.

Sources:

• Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University
• Spina, Tony, On Assignment: Projects in Photojournalism Amphoto Books, 1982.
• The Tony Spina Collection at Roland Young Photography

 

Favorite Photo Series: D. H. Day Farm

D. H. Day Farm and homestead, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

 The D.H. Day farm can be found along the side of the road on M-109 on the way into Glen Haven and Glen Arbor. The farm is privately owned but it is surrounded by lands owned by the National Park Service (part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The photo was shot on a bright, sunny day in July 2010 with my D300 and 16-85mm lense.

You can learn more about the Farm, D.H. Day and the Sleeping Bear Dunes at the following Websites.

D. H. Day Farm

D. H. Day Family History

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Favorite Photos Series: Mount Blackburn

View of Mount Blackburn

Here's another one from Kennecott, Alaska. I shot this view from the porch of the Kennecott Glacier Inn. The inn is located directly across the strreet from the Wrangel St. Elias National Park Headquaters and sits a the foot of the Root Glacier. The buildings n the near background at the ol mill from the abandonded Kennecott copper mine. The Mountain in the background is Mt Blackburn.

We spent hours just sitting on the porch looking out over the mountainscape.

The image was made on Fujichrome Provia 100F slide film with a Nikon N90s SLR.

This and other of my images are available for purchase at my SmugMug site.

© 2012 Tim Marks all rights reserved