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Catching the Wind and Waves |
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 Last month I discussed how you can use long exposures to create starbursts around bright lights in your photos. That got me thinking about other special effects that long exposures can create. Today I'll point out how long exposures can help you photograph the wind and waves.
I took this photo of Ohio's Marblehead lighthouse while on a tour around Lake Erie this summer. Built in 1821, the Marblehead lighthouse is the oldest Great Lakes lighthouse still in operation.
I arrived before dawn to take a series of shots trying to balance the lightening sky with the green beacon in the lighthouse. From this vantage point, you don't need to use much imagination to see why this plot of land is called Marblehead!
There was rather a ferocious wind that morning, and I decided to use it to my favor. I don't often use tree branches as a frame in my photos. It's such a common technique it borders on the cliché. But in this case I thought the long exposure required by the low light would create a blur of motion in the tree, enabling me to show this otherwise invisible force.
The ferocious wind was also kicking up a dramatic surf, and the long exposure also helped highlight that, creating the blur of motion among the rocks at the bottom of the photo.
Altogether, I was pretty pleased with this photo. The blur of branches and waves, the leaning trees in the background, and the precarious position of the lighthouse so close to shore, create a tension and energy that is resolved by the firm footing this lighthouse has on the rocks of Marblehead and the steady glow of its beacon.
For another example of using the motion of foliage to photograph the wind, see the photo I've titled "An Adverse Wind." And this shot of the Point Betsie lighthouse shows the effect of long exposures on waves. |
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A Very Special Art Auction |
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 VSA Arts of Michigan-Grand Rapids brings students with disabilities together with artists and art projects. They provide programs for all ages, including:
- classroom workshops
- mentorship programs
- community art classes
- dance and choir performance groups
- special family events
To support this wonderful organization, I'll contribute a framed 16x24 print to the 18th Annual A Very Special Art Auction. The event will be held on Friday, November 2, at the new JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. Tickets are $75 and are available by emailing vsagr@iserv.net or by phone at (616) 885-5866. Hope to see you there!
If you can't make it to the auction, you can still support VSA Arts of Michigan-Grand Rapids. From now through December, enter the promotion code VSAGR when making a purchase at www.greatlakeseditions.com, and I'll contribute 20% of the purchase price to VSA Arts of Michigan-Grand Rapids. Want a special frame for your artwork? As part of their 20 year celebration, LaFontsee Galleries in Grand Rapids will contribute 20% of any framing order to VSA. Place your order between October 26 and November 20 and mention VSA.
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Blogs You Can Use |
 For the seventy percent of newsletter readers who report feeling renewed at our region's beaches and woods...and for the forty percent of you who love lighthouses, here's a tip.
You can easily keep up on the latest Great Lakes environmental news by reading my blog Great Lakes For All. Wood TV producers find it so valuable that they've been serving it from their site since June. Go to the Comments page and look in the West Michigan is Talking section.
Many people find that the easiest way to read my blogs is to subscribe to the email version. Just enter your email address in the box on the upper left of the home page of each blog.
If you're looking for fresh new content on your own website, help yourself to my headline animator. It's free and easy to use. And if you have more questions, simply contact me at steve@greatlakeseditions.com or (877) 881-6630. |
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"Beauty and Serenity" |
 You have two easy ways to see my photos on display at Saint Mary's Health Care. I'm the guest artist there till October 31.
To see what these landscapes and lighthouse prints look like in real life, stop in at St. Mary's at 200 Jefferson SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Michelle Rabideau, executive director of Saint Mary's Doran Foundation, says my work "expresses a sense of beauty and serenity."
But you can decide that for yourself. Even if you can't visit, you can see what's in the exhibit---because I put it together for you here on my website.
The pieces hanging at the hospital are, of course, already framed. And some have already sold. But I can always print more for you...and in the size you want.
Purchases from the guest artist program help bring the lasting presence of healing art into the patient rooms and public spaces of the hospital. Twenty-five percent of each sale is contributed to the Art Fund of Saint Mary's Doran Foundation. |
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Buy a Print...Get a Free Box of Matching Cards!
Offer good through October 31 |
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 Start stocking up on luxurious yet affordable gifts for clients and friends. For the month of October, here's the deal. Simply purchase a print, matted or unmatted, 12x18 or larger...and I'll send you a box of 6 matching cards. Free!
It's a great way to do something special for people you appreciate. Because when you send one of my Keepsake Cards, you're giving a lasting gift of art.
I use the same quality materials to make my Keepsake Cards as my fine art photographic prints. Each card will fit perfectly in a 5x7 frame and will last, with care, for generations.
Feel free to forward this newsletter (and offer) to a friend. Simply use the link at the bottom of this email. |
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Current and Upcoming Shows |
- Thru October 31: Saint Mary's Health Care, 200 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- October 12-14: Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival, Alpena, Michigan
- November 28-December 31: Park Church, 10 East Park Place NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- January-March, 2008: Walker Library, 4293 Remembrance Rd, Walker, Michigan
- April-June, 2008: Church of the Servant, 3835 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- July-August, 2008: East Grand Rapids Library, 746 Lakeside Dr SE, East Grand Rapids, Michigan
- September 13-December 6, 2008: Grandville Library, 4055 Maple Street SW, Grandville, Michigan
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