Lake Michigan Windsurfing
One of the many great things about living in northern Michigan is the lakes around us. Whether you simply enjoy relaxing on the pristine beaches or getting involved in one of the many adventure sports on the water, we proudly have some of the best lakes in the world right outside our front door. Windsurfing is a relatively unknown extreme sport in this area with athletes far and few between. Any opportunity I get to photograph a windsurfer I gladly take. The wind on Lake Michigan was perfect this day; a strong, offshore, consistent wind was kicking about two to three foot waves. Below is the series of images I took of Chris Righi windsurfing on the big lake.
Equestrian Life
Recently I had the opportunity to venture into the equestrian world and capture what it means to be an athlete in the sport. Truth be told there is a lot more behind it than simply throwing a saddle on and riding off into the sunset. The athletes put in immense amounts of work everyday to prepare for daily rides and monthly competitions alike. The following images and short film were the result of several days of filming and shooting on location in beautiful northern Michigan.
Flashback Friday No. 1
Well it's been a long time since my last blog post, too long in fact. I could use the excuse that I have been extremely in the last two months as that would be true. But that's simply instead of just making an excuse I'm going to start a new blog series. Every last Friday of the month I'll be posting images from the past and the stories behind them. Most will come from my days at Hallmark Institute of Photography others more recent
Going to start with a pair of images from a photo shoot in my last couple months still in school. This particular photo shoot started off after spending a day location scouting in Boston with a fellow classmate. One spot particularly stood out that day, an old concrete track stadium just south of Boston proper. Eventually after having the initial shoot delayed it was time to make the two hour trek from my home in western Massachusetts to Boston. The first hour and a half is easy driving through the countryside on MA-2, last thirty minutes however is on Boston's subway system. Getting on the first train my assistants and I are all loaded down with bags full of camera equipment which soon starts attracting strange glances from other riders. Soon enough we are pulling into our station and walking up the stairs and out onto the streets. The distance from that station to the shoot location seems a lot longer now that I'm carrying several bags of equipment on my shoulders. It wasn't until we get to the location that we notice what was supposed to be blue skies had turned into a sky full of fast approaching storm clouds. Luckily the model shows up on time and is more than eager to shoot despite the imminent storm. We are able to shoot two poses before the skies open up and start drenching us with rain. All in all the weather enhanced the photo shoot and we were able to produce some striking images.
Thanks to Richard Wingert for modeling.
Lazy Summer Day
After a long week of work it's hard not to take advantage of the occasional warm weekends that signal the end of spring. Grabbing the fishing gear and heading down the boardwalk to that favorite spot. It doesn't even matter if the fish aren't biting, just listening to all the familiar summer sounds surrounding you and basking in the warm rays of sunlight is enough to convince one that maybe summer is actually here to stay.
Day on the Water
Firstly it's been awhile since my last blog post and I have a lot of catching up to do with several shoots waiting to get more then just a brief glance. I'll be posting fairly regularly again starting with my most recent shoot from Memorial Day weekend. With the ice now gone and air temps climbing into the mid 80's I jumped into the water to capture windsurfers and kiteboarders ripping it up. A strong westerly wind gave them all the power they needed to tear by me, slashing waves and jumping clear over in the process. It was pretty thrilling to watch these athletes harness the wind in such a creative way.
Back to Michigan Part II: Fun in the Snow
As much as I miss the Florida sun I have to admit that I'm enjoying being back in the north again. The first thing I did when I stepped off that plane was to take a deep breathe of the crisp, cold, northern air.
Shortly after arriving home I had scheduled a photo shoot on the ice of Lake Michigan not realizing that the Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights. Just as neared the end they started to appear leading to an amazing light show like I've never seen and ultimately an amazing image. Thank's to Gelli Javellana for modeling in the freezing cold weather a little longer than planned.
On second note I also managed to spare some time from tax season to take a trip even further north; crossing the Mackinac Bridge and into Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Waking up one morning to several inches of fresh snow to play in, we adventured through snow covered forests and along the icy Lake Superior on snowmobiles.
Back to Michigan Part I: Flyday
Yep that's right, I'm back in the frigid north. Most will say I was crazy for leaving Florida but the heat was starting to become a little too intense for me. And to be honest I'm actually enjoying the cold weather but more on that later in Part II. On one of my last days I got to go for an early morning sightseeing flight over to the Gulf Coast. Least to say it was an incredible experience, one that just added to an incredible time in Florida. This was one trip I won't forget anytime soon. In addition to the video of our flight, I included some images from my time down there that lean more to the fine art side of photography.
Tearing Up Waves in Florida
Firstly it has been far too long since my last post back in late January. I've been quite busy this last month in Florida. Despite staying busy I managed to slip over to the Atlantic ocean and spend a day on the beach with my friend Kirby. With the forecast calling for a good easterly wind kicking up decent waves, we brought along his jet ski. Conditions were everything the wind report had been calling for and allowed me to capture some great action shots. But the day was not all about capturing images. I brought a GoPro HERO4 with me and was able to capture some crazy on-board footage with it.
Loving Florida Life
Thirty degrees is a huge difference in temperature. This is what I considered before deciding to drive south to Florida with a friend, not long into the new year. Now I sit on a dock overlooking lake Santa Fe, soaking up the sun in 67 degree weather. Looking at the weather back in northern Michigan I don't regret my decision. The friend that brought me down here is now my latest subject. Every afternoon he puts on his wet suit, heads out onto the lake on his stand up jet ski and wrangles it like the bronco it very much acts like.
First Day of Shredding 2015
Happy New Year! I hope everyone's first day of 2015 was as wonderful as mine. I got to spend the day snowboarding with some of my best friends at one of our local ski resorts. Being a photographer, there is no way I was about to leave my camera behind on a day that promised to be full of fun, but very cold experiences. Thanks to my best friend Chris Righi for putting up with me sticking a camera in his face and making him wait in the brutal wind while I set up.
Throwback Thursday
As I look outside my window and gaze upon snow glistening on the trees I can't help but wonder if winter has finally decided to take the plunge into the deep, cold, and snowy winter northern Michigan is known for. It's this train of thought that makes it fitting that I start this blog off with a throwback to a warm summer day in July. The temperature was a comfortable eighty degrees and the sky was dotted with clouds that looked like they wanted to be menacing but just couldn't achieve it. It was the perfect day to photograph these pair of Ford hatchbacks. A 2003 Focus SVT and a 2014 Fiesta ST, two generations of Ford performance, were my subjects for the day.
Ford Fiesta ST
Ford Focus SVT
