Tag: Lake Michigan Winter

Wait a Day…

February 24, 2021
environmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake Michigannature photographyRichard Mack PhotographyThe Sweetwater SeaswinterWinter Landscape PhotographyWinter photography

If you know the Great Lakes, and many say any place, the weather can change on a moment’s notice. On February 13-14 this year here in Chicago we had a snowstorm that dropped 20” from the sky. Along with that we had winds coming out of the north and right down Lake Michigan which blew the ice into shore. I went down to the shoreline of Lake Michigan on the 17th to see the conditions of the lake, expecting ice up against the shoreline, yet it had already moved out about 2 miles offshore. Still we had the ice built up high along the shore and the open water behind it so I made both some still and video shots of the lake. The next day I went back to the same spots and because the winds had shifted yet again the ice had moved back into the shoreline right up to the pack ice. An interesting perspective on the changes which come within 24 hours along the Great Lakes. And below are some of the still images.

Enjoy,

Richard

Snow Storm in May?

April 27, 2019
environmentGreat Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLandscapesLighthouse Beachnature photographyThe Sweetwater SeasVideovideo productionwinterWinter Landscape PhotographyWinter photography

With snow expected today I thought I post something from February to remind you it won’t be all that bad! Besides we won’t need to shovel since it will be 50’s on Sunday! So enjoy… you can watch a video of the shoot with this link: https://vimeo.com/329873301

Winter on the Great Lakes can be a fantastic opportunity to see the power and fascination of nature. Went back to Lighthouse Beach to shoot the Ice Island which had formed off the beach at sunrise to get the light shining through the ice sheets. Shot mostly video for The Sweetwater Seas documentary but took some time to shoot some still images as well.

Started at 6am in 9 degrees, at least there was no wind at all so it seemed warm with all the layers on! (Just had to watch where your breath went so it didn’t get in front of lens!) Spent about 2.5 hours out there. Enjoy!

And now for sunrise on Lake Michigan…

February 9, 2011
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLighthouse BeachSunrise

Here is an update to last night’s post of the sunset, with images from this morning’s sunrise! I wasn’t planning on going out this morning but found myself wide awake about 5:15 so I decided that since it had been so clear last night that it might make fro a great sunrise. I was disappointed when I saw clouds overhead at the beach. I kept hoping the sun would pop through but it never did. Still all in all I found some interesting shots and the ice had actually opened up a bit it seems even though the temperature outside was only 2 degrees. 

Interestingly I did a custom color balance off the snow which in my opinion was way too warm (for those tech nuts it gave me 13450K!) In Lightroom I brought it down to around 9000K which may still be too warm, but is what I remember it looking like in real life. The first images from before sunrise where shot at 6500K and I left them at that color temp. This was my guess for color temperature before I made a custom image of the snow for white balance. Of course if you are not looking at a color calibrated monitor it might not matter.

Here is a link to my selections from the shoot: Sunrise

And Last nights image selection again: Sunset

Enjoy!

Richard

More images of Lake Michigan in Winter

February 8, 2011
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLighthouse Beachwinter

This afternoon I ventured down to the lake front at Lighthouse Beach, one of my favorite spots, not just because it is close, but it has an old pier at the north end and a small bluff behind the beach to give you some elevation, giving you a perfect place to start from. I’ve shot a lot from this beach over the years, and it is one of the places where I decided a book on all the Great Lakes might be something I should work on.

I knew I wanted to shoot the evening sunset with the ice build up along Lake Michigan’s shore before next week’s warm up. So, with the temperatures around 8 degrees I ventured down to the beach about a half hour before sunset. As I approached the entrance I said hello to a fellow photographer coming off the beach and I thought to myself, why are you leaving so soon, the best light is about to be here! Then I looked out over the water and ice and thought, maybe I should have come down a bit earlier!

Yet the light from the cloudless sky reflected off the snow giving it a glow late into the evening. Starting up high on the small bluff I was able to be about the same height as the top of the ice packed into the coastline. Beyond you could see some patches of open water, and all the way out you could see the icebergs floating out on the open water. Looking carefully you could see the icebergs floating on the waves and moving southward past the frozen pack ice which extended out about 2-300 yards.

The only part of the old pier at the north end of the beach which could be seen were a few of the pilings sticking out of the ice. I shot them from a distance and included the light station at the entrance to Wilmette harbor.  I then headed out to the edge of the ice pack to get a different view.

I always shoot later into the evening than most photographers. By now it was nearly 45 minutes past sunset and the light had a very interesting glow to it, and the stars had begun to show in the sky, along with the streaks from all of the planes going in and out of O’Hare airport.

Finally done, I looked back to see Grosse Pointe Lighthouse beaming out towards the lake. One last shot needed to be done before heading in. So an hour and a half after arriving on the beach and almost an hour past sunset I packed it all in headed to the warmth of my car. Glad I went down even if my feet and fingers were cold. Interestingly I didn’t really feel that until I was making what I knew were the last shots, then I felt the cold.

To see my selections from this shoot use this link: http://www.mackphoto.com/blog/LakeMichiganWinter20110208/ 

Enjoy the winter!!

Richard