Line 5 Flotilla Protest
On September 1, 2018 I was up in Mackinaw City, Michigan for the Flotilla Protest to shut down Line 5, a 65-year-old oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. And that is what The Flotilla – a protest by the Tribes of northern Michigan to promote the issues surrounding Line 5 was all about. Keeping our waters safe. It started with a blessing of the waters and then the flotilla protest with Native American’s and others joining in to show their support for shutting Line 5 down. It was organized by all the tribal leaders, tribal nations, and water warriors across the Great Lakes region in the 4th Paddle Out Protest to decommission Line 5. Especially the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
Ludington State Park
Last Thursday I rolled into Ludington State Park for a one-night stay on my way back from filming in Traverse City. I had never visited this park before, so I spent the evening walking the dunes and looking for images. To my surprise, while the campground was almost full, no one else was out wandering the dunes – much to my pleasure. Having the place to yourself gives you time to wander and take in the place and space you are in. It was interesting to find areas without any footprints in many places. It was a peaceful evening filled with images everywhere.
Time-lapse of clouds and water
I've been shooting time-lapse for awhile now and am always amazed at how cool it can be when you see the final results. Working on The Sweetwater Seas - A Documentary About the Great Lakes, I have done a fair amount of time-lapse with moving clouds, stars and the water.
Shooting Farms in Wisconsin
Farmers are working with the Natural Resources Conservation Services as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to mitigate the nutrient runoff.
Pukaskwa Provencial Park
Whenever I do a shoot for our documentary The Sweetwater Seas I return and compile my favorite shots into a reel for quicker review when we edit the film later. This is a collection of the shots from this summer's trip to Canada's Pukaskwa Provincial Park on Lake Superior. I met a lot of great folks up there... Enjoy! Richard.
The Sweetwater Seas in 100 Words
The Sweetwater Seas in 100 Words is a quick introduction to the feature-length documentary film The Sweetwater Seas - North America's Great Lakes.
Lake Superior - Two Winters
Two winters, drastically different weather. In March, 2013 on Lake Superior, it was below 0°F. The lake was shrouded in ice and snow. The same week in 2016 the ice had all but left the lake, and little snow remained in the forests.
Blizzard Conditions on the Great Lakes
True winter weather has hit the Chicago area finally this winter. It made me take up the camera to get some video for The Sweetwater Seas documentary I ma filming currently for both TV and a book. While I try and prepare myself for the conditions I did forget to bring along my pair of ski goggles which would have made it much easier! The wind was howling so load and fast it was difficult to keep going. I would stop for a few minutes to film and when I turned around my footprints had vanished beneath the snow. No trace of me walking out there - a true Leave No Trace afternoon. Above is a still image from the day but you can see a few of the video clips I have put together by using the link below.
