Death and Dying, photo by SCOTTS WORLD.
Scott writes:
An urban school abandoned and falling apart. Someone else had placed this book here, but I thought it made a great shot, both on its own and as a symbol of the death of this once great place.
Check it out background big and see more shots from schools that didn’t make it in Scott’s Schools slideshow.
More Black & White photography on Michigan in Pictures.
Supermoon from Belle Isle, photo by Alanna St. Laurent Photography
On Saturday night the Super Moon took to the skies. While it didn’t appear to be the biggest moon I’ve ever seen, it was definitely very impressive. You can still check it out pretty big tonight if it’s out.
Check this out bigger and see a couple more in Alanna’s Detroit Slideshow.
There are a bunch more shots of the Super Moon over some familiar Michigan scenery in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr – add your own if you have them and settle back for the Super Moon slideshow!
More about the Super Moon on Michigan in Pictures and check out the Super Moon slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool!
Wolf Moon over the Lake, photo by Michelle Dion ~.
NASA explains that tonight (March 19, 2011) a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset – a super “perigee moon” – the biggest in almost 20 years:
“The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993,” says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. “I’d say it’s worth a look.”
Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon’s orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon’s orbit.
…The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the “Moon illusion” amplify a full Moon that’s extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
You watch the explanation on YouTube and read about the full moon on Wikipedia, where names listed for this month’s moon include Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, Sap Moon, Chaste Moon and (sadly appropriate) Death Moon.
Check this out bigger and in Michelle’s My Favorite 27 slideshow.
Step out, look up, breathe.
Untitled, photo by Ann Arbor Film Festival.
The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) is the longest-running independent film festival in North America. The 6 day festival brings filmmakers and guests from all over the country and the world along with 188 films, videos and live performances in 40 programs, including more than 20 premieres of new work from China, England, Spain, France, Japan, Finland, Croatia, Chile, Netherlands, Korea and throughout North America. Complete details, schedules and trailers on the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival website.
With a focus on independent cinema, the AAFF has showcased early work from filmmakers & artists including Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Lawrence Kasdan, Devo and George Lucas. Their history page says that:
The Ann Arbor Film Festival was started in 1963 by University of Michigan School of Art filmmaker/artist George Manupelli. The 1960s sparked rapid changes in cinema, thus challenging the art world to accept fresh ideas and talent. Manupelli took advantage of this shift and envisioned a festival that would serve experimental and pioneering filmmakers with the exposure, feedback and competition they desired. He designed his festival to be open to anyone who saw filmmaking as art.
From a casual group of fascinated students, filmmakers and film enthusiasts crowded into the smoke-filled Lorch Hall auditorium, to the thousands of filmmakers, artists and spectators hosted in the grand Michigan Theater, the Ann Arbor Film Festival has grown to be an internationally celebrated institution. Since 1980, it has been independent of the University of Michigan as an independent non-profit arts organization. In the fall of 2003 the festival broadened its scope to include video and digital formats for competition.
Dive into the AAFF website for much more!
The 48th AAFF Highlights slideshow from the Ann Arbor Film Festival shows one of the coolest things about the AAFF, the up-close access to filmmakers that you get through Q&As and panel discussions. Lots more including opening reception, after parties, fashion and (of course) Giant Animal Badminton.
Which Way to Ireland?, photo by Rudy Malmquist
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Michigan! You can see some of the celebrations today and this weekend on Absolute Michigan and I hope everyone has a happy (and safe) St. Patrick’s Day!
Check this our bigger and see more in Rudy’s Irish slideshow!
110314_4339A, photo by jsorbieus.
One of the signs of spring in Michigan is when you see buckets on the maple trees. Jim writes that the first step to a delicious breakfast is real michigan maple syrup! Check it out bigger than a bucket and see more shots in his Syrup Slideshow!
For more about how syrup is made, check out The Cycle of Sweetness: From Sap to Maple Syrup. You can also read a little about how Native Americans made maple sugar on Michigan in Pictures.
As always, Absolute Michigan has more Michigan maple syrup features & links.
Darius Morris by JS_Owens || MSU Basketball #10 by Blackbeard Ben || summit league championship by elishapage
After weeks of uncertainty, the state of Michigan was rewarded with not one or two but three NCAA Tournament bids!
The University of Michigan Wolverines (20-13) received a #8 seed, higher than most expected and meet #9 seed Tennessee at 12: 40 PM on Friday in the West Regional in Charlotte. It’s a high seed but a tough slot as they will likely face #1 seed Duke in the 2nd round if they advance. The good news is that Duke is considered by many the weakest of the #1s and Tennessee is 4-7 over their past 11 games.
The Michigan State University Spartans (19-14) managed their 14th straight NCAA bid, a #10 seed. They square off against #7 seed UCLA at 9:20 PM on Thursday in the the Southeast Regional in Tampa, Fla. If the Spartans win, they would probably meet #2 seed Florida on Saturday. While MSU always seems to endure some struggles, this season has been especially trying.
Michigan’s third bid went to the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies (25-9). They received a #13 seed and will face one of the dominant teams of the season who fell on hard times late, #4 seed Texas (27-7) in Tulsa on Friday at 12:15. The Golden Grizzlies are #2 in the country in points per game and shooting percentage, something they will really need Friday!
You can check out the bracket on ESPN, read more at the Freep and also check out Pat Forde’s Big Breakdown of the Tourney.
Editor’s note: I had planned a post about Michigan St. Patrick’s Day parades, some of which take place today or tomorrow. Check out information for St. Paddy’s celebrations in Detroit, Bay City, Clare, Flint,Kalamazoo, Grand Ledge, Saugatuck, Traverse City and Muskegon. Sorry about that, but when the Aurora Borealis calls, I’m picking up the phone!
March 11 Northern Lights over Lake Superior, photo by Shawn Malone
Last week Michigan in Pictures featured an article saying that the prospects for Northern Lights viewing in Michigan were looking great for the next couple of years. Thanks to Pure Michigan’s Facebook, that post became the most popular ever.
Yesterday on Facebook (does it look like I’m spending too much time there??) I saw that photographer Shawn Malone of Lake Superior Photo had captured a fantastic series of northern lights shots over the frozen landscape of Lake Superior near Marquette in the early morning of March 11th. She writes:
Nice to see the northern lights back, I caught the tail end of the strongest part of the display. These were taken along the Lake Superior shore near Marquette MI.
Lights were bright, brightest I’ve seen them in years. Snow did a good job reflecting the light hitting it.
See the whole gallery on Facebook. Shawn and Brian haven’t posted the photos to their site yet, but when they do, they’ll likely be in the Northern Lights section which includes some truly jaw-dropping photos!
If you’re interesting in keeping up with geo-magnetic forecasts, I would recommend NOAA’s Space Weather site, which includes the ability to subscribe for updates (link to “Email Products” at the bottom of the page). Definitely tune into the Northern Lights on Michigan in Pictures, and if you see the aurora, post a comment on the Michigan Northern Lights Log!
Churning, photo by Jeff Gaydash.
For those of you who are looking for another photo every week, I encourage you to check out Photo Fridays on Absolute Michigan. Almost every week, we feature the work of one of the great photographers in our Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr, along with some of their thoughts about photography and the state of Michigan.
We started in 2006 and have posted almost 200 Photo Fridays. With 2805 photographers as of today in the group, we’ll be done in 53 years!
Definitely view Jeff’s photo from Port Sanilac bigger and check out his sets including Piezography Prints, The Great Lakes, Architektura and Explored! (slideshow).
6 March 11, photo by singlecupofcoffee
March is one of the toughest times to be a Michigander as Mother Nature teases us with the promise of spring and then reminds us that winter isn’t yet over. Megan Elizabeth has decided (once again) that the best way to get through March is by jumping, and she’s selected umbrellas for the win.
Check this out bigger and in Megan’s march twenty-eleven JUMPS slideshow, and if you have your own strategy for dealing with March-induced cabin fever, share it in the comments!
Michigan in Pictures 