Untitled, photo by Jenny Murray.
Speaking of Through the Viewfinder (aka TTV) (which we were the day before yesterday) here’s one of Jenny’s.
Berry Branch and Bokeh
Berry Branch, photo by Voxphoto.
In Bokeh: What it is and isn’t, Ross (Vox) says that although “bokeh” is the Japanese word for blurry, before this useful term degenerates into just another name for “blurry” we should take a stand to preserve its specific technical meaning:
Bokeh refers to the subjective quality of the blur. Is it “jangly” and busy-looking, or creamy and smooth? Do out-of-focus highlights have odd, distracting shapes, or are they unobtrusive circles? Does the blurred area seem to “swirl” around the center of the photo in arcs? These are some of the factors which might be mentioned as aspects of the bokeh for a particular lens. And these may be the reasons why a serious bokeh geek would chose one particular lens over a different brand with otherwise identical specs.
The word “bokeh” officially entered the English language in 1997, in an issue of the magazine Photo Techniques—whose editor Mike Johnston decided to add the final ‘h’ to make the pronunciation less ambiguous. He tells the story here, and includes some interesting photos showing different subjective effects in various blurred backgrounds.
Read the rest for more technical observations on bokeh from Ross’s excellent photography blog silverbased.org and check out this bokeh slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.
Railroad Bridge at Newaygo State Park
Railroad Bridge, photo by kek19.
The DNR’s page on Newaygo State Park says it is:
…a 99-site rustic campground, which sits atop 20-foot embankments overlooking the Hardy Dam Pond, a six-mile flooding of the Muskegon River (view on the Absolute Michigan map). The park caters primarily to campers, anglers and recreational boaters. There are several picnic sites overlooking the reservoir for day users. The campground is nestled in oak and poplar forests and is noted for its large, private sites and scenic beauty. There is a 20-30 foot forested buffer between sites, and each site is provided with a picnic table and a fire ring.
This TTV (through the viewfinder – more TTV on Michigan in Pictures) photo is part of Karri’s Nature set – definitely view it as a slideshow.
View more of Karri’s photos at RedBubble and see more from Newaygo County in the Newaygo County group on Flickr.
change (your background)
I am continually surprised by how popular Michigan in Pictures (in particular this post) is for searches for “fall backgrounds” or “fall wallpaper“. Every day about 100 people end up here, and I feel it’s sort of a duty to find a nice big photo every few days … sort of like feeding the fish.
Nicole took this photo on an Exposure.Detroit photo safari at Stony Creek Metropark on Saturday. You can purchase some of her photos in her etsy shop.
More fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures and also check out the Michigan autumn slideshow from Absolute Michigan!
Art goes green – the Grand Rapids Art Museum
View this photo larger right here and see many more in Nathan’s architectural photography set (slideshow). The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) was the world’s first LEED gold certified art museum complex. The case study of the museum from GreenSource Magazine observes:
This handsome temple of art is, in many respects, a myth-buster. Art museums are widely believed to be “sustainability-proof” because they expend enormous amounts of energy maintaining constant temperature and humidity levels to protect their precious contents. Yet this building reveals that a balance between art and environmentalism is possible if architects, clients, and contractors pursue an integrated approach and factor energy savings into every aspect of the design equation. Sometimes that means borrowing green strategies from conventional structures; sometimes it means using new techniques to satisfy the needs of this demanding building type.
“Typical green solutions are often not best,” says a LEED case study of the museum, prepared by the design and construction team and submitted to the U.S. Green Building Council as part of the museum’s LEED submission.
Designed by Thai-born architect Kulapat Yantrasast of Los Angeles-based wHY Architecture and open since last October, the $75 million, 125,000-square-foot museum fronts on a vibrant, Maya Lin-designed public plaza in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, western Michigan’s largest city. Home to renowned furniture makers Steelcase, Herman Miller, Knoll, and Haworth, the region already has a rich lode of LEED projects. This one owes its green streak to former Steelcase executive Peter Wege. In 2001, he pledged $20 million, with one string attached: The building would have to be LEED-certified.
The Christian Science Monitor notes that there’s a trend for museums across the country to use green design & construction practices. Also check out this feature from the New York Times about the construction of the museum, the excellent Grand Rapids Art Museum: LEED Gold Certified / wHY Architecture in Arch Daily and this article on the GRAM from Greenline blog (who uses Nathan’s photo).
Here’s a slideshow of views of the GRAM on Flickr and some photography by Kevin Beswick on YouTube.
Yellow & Green
Yellow & Green, photo by nasunto.
Mulberry Grove, Greenfield Village. This is part of Nina’s Greenfield Village set (slideshow).
She also has a cool blog about camping, hiking, nature and Michigan that I think you’ll enjoy.
A walk in the Park
The cities we love
The Water Board, photo by Allan M
“The cities we love we cannot build anymore.”
– City philosopher Charles Landry
Landry was one of the keynote speakers at the Creative Cities Summit in Detroit and he wondered why we usually build monolithic and ugly boxes when that’s not the architecture we say we love. Here’s a look at some of the amazing architecture of Michigan’s cities courtesy the Absolute Michigan pool.
Allan (an architectural student) says that one of his favorite buildings downtown is the often overlooked Water Board Building. This photo is part of his Downtown Motown set, which is best seen as a slideshow I think.
houston we have liftoff
houston we have liftoff, photo by suesue2.
OnSunday night I had the very great honor and pleasure of spending the evening with some folks from the Flickr based photo group Exposure.Detroit.
After dinner at Slows BBQ (three words: “baby back ribs”) we went downtown and enjoyed shooting Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on a beautiful October evening.
Sue’s photo of the Dodge Fountain is just one of many that you can check out in this nifty slideshow.
fall images
fall images, photo by buckshot.jones.
This photo of the reflected and swirling color on the Manistee River is part of Scott’s Fall color 2008 set (slideshow). He writes:
For some reason this year the colors seem particularly robust. Maybe it is the weather, warm days, cool nights and not much heavy rain, or maybe I’m just more in tune this year. Either way, I am diggin’ it.
Fall in Michigan, my idea of paradise. No other place I’d rather be.
After a drive from northwest to southeast, I can deliver a 10-4 on the color this year along with a hearty “me too” on the no place I’d rather be.
…and yes, they are available at “biggie-size” – get much more autumn awesome on the Michigan fall wallpaper page!
Michigan in Pictures 