Detroit Photo Meetup: You Gotta Have Art

Posted on by farlane

Detroit Institute of Arts by Coretta Billy

A lot of the photographers I feature on Michigan in Pictures as well as many readers are from the Detroit area. If you are and are interested in growing your skills and/or your network of photographers, I encourage you to check out the “Click & Create: Detroit Photography Meetup” this Saturday, Jan 24th 10:00 AM at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

They write: “Join us for a photography meet-up designed to spark creativity across all ages and skill levels. We’ll explore the space together, work from shared shot lists, compare styles, and trade inspiration as we capture fresh perspectives in the heart of the city …. Meet inside the Woodward Entrance. Bring your camera or phone. No flash photography. No tripods or extra equipment. Just your eye, your curiosity, and your creative energy.”

Coretta Billy shared the event with me. She specializes in portraits & events, and is of the photographers who will be in attendance. You can follow her on Facebook and view & purchase her work at corettabillyiecphotography.com.

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A case of the Cyber Mondays

Posted on by farlane

Screen Head by Chancellor Monnette

Cyber Monday is a term coined almost 20 years ago by Ellen Davis as the name for the phenomenon of people returning on the post-Thanksgiving Monday to shop with their high-speed Internet connections at work. It’s become the biggest online shopping day of the year & the second biggest shopping day of overall.

I really really hope that for Cyber Monday you think about buying prints, calendars & other items from the amazing photographers featured on Michigan in Pictures! There are all kinds of challenges including AI that make it harder and harder to earn a living with your camera!

Although Chancellor Monnette is no longer online, I still encourage you to check out his work on Flickr!

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Hungry for Power

Posted on by farlane
power | time traveler series | by brian day

power | time traveler series | by brian day

You may have heard that the owners of Pallisades Nuclear Plant plan to restart 70s-era facility in 2025, but did you hear that they also plan to fire up two smaller reactors on the site?

Holtec International, the company that owns and wants to restart the closed Palisades nuclear plant, is already working on preliminary site plans for a pair of 300-megawatt SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) previously announced for the industrial site along Lake Michigan in Covert Township.

…Advanced nuclear technology expert Staffan Qvist, Swedish engineer and scientist, said SMRs come with “inherent safety” measures using the basic physics of the plant’s design and engineering. He said SMRs will generate smaller loads of electricity than classic nuclear plants but will cost much less to build. Qvist said the Holtec SMR-300 is a primarily water-cooled design, and he likened it to a shrunken down version of a conventional pressurized water reactor (but)… Nuclear critic Kevin Kamps, of watchdog group Beyond Nuclear, said trying to restart the old nuclear plant and co-locate new modular units was setting up the site for “Fukushima-like domino-effect meltdowns.”

You can read more in mLive, but I think the thing that may be of most interest is WHY these plants are being restarted in the first place. Scientific American has a great look at how Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses a ridiculous amount of power & is on track to use a whole lot more.

I featured this photo of the Fermi plant in southeast Michigan from Brian’s amazing series called The Time Traveller way back in 2011. Check out his latest work on Instagram & for sure dig into some of his other photo series on his website.

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Flipping into the future

Posted on by farlane

Wheel in the Sky by Andrew McFarlane

Seven years ago I stepped away from Michigan in Pictures to give myself more time to focus on paying the bills and also getting out & enjoying Michigan. The pandemic lockdown drew me back, and now that I live in Detroit I find that my daily Michigan in Pictures keeps my mind happily roaming this state that I love even when I can’t get there in real life! I’m working on some fun ideas for the fall including a lot of Michigan spooky stuff so stay tuned!

I took this photo of my daughter doing a cartwheel in Sleeping Bear Dunes 20 years ago, but it’s still one of my favorites! While I don’t have a photography site I can send you to, I for sure appreciate those of you who are chipping in a few bucks a month on my Patreon and also those of you who follow Michigan in Pictures on Facebook where I get a little money for being more interesting than AI 😉

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Fishing against the Light (and rain)

Posted on by farlane
Contre Jour by Luther Roseman Dease

Some fish for fun while others fish for food by Luther Roseman Dease II

This photo I shared eight years ago is a great example of contre-jour, the term for shooting directly into the light source. Luther explains that the light creates a form of the subject without releasing its precious and cluttered details unto photography’s artistry. See many more examples in his Contre-Jour gallery on Flickr and for sure view & purchase his work on his website.

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That Summertime Vibe

Posted on by farlane

Splash & Summertime by Charles Bonham

As we head into the heart of summer and frankly quite a lot of uncertainty as to where our nation is headed, I thought that summertime is a perfect time to look to the children in our lives for a reminder of the joy of losing yourself in the moment, if only for a moment. I used to work at a preschool and also did summer programs for kids & was always struck by how much FUN you can have when you let kids take the lead.

To be clear, I’m not advocating ignoring things that concern you, just hoping there’s room for a little bit of sunshine.

I think that Charles is one of the very best at capturing this vibe, so here are two of my favorite portraits that I’ve shared in the past!! See more in his Funky Photos gallery on Flickr.

Summertime by Charles Bonham
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That Summertime Vibe…

Posted on by farlane

Summertime by Charles Bonham

Summertime by Charles Bonham

This pic of a kid deep in his vibes in Leland’s Fishtown from a decade ago is one of my all-time favorite photos. It’s also kind of perfect for news from mLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa that Michigan (well southern Michigan at least) might hit 70 degrees multiple times next week! Mark offers the caveat that the problem with temperature forecasts in Michigan in April & May is that even light north winds can work with Lake Michigan or Huron to push cold air down the lake. Pretty cool article – check it out at mLive.

See more in Charles’s Funky Photos and/or Leland/MI Fishtown galleries on Flickr!

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Marche du Nain Rouge ~ Sunday, March 20, 2022

Posted on by farlane

Marche du Nain Rouge by Joel Williams

Marche du Nain Rouge by Joel Williams

The Nain Rouge has been a harbinger of doom since the time of Detroit’s founding. Every spring, Detroiters celebrate liberation from the fearsome Red Dwarf of Detroit by holding a parade in the Cass Corridor to trick the Nain with their terrible French and costumes in the Mardi Gras-esque Marche du Nain Rouge!

The event is symbolic of a new beginning and speaking as someone who has been to a couple of these, it’s a heck of a lot of fun! Next Sunday, March 20, 2022 from 1-3 PM join thousands of revelers to celebrate and once again banish the fiendish imp intent on ruining Detroit!  Tradition holds that a citizen of Detroit dresses up as Le Nain Rouge, temporarily embodying its spirit, wearing a mask to conceal identity. As Le Nain Rouge, this person accepts responsibility for leading people through the streets of Detroit to La Marche’s final destination.

Joel took this at the Marche back in 2017. You can see more in his Marche du Nain Rouge 2017 gallery on Flickr.

PS: Turns out I was there in 2017 as well so you can also check out my Flickr gallery!

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Coach Izzo is the Big Ten’s winningest!

Posted on by farlane

MSU vs South Carolina by Matt Hallowell

MSU vs South Carolina by Matt Hallowell

Last night Michigan State University Spartans mens basketball head coach Tom Izzo notched his 663rd win to pass Bobby Knight for most wins at one Big Ten school. From his first victory in 1995 to last night’s,  Izzo has enjoyed an extraordinary career at Michigan State with 23 straight NCAA tourney appearances (soon to be 24), 10 Final Four appearances, and a 2000 NCAA championship. Congratulations to Coach Izzo on a stellar career that’s still going!

Matt took this way back in November of 2010 when he was working for the State News. See more in his Sports Portfolio gallery on Flickr.

PS: I also wanted to make sure you all saw this Instagram photo that Adam Ruff took last night of Izzo!

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Remembering the 0-16 Detroit Lions

Posted on by farlane

Unable to Watch by Sam

Unable to Watch by Sam

“This is not fun to go through, obviously. But there’s people going through a lot worse than this.”
-Lions head coach Rod Marinelli (2008)

Detroit Lions fans who haven’t successfully repressed the memories know that yesterday (December 28th) was the 13-year anniversary of the Lions finishing 0-16. With their 31-21 loss on Dec 28, 2008 to the Green Bay Packers they became the first team ever to go winless in a 16-game season. While they have been far from amazing in the first year of the Dan Campbell era, there are at least a few glimmers of hope to be found in their 2-12-1 season. At least that’s what I’m told. 😅

Sam took this photo at the Thanksgiving Day game when it was already pretty clear where the team was heading. See more in her Thanksgiving Day Football ’08 gallery on Flickr & for sure follow her blog Roar of the Tigers for entertaining content!

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