Sun Pillar vs Sun Pillar

Posted on by farlane

Sun Pillars by Stephen Michael Mannina

Atmospheric Optics explains that the mesmerizing solar phenomena known as sun pillars are:

…Typically visible near sunset or sunrise, pillars can reach heights of 5 to 10 degrees, and occasionally even higher. While they may appear as vertical rays, they are actually the collective glints of millions of ice crystals. When it comes to colors, pillars are truly a sight to behold. They take on hues that reflect the sun and surrounding clouds, ranging from brilliant white to various shades of yellow, red, or purple. Depending on the locations of the cloud crystals, pillars can even manifest as several vertically strung patches of light. As the light interacts with the ice crystals in the atmosphere, it creates a stunning display that captivates observers.

Yesterday morning, I came across this photo by Stephen right before I saw him making a positive comment on a photo that Sean – the photographer I featured yesterday – had taken. This was soon after I had seen photos Neil Weaver had taken at an ice cave photography workshop along with fellow Michpics photographer Aubrieta Hope. It made me realize that a huge and underrated part of Michigan in Pictures is the community of real live human beings that are as passionate about their fellow photographers as they are about introducing people to their favorite parts of Michigan. That’s a long way of saying that I am going to be working on ways to showcase the people out there clicking the shutter. One way will be to revive the Michigan Photographer Profiles with a focus on the photographers on my Michigan Photographers page. Stay tuned!!

Thanks to Stephen for allowing me to share both of these awesome sun pillar shots. He’s facing a problem that many photographers face: figuring out which of these two photos is the best to submit for a photography contest? Have a vote? Share it in the comments below or on his Facebook post and for sure view & purchase his work on his website!

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Fire & Ice, Real & Fake

Posted on by farlane
Fire and Ice by Snapped by Sean Photography

Fire and Ice by Snappd by Sean Photography

Snappd by Sean Photography is one of my favorite follows on Facebook because in addition to great shots like this, he also maintains a lively back and forth with his fans. If you have become as exhausted as I am by the stream of AI fakes & stolen photographs that has taken over social media, let me suggest that you follow him and some of the other real live photographers on my Michigan Photographers page. In addition to taking views (and money) away from pixel grifters, you will be supporting the fine men & women who are out there taking the actual photographs that are being ripped off!

Sean is a Detroit-based photographer, birdwatcher & UAV drone pilot. He took this last month from Belle Isle in the Detroit River. You can see what he’s up to today on Facebook and follow him on Instagram as well!

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Superior Crystal

Posted on by farlane
Superior Crystal by Aubrietta Hope

Superior Crystal by Aubrieta Hope

Aubrieta shared this incredible shot of a sunset over Lake Superior in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Follow Michigan scenery on Facebook for her latest and view & purchase her work on her website.

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Ice cleats are mandatory at Point Betsie Light

Posted on by farlane
Point Betsie Sunset by Watermark Photography

Point Betsie Sunset by Watermark Photography

Point Betsie Lighthouse on Lake Michigan just north of Frankfort is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan, but it’s definitely an “ice cleats mandatory” location this time of year! If this view looks good to you, consider supporting the renovation of this iconic lighthouse on with a stay in the Keepers Quarters.

Jeff shares that Wednesday evening was his first time in a while seeing clear skies and sunset, and the ice sculptures made by the wind and breaking waves did not disappoint! There’s a couple more pics below. See (and purchase) this photo & others in the Winter Wonderland gallery on his website, and for sure follow Watermark Photography on Facebook for his latest.

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Light up your days with a Michigan Nut photo calendar!

Posted on by farlane
Winter Evening at Grand Haven Lighthouse by Michigan Nut Photography

Winter Evening at Grand Haven Lighthouse by Michigan Nut Photography

I would be completely remiss in my features of 2026 Michigan photo calendars if I left out one of Michigan in Pictures’ most enduring supporters, John McCormick of Michigan Nut Photography! His 2026 Michigan Wall Calendar is made right here in Michigan and features some dynamite photos from all over the Great Lakes State. He’s got all kinds of other photo-based gifts so head over to michigannutphotography.com today & make the Michigan lover on your list happy!

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Happy 55th, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

Posted on by farlane

via Leelanau.com…

At the End of the Trail by James Banks

At the End of the Trail by James Banks

Today is the 55th birthday of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Normally, I would lead with a photo of the Dunes, but the creation of the National Lakeshore on October 21, 1970 preserved a whole lot more!!

Here is the tale of the tape on Michigan’s magnificent national lakeshore as of August 1, 2024!

  • Annual Visits – 1,589,248
  • Employees – 46 permanent, 83 seasonal
  • Volunteer Hours – 58,389 from 1,659 volunteers
  • Natural and Cultural Resources
  • Area – 71,318 acres
  • Lake Michigan Shoreline – 65 miles (35 miles on the mainland)
  • Inland Lakes – 26
  • Miles of rivers and streams – 12
  • Terrestrial plant species – 908
  • Bird species – 246
  • Federally threatened or endangered species – 6
  • Historic structures on List of Classified Structures – 369
  • Sites on National Register of Historic Places – 8
  • Cultural Landscapes – 9 (4,500 acres)
  • Prehistoric archeological sites – 150
  • Historic boats – 21
  • Lighthouse – 1
  • Historic artifacts – 70,158
  • Archived documents – 21,325
  • Infrastructure
  • Buildings – 370
  • Employee housing units – 38
  • Campgrounds – 9 (357 sites)
  • Picnic Areas – 5
  • Visitor Centers – 3
  • Outdoor ampitheaters – 2
  • Miles of roads – 23
  • Covered bridge – 1 (Pierce Stocking Drive)
  • Miles of trails – 105
  • Lake access ramps – 9
  • Signs and wayside exhibits – 3572
  • Major photovoltaic power systems – 3
  • Motor vehicles in fleet – 54
  • Large boats – 8

James took these in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore back in fall of 2023. See lots more great shots in his Top 100 gallery on Flickr!

I also added a hand colored photo of “the Bear” from 1940 by Leelanau photography legend Fred Dickinson whose work you can see at the Dickinson Photo Gallery on Glen Lake & who you can read more about on Leelanau.com.

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Fall Equinox is today … mostly

Posted on by farlane
Last sunset of summer 2020 by Scott Glenn

Last sunset of summer 2020 by Scott Glenn

Astronomical fall starts at 2:19 pm today (September 22, 2025), but that doesn’t mean that day & night are exactly equal for us here in Michigan. The very useful timeanddate.com shares that in addition to latitude & the refracting effect of our atmosphere:

One of the reasons why most locations on Earth do not enjoy exactly 12 hours of daytime and 12 hours of nighttime on the equinoxes is how sunrise and sunset are defined. If sunrise and sunset were defined as the moment the geometric center of the Sun passes the horizon, then the day and night would be exactly 12 hours long. But that is not the case. Sunrise and Sunset are defined as the exact moment the upper edge of the Sun’s disk touches the eastern and the western horizon, respectively. The time it takes for the Sun to fully set, which can be several minutes, makes the day just a bit longer than the night on the equinoxes.

The day with the same sunrise & sunset time is September 25th. The sun still does rise directly in the east & set directly in the west, so don’t forget to pack your sunglasses – a lot of our roads are laid out east/west making the sunrise and sunset around the equinox sun a positively blinding proposition!

Scott took this photo of the St Joseph Lighthouse on September 21, 2020. See more in his awesome Lighthouses gallery on Flickr & enjoy a selfie he took of the last summer sunset of 2014 below!

Last Summer Sunset Selfie by Scott Glenn

Last Summer Sunset Selfie by Scott Glenn

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Sunset on a steamy summer

Posted on by farlane
Steaming into Sunset by Diann*

Steaming into Sunset by Diann

Summer is pretty much in the books, and Fox 2 Detroit shares that Summer 2025 was a hot one for a unique reason that bodes poorly for our future:

Because the summer of 2025 is not over, it’s not included in the rankings. But as of Aug. 14, the average daily temperature is 74.3 degrees – making it one of the hottest.

Here’s the difference: this year’s overnight lows have been some of the highest ever. The region has dealt with multi-day periods of sustained heat unlike any other year.

“When people talk about how hot it was back in 88, they’re right to do so,” FOX 2’s meteorologist Derek Kevra said. “But what they got was some relief days. We have had very few relief days this year.”

In the summer of 1988, there were seven days when overnight lows fell into the 40s and 26 days with overnight lows in the 50s. The summer this year has had barely any nights when temperatures fell that low. That included a 150-hour stretch where temperatures didn’t even fall below 70 degrees. Over the entire month of July, only three days have fallen into the 50s.

This isn’t the first time I’ve shared Diann’s photo of the coal powered SS Badger steaming out of its home port of Ludington back on Labor Day 2008 & it won’t be the last! Here are a few others that I’ve featured over the years – see more in her Third Coast gallery on Flickr.

More Michigan-focused climate change posts on Michigan in Pictures.

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Michigan’s smoky summer is not in your imagination

Posted on by farlane
Lakeside by Mark Ellefson

Lakeside by Mark Ellefson

If you’ve been thinking that this summer is smokier than most, you are not wrong according to WKAR Public Media and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism:

So far, smoke-induced air quality advisories have been issued for more than 20 days. Last year, there were none due to wildfires.

…Atmospheric conditions and wind direction bring smoke from Canada into Michigan. High-and low-pressure systems are common ways smoke is transported, said Rebecca Hansen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Grand Rapids office. Most recently, all those cloudless skies—due to a high-pressure system—helped blow the smoke right into the state, she said. ‘”Due to the light winds moving around, that’s helping the smoke stay over the area too … Canada has been experiencing warmer and drier conditions, and that definitely increases the wildfire risk,” Hansen said.

Mark took this in the UP a few days ago. See more on his Flickr.

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August 7th is National Lighthouse Day!

Posted on by farlane
Sunset Fire by Brian Ertl

Sunset Fire by Brian Ertl

National Lighthouse Day is an un-official celebration of lighthouses and the commitment and service of those who tended America’s lights for generations. It’s an especially big deal in Michigan because we are home to more lighthouses than any other state in the country, with over 120 lighthouses keeping watch along the 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline!!

The American Lighthouse Foundation explains that the 1789 Act for Establishment and support of Lighthouse, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers enabled a huge amount of commerce by guaranteeing that lighthouses and other marine safety infrastructure would be funded nationally. National Lighthouse Day was officially celebrated on August 7, 1989 to mark the 200th anniversary signing, but Congress has yet to officially name it a national holiday.

Brian took the above shot of the Grand Haven Lighthouse earlier this year & the one below back in June of 2020 – love the way the sun lights the light! See his latest on Flickr.

…and learn about many more Michigan lighthouses on Michigan in Pictures!

Grand Haven Pier Sunset by Brian Ertl

Grand Haven Pier Sunset by Brian Ertl

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