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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Bohemian Waxwings

Posted on by farlane
Bohemian Waxwing by Sheen Watkins Photography

Bohemian Waxwing by Sheen Watkins Photography

Sheen recently shared her winter encounter with Bohemian waxwings that says (in part):

Often mistaken for their more familiar cousins, the Cedar Waxwings, Bohemian Waxwings differences are quite noticeable. Slightly larger, with muted gray bodies and warm cinnamon accents beneath their wings, tail and on their lores. Their soft, almost melted waxy looking plummage complements winter’s softer light.

…They arrived the way waxwings always do—suddenly and together. A flock descended on a cluster of trees heavy with berries, moving with a quiet, choreographed urgency. Waxwings are communal feeders, virtually overtaking a tree before moving on. They arrive, thrive, and leave—often as quickly as they appeared.

That fleeting time of when then move south combined with their behavior is what makes these encounters feel so rare. Seeing Bohemian Waxwings each winter is never a guarantee. Some years they pass unseen. Other years, luck and timing intersect, and I find myself standing in the cold, bundled and unmoving, watching bird life unfold just feet away.

Read on for much more & for sure follow Sheen Watkins Photography on Facebook & check out her website for more work!

More birds on Michigan in Pictures.

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Yesterday & Today with Rephotographing Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Downtown Mt Pleasant by Rephotographing Michigan

Downtown Mt Pleasant by Rephotographing Michigan

Nine years ago I featured Rephotographing Michigan, Paul Evans’s photographic exploration of the environmental and economic changes Michigan has experienced. I’m happy to report that Paul is still going strong and to share a few of his excellent yesterday & today photos.

Check out yesterday & today scenes from Bay City, Petoskey, Calumet, Lansing & Mackinac Island below and follow Rephotographing Michigan on Facebook for lots more!

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20 years of Michigan in Pictures

Posted on by farlane

Twenty years ago this morning on December 30, 2005, I started Michigan in Pictures to share some of the great photos I was seeing on Flickr along with some of the Michigan stories & events we were putting out on Absolute Michigan*. By way of celebration, here are some highlights from the first decade with the second to follow tomorrow!

2006: Michigan Photographer Profiles

The top two posts of 2006 were also my favorite: the Michigan Photographer Profiles of Ann Arbor Huron High senior Marjorie O’Brien and Matt Callow, a British born and bred photographer with a penchant for pinhole photography & unique cameras. I had so much fun exploring the motivations and techniques of some of my favorite photographers that I am honestly wondering why I stopped 🤔

Grungy by I am Jacques Strappe

Grungy by I am Jacques Strappe

Holga 35mm- Barton Dam by Matt Callow

Holga 35mm- Barton Dam by Matt Callow

2007: Slumpy

slumpy by ryan southen

slumpy by Ryan Southen

Ryan’s photo of the William Livingston Mansion in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood in Detroit has remained one of the most popular of all time. Slumpy has also served along with with Michigan Central Station as a centerpiece for the discussion of “ruin porn” photography.

2008: Northern Lights & an Electric Forest

The top two pics of the year took us to the Rothbury Music Festival (now Electric Forest) and high above the earth with the first of very many posts about predicting the aurora borealis.

Hey Snoop, Michigan Loves You by Ann Teliczan

Hey Snoop, Michigan Loves You by Ann Teliczan

Skyfire by Kevin’s Images

2009: Lake Michigan Stonehenge

Lake Michigan Stones via bldgblog

The post about a stone circle underneath Lake Michigan in Grand Traverse Bay near Traverse City is the second most popular of all time.

2010: Photo evidence of Michigan cougars

Menominee County Cougar, June 2010 by Michigan DNR

While cougars in Michigan are a given in 2025, they were very much a question 15 years ago when we shared this trail cam pic.

The comments are kind of hilarious ;)

2011: Marquette Northern Lights

Marquette Northern Lights, October 24, 2011 by Shawn Malone

This isn’t the first of the many photos I’ve shared by Lake Superior Photo’s Shawn Malone, but it is one of my faves!

2012: Mount Arvon is Michigan’s Tallest

Mt Arvon – Michigan’s Highest Point by Gowtham

Gowtham took us all the way up Mount Arvon as part of my Michigan’s Tallest series.

2013: Know Your Michigan Turtles

I’m Posing for the Camera by capcbd

The most popular post of 2013 is also the most popular of all time: Know Your Michigan Turtles. It’s also the hub for information about Michigan’s 10 native turtle species so check it out!

2014 & 2015: Ice Cave Obsession

In the same way that I thought it was fascinatingly cool to have bridge photos as 4 of the 6 top photos in my 2025 Michigan in Pictures Year in Review, I think it’s pretty darn nifty that the top photos of 2014 & 2015 both reflected the hold that ice caves had on Michigan winter discourse. Check out Ken’s Ice Caves of Leelanau and Heather’s Ice Caves Return to Lake Michigan, and I will see you tomorrow!!

Lake Michigan Ice Cave Sunset by Ken Scott

Lake Michigan … ice cave sunset II by Ken Scott

Ice Caves Return by Heather Higham

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* Absolute Michigan was my Michigan supersite that was put out of business by the $10-30+ million per year behemoth that was Pure Michigan. Here’s a look courtesy the Wayback Machine of absolutemichigan.com in its prime.

Early morning spider web

Posted on by farlane
Early Morning Spider Web by Kevin Povenz

Early morning spider web – Explore by Kevin Povenz

Kevin shares that he took this when he walked along the Grand River on a Sunday morning this August & got to an open field with some great sunlit spider webs. See more in his Butterflies/Insects gallery on Flickr & follow him at Kevin Povenz Photos on Facebook!

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Here comes fall color!

Posted on by farlane
M-22 Fall Color 2015 by Craig Sterken Photography

Sunday Drive in Autumn – M-22 – October 2010 by Craig Sterken Photography

Ten years ago I featured this photo from Craig of M-22 on the Leelanau Peninsula on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook. In addition to being a signature location for Pure Michigan fall color, the car happens to be next to the exact spot where I waited for the bus as a kid in the 1970s!

You can purchase this photo & see the awesome vistas this car is bound for as it drives south on M-22 in Craig’s Sleeping Bear Dunes gallery on his website. For sure follow him on Facebook or Instagram for his latest!

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Bluejay got back!

Posted on by farlane
Bluejay by Monika Kross

Baby Got Back! by Monika Kross

Frequent Michigan in Pictures Group contributor Monika shares: “I’ve never seen a Blue Jay up close. Wow, so geometrical!”

Indeed!! Follow Monika on Facebook and @Michiganunsaltedgirl on Instagram for more!

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Delivering a Winter Storm

Posted on by farlane
Winter Mail by Mike Vogel

Winter Mail by Mike Vogel

mLive’s Mark Torregrossa shares that the winter storm bearing down on Michigan overnight is expected to bring a solid band of freezing rain from Jackson to Ann Arbor to Detroit and south to Michigan’s southern border that could have up to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation. Based on radar, the iciness will be worst from 4am – 9am Thursday

Mike captured this great shot of a mail truck delivering in Port Huron on a winter day with a Nikon Zfc & TTArtisan 50mm Tilt shift lens 1.4. I hadn’t heard of this lens befor which the manufacturer says transforms ordinary scenes into captivating ‘Lilliput’ landscapes with selective focus and beautiful bokeh.

See more in Mike’s Winter 2025 gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr.

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Top 5 Photos for 2024 & looking ahead to 2025

Posted on by farlane

Every year I like to look back on the most popular photos from the previous year of Michigan in Pictures, and this year is no exception. Joey’s incredible drone shot of workers laying the last girder in place to connect the deck of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge to the Detroit Port of Entry was not only the most popular post in 2024 — with 2.9 MILLION views it also became the most popular post ever on Michigan in Pictures! This astonishing project has been directed and paid for by Canada & opens in November of 2025! Learn more about the Gordie Howe Bridge on Michigan in Pictures & for sure follow Joey on Instagram and view & purchase photos on his website!

Gordie Howe’s Last Girder by Joey D

Checking in at number two is this peach of a photo of Turnip Rock near Port Austin in Michigan’s Thumb. Tom shared that this gigantic stone developed its signature look after millennium of being worn away by waves thumping across its bow to the point where it’s just an island inhabited by some trees and very little else. Head over to Tom’s website to view & purchase his work!

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Fly Me to the Moon by Morgan Andrew Somers

This shot from Flint by Morgan Andrew Somers of a plane flying into the eclipse was the 3rd most popular pic of 2024. It is also one of the coolest eclipse photos & photos in general I’ve ever seen!

MASPhoto has the receipts – it’s not fake. View & purchase prints including this one at morganandrewsomers.com.

Mackinac Bridge Walk & Herbert C Jackson by the Mackinac Bridge Authority

The 4th most popular post was a pair of pics showing the freighter Herbert C Jackson passing under the bridge with Mike Rezabek’s photo of the walk below from the deck of the Jackson completing the 360 view!

Bridge Walk from Herbert C Jackson by Mike Rezabek

Milo and the Morazan by Chris Roxburgh

Milo is a good boy & this photo by his owner & Great Lakes shipwreck explorer Chris Roxburgh was our 5th most popular photo of the year.

Follow Chris on Facebook, view & purchase his work including coffee table books on his website, and learn more about the shipwreck of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore from Leelanau.com!

Eastern Hognose Snake by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The most popular post from previous years was the 2014 feature on the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos). The “puff adder” is one of only 17 species of snake in Michigan and like all but one of the, it’s harmless to humans.

FYI, the only poisonous snake native to Michigan is the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake which has the weakest venom of any rattler.

I promised a look at what’s in store for 2025, so here are five goals I think I can achieve in the coming year:

  1. Visiting or revisiting places I’ve talked about on Michigan in Pictures, either in person or real life. One of the biggest reasons I created Michigan in Pictures was to provide a window into the many cool experiences available in the Great Lakes State. Back in the day when I started, I was able able to get out and about to all corners of the state, but these days I just don’t have the same time to do that. I’m hoping that in addition to pushing myself to do more, I can find some photographers exploring them.
  2. Highlighting more photos from our Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook and creating addition virtual & maybe even real world opportunities to share photos. There used to be some very fun Exposure.Detroit shows & meetups back in the day, and I was even able to lead a field trip to the Grand Traverse Commons with the group. These days I work & know folks at some cool spots here in Detroit that would be fun to explore, and there are a lot of photographers featured here that have deep roots in all corners of Michigan. Social media is cool & all, but for my money, the real world is where things are going to be at in the years to come.
  3. Reaching out to some of the amazing Michigan photographers I’ve profiled over the years to see what they’re up to now & what they’re thinking about photography. And of course to do profiles on some of the great new photographers I’m sharing. I didn’t do a whole lot of Michigan Photographer Profiles, but the ones I did were absolutely fascinating to me both as a photographer and as a lover of Michigan.
  4. Find more Michigan companies & photography companies to donate swag to give away. When we were running Absolute Michigan at full steam, we used to get a lot of free promotional items like concert tickets, museum passes, free lodging stays, outdoor & other gear, and lots more.
  5. Featuring more of my own photos. Because I enjoy taking them!

Stay tuned & thank you for being a part of Michigan in Pictures! Click for more Michigan in Pictures Year in Reviews & related posts.

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19 years of Michigan in Pictures

Posted on by farlane
Upper Deck by Andrew McFarlane

Upper Deck by Andrew McFarlane

I started Michigan in Pictures way back on December 30, 2025. In the 19 years since, I’ve shared 2840 posts – well, 2841 now – to 1.6 million people! Thank you all for being a part of it!!

The most popular post ever remains Know Your Michigan Turtles, but every year Underwater Stonehenge in Lake Michigan gains a little ground. The top five rounds out with Fist of a Champion: Detroit’s Monument to Joe Louis, Northern Lights Forecast: Predicting the Aurora Borealis in Michigan & Detroit’s Michigan Central Station. To make the boxes below line up nicely, I’ve added #6 which is a personal favorite: Slumpy: the William Livingstone Mansion in Brush Park.

In 2025, I am going to celebrate the 20th year by revisiting some of the amazing photographers & photographic subjects to see where they are now!


Know Your Michigan Turtles
Underwater Stonehenge in Lake Michigan
Fist of a Champion: Detroit’s Monument to Joe Louis

Northern Lights Forecast: Predicting the Aurora Borealis in Michigan
Detroit’s Michigan Central Station
Slumpy: the William Livingstone Mansion in Brush Park

I took this photo & the one below at the Manitou Music Festival at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore way back in 2005! You can see a lot more in my Music Makes Me Smile gallery on Flickr, and the dancing fellow in the bottom picture is Jacob Wheeler, editor & publisher of the fantastic Glen Arbor Sun!

Jacob Dancing by Andrew McFarlane

Jacob Dancing by Andrew McFarlane

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