Sunday, January 31, 2010

At Tahquamenon Falls

At the beginning of the year, I figured I would do a series of 12 months of Mackinac Bridge. Then I got to thinking a little more and figured I would like to do the same with Tahquamenon. Last year, I broke my fear of going up to the UP in the winter and it was well worth it to get shots of the Falls in Winter. So this year, I'm gonna try to get pictures of the falls through all 4 seasons.

The pictures of the Falls are coming. These are some of the things I saw around the periphery.

I just love the way the snow is around the branches and how they stand out from the background.

This one looks even cooler.

And this one I think looks cooler yet. How the ice just coats them.



And the icicles in the background.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Twilight Pictures

I brought my camera to work again today and as I was heading out, I liked the look of the sun, so I took some pictures.

I love the sky at twilight. I love the black trees on an almost dark blue background. With bits of red.

This one is a little odder.

If you get close enough to something, it almost becomes abstract.



Same thing here.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Some Random Pictures

I took my camera with me to work today. I was hoping to get some pictures of the Shrine of the Little Flower on the way home but it was just too cold. So I took some pictures as I was leaving the office.

I kind of liked the pink clouds under the moon. Unfortunately, it didn't quite come out the way I was hoping. It looks like there were some smudges on my camera.

Our state flag.

I love the picture of the US flag against a clear sky.

The darkened sunset tree.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Theater Signs

Twilight is a good time to take pictures of lighted signs. There is enough lighting that you don't have to have a tripod but it's getting dark enough that the signs are lit.

This is the State Theater. I'm happy to see I might get a chance to catch the Wall on the big screen.

Looking at the Michigan Theater sign from an odd angle.

An even odder angle.

Looking from the other side.

A Sushi Restaurant

This is a Sushi Restaurant on North University. I love the things they have in the window.





Depending on which paw is raised, this is either a good luck cat or a cat that will bring you fortune. Sadly, I forget which paw.

The Triton Statue

In between the Bell Tower and the Michigan League is this statue. This is another thing that I notice more and more every time I see it.




The Bell Tower

Another idea for my 12 month series might be the Bell Tower.

I purposely got pictures of trees with it to show the seasons.






The U of M Law School

If it isn't evident by now, one of my favorite buildings in Ann Arbor is the Law School. I love the classic architecture and every time I take pictures of it, I notice something new about it.

Looking at the entrance of the Law Library through one of the arches.

Looking up at one of the spires of the Law Library. I never noticed the clock before.

I never noticed these before either. Maybe it's because they are usually behind plant life.

Another look at the arch.

A detail near the arch.

Monday, January 25, 2010

University of Michigan Museum of Art

Across the street from the Union is the Art Museum. They recently did some renovations to it. It's a fairly nice museum but I haven't been in since the renovations.

A shot of the overall front of the building. Sporting classical architecture.

A closer in shot.

Michigan Union

Some more pictures of the Michigan Union. This might also become the subject of "12 Months of...". Despite what people thing, buildings do look different depending on the seasons. If we had more snow, you'd see snow on the building. There are the ivy vines which look much different in the summer. Anywho...

Looking up at the main part.

One of the statues at the entrance.

Another shot looking up.

The statue on the other side.

Looking at the building from across the street.

The Endover Cube in Ann Arbor

Sitting over by the Michigan Union in what's known as Regents Plaza is a cube sculpture created by Tony Rosenthal in 1968. It's pretty neat because it spins around on the bottom, so you can get different looks at it.

This is the quintessential view of the cube.

Looking up at one of the sides.

Looking at another side.

Looking at a different angle.

It's interesting how you can take a picture from a different angle and turn something that is tangible into something abstract. I think I want to play around some more with some closeups of things. When you take a picture close enough, it's also becomes abstract. It becomes funner when you take a picture of a known quantity and you can even tell what it is from the close up.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Detroit Zoo in Winter - Part Three

More pictures from the Zoo.

I was kind of surprised to see the lions as I thought they liked it a little warmer, but like most of the other animals they were pretty animated.

The Lioness.



I guess the same could be said for the tigers, but I think these are Siberian Tigers so they are used to colder temperatures.



I really love this shot.

The zebra.

I was not surprised to see polar bears, they probably love this time of year, although it's probably still too warm for them.

I didn't remember seeing artic foxes before.



Another shot of the polar bear.



More shots of the eagle.

And another shot of the wolverine.