Pictured Rocks

Posted by jim on Dec 13, 2011 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

It’s not that it was cold on the beach that day because it really wasn’t. It was extremely windy and that created some really nice white caps on Lake Superior. From downtown Munising it’s about a 30 minute drive to Miners Castle. The Miners Castle overlook is a really nice vantage point over Lake Superior. I highly recommend some long lenses though. This blustery day we spotted a bald eagle perched high above the frigid water in his nest. I broke out my 70-200 and my 1.7 teleconverter and still didnt have enough reach.

I wanted to do something a bit different with shooting Pictured Rocks. I wanted to do some long exposures, just to get some smooth water. I wasnt sure on how this was going to workout in the end and you can come to your own conclusions but at least in this shot and the ones not posted I was a bit disappointed. They look ok, just not what I was hoping for.

Pictured Rocks - Miners Castle - Munising Michigan

A short drive down from Miners Castle will land you at the beach. This is where the wind really picks up. Even before you put your toes in the sand you can feel the wind winding its way through the treed walkway into the parking lot. I’d say its a good 30mph constant wind. I can handle it but my 2 year old daughter had to be bundled up.

As a photographer you have to just deal with it. Whether its a stiff wind or huffing your gear up a 34 story building, all steps by the way, you just have to deal with it. If you want the shot you have to do your best to get the shot.

The sand on the beach would be great in the Florida sun but were not in Florida Dorothy, were in Michigan, Northern Michigan, in September. Sand so soft that it makes walking in it a taxing adventure. You look for what could be compacted sand so you could move a little more swiftly and it does look compacted but you when you step on it you just sink. It’s almost as if your climbing the Sleeping Bear Dunes, where there it’s every 2 steps you take you move 1 step forward. It may not be that extreme but with the wind pounding you every step, it’s certainly work to walk.

Pictured Rocks - Munising Michigan

The white caps were incredible and when the sun would punch its way through the clouds and shine on the Pictured Rocks it looked unreal. Unfortunately the water was so rough that they didnt have any tour boats out this day, however we had come all this way to see these rocks and I was going to get some pictures.

Pictured Rocks - Munising Michigan

The water crashing into the bottom of Miners Castle was just awesome. Hard to fathom that lake water can be so strong. It is after all Lake Superior, the biggest of the Great Lakes. All in all it was a great day of spending time with the family and getting some decent shots of the Pictured Rocks. I will have to go back in get better shots, maybe from the water.