If there’s one thing that certainly does not lack at Photostock it’s the sheer amount of beautiful things to photograph all through Emmet County where Photostock is based. There is one thing I love to do at any Photostock event is driving the M119 or the Tunnel of Trees. Sadly Saturday dawned with rain, but that didn’t matter as the morning saw the Portfolio Review (Which I should have brought my finished War of 1812 project book for) and the Print exchange. But after a lovely lunch down in Harbor Springs with Heather the rain stopped and the skies started to clear so I grabbed some cameras and hit the road.
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
Also I took the chance to break out the 4×5 to get a shot of the Good Hart General Store, one of my favourite buildings along the Tunnel of Trees to get a better shot of the store than my first 4×5 shot I took back in 2013.
Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – New55 Atomic-X @ ASA-100 – Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C
The Tunnel of Trees ends officially at Cross Village, home to the famous landmark Legs Inn, not to mention an awesome Presbyterian Church built in the same style as the Inn itself. I had to wait around a bit for the people to clear, it was getting into the later lunch service hour and a group of bikers had arrived so I grabbed my F5 before pulling out the 4×5.
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 – New55 Atomic-X @ ASA-100 – Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C
Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – New55 Atomic-X @ ASA-100 – Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C
From there I wanted to make it all the way up to Mackinaw City again to get some Large Format shots in of the bridge and lighthouses, so off I tore into the rural backroads of Emmett County. After nearly getting lost in the backroads, I finally came back closer to the lakeshore, passing through the village of Bliss before heading up for the tip of the mitt.
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
First stop was a lighthouse I meant to visit a few years back but never got to it, heading down to the beach instead to catch the sunset before it got dark. McGulpin’s Light was one of the first lighthouses to be placed along the Mackinac Straights after it was determined Light Vessels would not work well. Constructed in 1869, the light is the oldest surviving light along the straights. In the twenty-seven years of the light’s operation, James Davenport, served as the keeper until the light was shut down in 1906. After 1906 only the Mackinac Point light would serve as the sole navigation aid on the mainland for the straights, while Round Island Continued its service. Two decades after McGulpin was built a request for funding to install both a Fog Signal and Lighthouse. While the Fog Signal would see construction first in 1890, followed by the lighthouse in 1892. The light was visible for 14 Nautical Miles providing the needed signal for the ferries that operated between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. When the bridge was completed in 1957, the need for the light became moot, and the light would be decommissioned. Today both lights stand restored and can be visited.
Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Schneider-Kreuznach Symmar-S 1:5.6/210 – New55 Atomic-X @ ASA-100 – Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C
Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – New55 Atomic-X @ ASA-100 – Kodak D-76 (Stock) 7:00 @ 20C
Sony a6000 – Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS
I could not really take my time to explore the area more than I wished. The trip had already taken a touch longer than I wanted to, and I still had to check out the new brewery in the city, Biere De Mac before heading back to Harbor Springs to get the pizza for dinner and back to the hotel before the rain started again.
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fomapan 400 @ ASA-250 – Kodak D-23 (Stock) 7:30 @ 20C
That’s it for my blog posts related to Photostock for 2018, I hope you enjoyed taking in a small sliver of my time at the event. To see all my images you can visit my Flickr Collection, or if it’s inspired you to check out Photostock next year, you can visit the site, photostockfest.com, Photostock 2019 will be from the 20th to 23rd of June 2019. You will want to get your reservations in for the Birchwood early, it fills up fast!