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The history of Mackinac Island and the War of 1812 in the Northern part of what is now Michigan and Ontario is actually a trilogy of events that lead to the eventual British Victory in the North. In the 19th Century communication was a slow and dangerous journey for the couriers that carried messages from the larger posts in the south. This was both a help and a hindrance to the theatre in the north. Fort Mackinac was built by the British 1780 near the end of the American Revolution as the island fort better defended than the old French fort, Fort Michilimackinac, on theRead More →

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There’s nothing left of this fort which is a real shame, but if you consider where it was located, it really would make no sense to maintain a historic fort right in the middle of downtown Detroit, Michigan. But if you care to visit the former site, don’t let the name of the city scare you. Detroit as it stands today, shot from Windsor, Ontario For the most part, Fort Detroit has been known over its short life by three names. And while there’s nothing left the fortification was site to the first major engagement during the War of 1812. Initially established to hold theRead More →

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One of the first sights you see if you visit the picturesque Mackinac Island is white stone walls sitting high above the ferry docks. Fort Mackinac has a long history that covers much of the early days of French, British, and American history in the region. The island, set in the major trade route of the Straights of Mackinac that divide “The Mitt” from the “Upper Penisula” of Michigan traces it’s importance back well before the colonial history of the early 18th-Century. And while the military history of the island ended five years before the turn of the 20th-Century, today the fort remains one ofRead More →

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I never realized exactly how isolated Fort St. Joseph is, even from the main highway you’re still looking at around 30-45 minutes drive down to the south western corner of St. Joseph Island. And to make things all the better it was pouring rain the day I visited these distant ruins, at least the wonderful staff at the site were welcoming and very friendly, and probably happy that they even saw one other person. It’s no wonder that the 10th Royal Vets that were stationed here in the early 19th century turned to drink. The path from the visitors centre to the ruins of theRead More →

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I seem to have found yet another home away from home. Emmet county is up in the northern part of Michigan. I was first introduced to this beautiful part of the United States in 2012 at Photostock. Photostock, the brainchild of world-renowned photographer Bill Schwab is a gathering of photographers in his backyard. And in its early years, it was literally in his backyard, but by the time I started going, it had moved to the Birchwood Inn; this throw-back backwoods hotel would make you think you had stepped back into the 1960s. I have written about Photostock before, but this time it’s different. PhotostockRead More →

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Hull was worried, he had received word that Fort Mackinac had been taken by the British and that General Brock was heading west with reinforcements from York, but he continued to occupy Sandwich, despite the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Procter, commander of the 1st battalion 41st of Fort at Fort Amherstburg on the 26th of July ahead of General Brock. Procter had orders to disrupt the American supply lines to the south and isolate Hull and Fort Detroit. On the 4th of August, Hull received a message from Captain Brush in command of one such supply columns that had stopped at the settlement of FrenchtownRead More →

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I sadly was unable to participate in the week long celebration of Instant Photography last year because I was in the Chicagoland region, but this year I went full force and worked on reducing my stock of expired Polaroid and Impossible material! I got the shooting started early over the weekend before ‘roid week so I’d have two days worth of material already stocked up. Day One – Jaite Depot Anniversary Speed Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:56/125 – Polaroid Type 79 Located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, the Jaite train depot one served the company town, the town’s surviving building now serveRead More →

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Many people have heard me complain about lugging around the large format gear, a heavy tripod, lots of film holders, and all the extra gear that comes with shooting large format. But I keep on shooting it. So many ask why…so in response to Mat’s blog on the subject. And while it’s complaining, it’s nothing compared to when Mat and I drove around the Cleveland Flats in 2013, and he had the massive Sinar P2 8×10 camera. So why do I shoot it? Because the results are outstanding, I find that it disciplines me; I can go out with ten sheets of film and comeRead More →

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I figured because it was TLR Tuesday I’d share some photos I took last year in the abandoned Rochester Subway. The subway has always fascinated me since I first visited it back in 2007. But on this particular trip I was armed with my trusty Rolleiflex and a roll of Kodak Panatomic-X. The main draw for the subway is the viaduct over the Erie Canal. This area is covered with some of the best graffiti art I have come across in my explorations. And it’s not just the usual garbage, this work is just that, works of art! It’s also the area with the bestRead More →

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You’re probably thinking, what do I mean by Visual Whiplash? It was mentioned in a comment left on one of my recent photos posted to my photostream, where right next to each other is a 4×5 image that’s sharp, crisp, and clear…and then a pinhole photo that’s rather soft. Visual Whiplash. I was at first a bit disappointed at these, I mean they’re not what I’m used to getting out of my trusty Pentax 645, they look like something a bit out of a toy camera. But oddly enough they’ve started to grow on me. So what got me into Pinhole photography after avoiding itRead More →