In August 2025, Jen and I headed up North one last time with Elon and Niko (8 and 3 at the time of this writing), planning on visiting some lighthouses, the Cheeseburger Festival in Caseville, MI, and doing lots of swimming at the beach and hotel.
Radisson Hotel Southfield–Detroit – Apartments, Hotels, and Resorts. This building gave me retro vibes, so I snapped a photo of it with some subtle camera movement. I got lucky with the yellow Sunoco logo / red arrow alongside yellow traffic lights / red do not enter sign hanging in front of the hotel.
Niko heading to the main floor of the Castle Museum – Everything but Faces. Taken on the lower level staircase of Saginaw, Michigan’s The Castle Museum. Nothing could keep Niko from climbing these stairs after we chased him running through the lower level (the town’s historic mining information). This is my favorite image of Niko I took from this trip.
Stairway Inside the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History (Saginaw, MI) – Ascending and Descending. As the title suggests, this photo was taken in that same building, but this time looking up from the main level to the 2nd floor. I applied a ghostly effect to mimic the sun passing through for this shot.
Gilded Age National Cash Register (NCR) from the Early 20th Century – Manmade Details. This particular style with its elaborate floral or “fleur-de-lis” pattern was a hallmark trait of NCR’s production during this era (early 20th century).
Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum Scene (Saginaw, MI) – Everything but Faces was taken where the title suggests, at just the right time. The way the lighting worked with these strangers’ identities shrouded in silhouette worked out perfectly for me. Taken after we left the museum with my phone.
Scientific Industrial Building (Saginaw, MI) – Moments in Between. I really like the simplicity of this shot. Sometimesabout the light, shadow, and clean lines on this building wall call back to a simpler time. Once again on this trip I found myself finding idiosyncrasies in colors matching up, like how the greens and reds play off each other here.
The Forest Buried in a Motion of Layers, no.3 – Forests & Trees. This image, as well as 1 and 2 before this (see inside the series), were taken from the passenger window at 1/125th of a second shutter speed while driving on the highway.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, no.1 – Infrastructure for Modern Survival. Breaking up the trip before making our way to the hotel for swimming that evening was visiting the Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, located on the north shore of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, no.3 – Infrastructure for Modern Survival. The closest shot of the three in this mini-series.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse Staircase Looking Up (horizontal) – Ascending and Descending. There is something captivating and a little uncomfortable about looking up into steel and concrete, seeing nothing but a spiral staircase not wide enough to see past in this particular lighthouse. Titled “horizontal” since I also got a vertical version from the same perspective.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse Staircase Looking Down Staircase Looking Down – Ascending and Descending. Placing my lens directly on the floor and looking through it was the only way to look down.
Narrow Chances (Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse) no.2 – Symbolic Reference (2024-2027). One of my favorite images is currently in this series. There is something timeless about the red cross symbol. I was surprised and also not surprised to see this here, about halfway up.
Choices and Ambiguity Leading Around and Around, no.1 – Pathways. Taken from the top of the lighthouse looking down. I styled it in a way that enhances the color of this image beyond just greens and blues, with the red roof and car notably standing out.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse-Detail – Infrastructure for Modern Survival. Details of the lighthouse light we just climbed. Apparently the system is now completely automated and no one really has to be up here anymore.
Wave Patterns from High Above the Trees – Patterns in Water. I hadn’t photographed a pattern in water like this until now—Nature’s patterns at play. Taken from the same spot just about halway around the lighthouse balcony.
Choices and Ambiguity Leading Around and Around, no.3 – Pathways. Taken just as the red car was leaving.
Narrow Chances (Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse), no.3 – Symbolic Reference (2024-2027). Taken from one of the stopping points in the lighthouse, looking out into a pathway straight ahead straight into the sea.
Elon Swimming in Ocqueoc Falls – People in Motion. Our next stop was Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground. I experimented as much as I could, but I spent way more time in the water with Elon than taking pics, and it was a lot of fun! Here is one I got before hiding my camera and jumping in.
Sunflower Field in Michigan, no.1 & no.2 – Ruralscapes. Both of these images above were taken from the side of the road. This field was definitely worth the quick stop.
Onaway Area Historical Museum (Staging) in an Abandoned House, no.1 & no.2 – Abandoned Houses. Taken near our motel the final night, this house is raising money to be restored into an area museum.
I’m thankful to God and my family for making this trip possible. To you, the viewer, thanks for taking a look!