Photo feature: Northern lights

Kyle Stakenas barn.

Around the County is a presentation of Preferred Credit Union, www.preferredcu.org, located locally at 266 N. Jebavy Dr., Ludington.

Photos by Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

I have been a professional photographer for 35 years. During that time I’ve made a little effort pursuing the northern lights (aurora borealis), but I have to admit, I haven’t given it 100 percent. I wasn’t able to get out earlier in the week when the lights were out (OK, I just didn’t have the ambition, it had been a busy day). On Thursday afternoon, my iPhone began alerting me that the lights were expected again that evening. I saw this as a sign that it was time to stay up and pursue them.

Gun Lake DNR boat launch, looking southwest.

Scenic photography, to me, is mostly something I create to share with my audience on Mason County Press and Oceana County Press. In other words, I don’t normally sell my scenics. I dabbled in that market many years ago, but it just wasn’t for me. But, I enjoy the pursuit and I enjoy sharing those images with you, showing the beauty of the area we live in.

My mentor, beginning 36 years ago, was (and still is) Todd Reed. One of the lessons I always learned from Todd, and continue to practice to this day, is to find a unique angle to a subject. I remember a few years ago the northern lights were forecasted. I decided to head down to Little Sable Point Lighthouse to make my special image — as did about 30 other people. While an image of the aurora borealis behind an iconic lighthouse is cool, it’s not overly special to me when several dozen other people are out there as well. Plus, pursuing a scenic photograph is like hunting. It’s often something I enjoy in solitude or with just one or two other people.

Gun Lake looking west from the DNR boat launch.

Another lesson I have learned over the years, taught by Todd through esteemed National Geographic photographer Sam Abell, is the concept of “compose and wait.” This is the practice of envisioning that photograph before you even arrive on the scene. With this in mind, I had some different concepts in mind as I left my house in Scottville Thursday to pursue the lights. I wanted a lake, but I didn’t want the same lake that several others would be at. One of the advantages of being in a career like mine, is that I have traveled the roads of Mason County extensively for nearly four decades.

First stop would be Gun Lake, as there is a public access on the south side of the lake, offering a great view of the northern sky. My initial intention was to photograph from Sherman Township Park on Town Line Road west of Poplar Road (a small portion of southern Gun Lake is in Sherman Township, the rest is in Free Soil Township). As I pulled up, a big mercury light lit up the area. Plan B, which worked out better, was to travel just a little further west to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources boat launch about an 1/8 mile away. This site worked out great. I wanted to capture the northern sky but also show some of the cattails along the shoreline in the foreground. Though I could see the light dancing in the sky, my eyes could not pick up the colors. However, I knew they were there and that my trusty Nikon D-650 would pick them up. It didn’t disappoint.

Alway Farm, Amber Township, looking west.

But, my eyes did pick up the blood red sky in the southwest as I turned around. That was amazing.

Leaving Gun Lake, I traveled west on Town Line and then over to Townline (Town Line begins at Stephens Road and travels east along an old railroad right-of-way ending at Poplar. Townline begins at Stephens and travels west ending at Dennis Road in Victory Township). Much of Townline in this area is surrounded by trees. Finally, by about Darr Road, I was out in the open. By this point, the time was about 10:30 p.m. I always want to be courteous about not being in an area that would encroach on someone’s property (without permission) or to even stop along the road where I would draw attention. I turned south on Darr Road on the back side of the Stakenas Farms main farmstead, and pulled over a short distance from the intersection so I could access the light. Farmers just always keep an eye on their land. As I got back in my truck, Kyle Stakenas appeared checking who was stopping near his family’s land (I do the same thing when I am near the family farm). Kyle then told me that he had just taken some pictures with his cell phone of the lights behind his barn and welcomed me to do the same.

The images were fantastic.

I then made my way to the family farm in Amber Township. It’s kind of my muse. There, I stood out in the field of freshly planted rye (sorry Dad), and captured some images of one of our tree lines in the west.

Some technical information for those who take their photography a little more serious:

The images were captured with a Nikon D-650 (it’s old, but it’s a reliable camera) with a Sigma 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens.

• Gun Lake green photograph: focal length, 24 mm; shutter, 15 seconds; aperture, f/2.8; ISO 400.
• Gun Lake red photograph: focal length, 24 mm; shutter, 30 seconds; aperture, f/2.8; ISO 100.
• Stakenas barn: focal length, 24 mm; shutter, 30 seconds; aperture, f/2.8; ISO 400.
• Alway farm: focal length, 24 mm; shutter, 30 seconds; aperture; f/2.8; ISO 400.

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