My photography – Photography by Rodney Martin

The Bahá’í House of Worship of North America

Published on August 12, 2017 by rdmegr

The Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, is one of eight dedicated temples of the Bahá’í faith in the world. Construction was begin in 1922 and the finished temple was dedicated in May 1953. The House of Worship is the oldest Bahá’í House of Worship in the world. Bahai Temple-0282

It is an incredibly beautiful building. I spent an hour photographing the temple last evening. Struck by its beauty, I returned this morning to take some additional photos. Here are a number of my photos. I had difficult time choosing among them. As the evening sun set and the morning sun rose, the lighting changed continuously. Each change inspired another photo, as a I tried to capture the soul of this amazing building.

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Ordered Chaos

Published on August 6, 2017 by rdmegr

DTE recently replaced the substation in East Grand Rapids. Someone apparently forgot to remind DTE to turn off the lights to conserve energy. The lights remain on all night long, but make for interesting pictures, I think. The challenge is to find the angles that bring some order to the wires and equipment. I hope I have done so here.

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King Milling

Published on August 6, 2017 by rdmegr

Photos taken early Saturday morning as the sun came up in Lowell, Michigan, home to the King Milling Company.

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Some Other Photos from My July Weekend at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Published on July 24, 2017July 25, 2017 by rdmegr

Here are some additional photos from my weekend at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Photos from Good Harbor Bay and Shalda Creek:

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The Barratt Pig Barn on Point Oneida

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Early morning reflection on the Leland River

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And some wildflowers

Sunsets from Sleeping Bear Point

Published on July 24, 2017 by rdmegr

I was able to spend a couple of nights on the Leelanau Peninsula this weekend to continue my efforts to capture this beautiful area in photos that do it justice. Since I stayed on the Peninsula rather than taking a day trip, I was able to try my hand at capturing the sunsets.

Each night, I climbed the dune at Sleeping Bear Point, near Glen Haven, to get 360 degree view. To the west was Lake Michigan, the Manitou Passage and South Manitou Island.

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To the east was the town of Glen Arbor on Sleeping Bear Bay, pictured in the lingering glow after the sun had set.

Neither of the sunsets I witnessed were anywhere near as stunning as some of the spectacular sunsets my family and I have witnessed sitting on the beach, but even a so-so sunset on the Peninsula is pretty awe inspiring.

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Fouch Cemetery

Published on July 24, 2017July 25, 2017 by rdmegr

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All around the countryside in Michigan are little, family cemeteries. Many have been overgrown and are forgotten. That was true of the Fouch Cemetery in Leelanau County until 2010, when John Sawyer, a retired Traverse City Light & Power maintenance employee, was driving on Fouch Road and noticed an American flag along the side of the road. Upon investigating, he realized the flag marked the grave of John Beatty (“J.B.”) Thacker, a Civil War veteran. Next to Thacker’s grave was that of his wife, Emily Fouch Thacker, who died in late 1868. Sawyer determined to restore the cemetery and set about doing that with the assistance of some local businesses. The whole story is retold here, in the Traverse City Record Eagle

I stopped briefly at the cemetery the other day and took a few photos. The 50-by-100 foot cemetery is home to seven graves:

Fouch, Hanerah, b. May 07, 1878, d. Aug 30, 1893
Fouch, William, b. Mar 28, 1870, d. Dec 25, 1890
Fox, George, b. Sep 05, 1854, d. Sep 14, 1942
Fox, Mary, b. Oct 05, 1859, d. Oct 08, 1933
Fox, William H., b. Jul 30, 1894, d. Feb 03, 1919
Thacker, Emily Fouch, b. Oct 31, 1838, d. Dec 02, 1869
Thacker, John Beatty, b. Mar 29, 1824, d. Mar 13, 1893

Closer to home

Published on July 16, 2017 by rdmegr

I stayed home this weekend, without plans to shoot. But, the fog early yesterday had me running for my camera and heading up to Pickerel Lake. Along the way I stopped to take a photo of this red gate that has always caught my attention. IMG_9749_50_51