Tour Tag (example) – Great Lakes, Grand Lands

April Ice series (Endeavour, 1994)

GLGL Administrator — Mon, 02 May 2022 03:59:22 +0000

TIP: ALWAYS ZOOM AROUND! PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE ZOOM TO 4K

The Straits of Mackinac

26 MP (5100x5100) from 70mm Film With the Mackinac Bridge clearly visible and the Sun highlighting Little Traverse Bay, this is my personal favorite of those long-lost Endeavour photos. I've restored six so far.

South Lake Huron

26 MP (5100x5100) Probably the most dramatic sunglint (NASA's term) from those 2½ minutes. That's Michigan's Thumb on the left, Ontario, Canada is on the right, and the mouth of the St. Clair River is at the bottom of the frame.

Thunder on Huron

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 12:00:20 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

Lake Huron's Thunder Bay

24 MP (4032x6048) Digital This is probably the prettiest picture of Alpena, Michigan that you'll see today. Here's a version of the photo that's small enough to fit vertically on your screen. I can get lost in the lush details of this photo at 100%. TIP #2: Always scroll down. Most album pages have zoom-to-100% images.

←BACK NEXT→

The Tip of the Flame

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 11:00:28 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

The Straits of Mackinac

26 MP (5100x5100) from 70mm Film (1989) Molten Gold seems to fill the Straits in August of 1989. Various camera- and sun-angles can produce very different sunglint effects. I'm not really sure what the swirls are. They are the main subject of the 100% zoom, but if you look in the right place you can just make out the Bridge.

←BACK NEXT→

Sundance: The Chain of Lakes

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 10:00:09 +0000

Charlevoix, Michigan, on Lakes Michigan and Charlevoix

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

12 MP (2832x4256) Digital

Shortly before Memorial Day, 2010. This is another example of several good photos taken in a short time. All but one display a third type of sunglint.

Lake Michigan, Elk Lake, and Elk Rapids, Michigan

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100% 12 MP (2832x4256) Digital ...with bits of Lake Skegemog and Torch Lake.

It's hard to tell here, but many of the other photos are also centered around towns and villages.

←BACK NEXT→

Chicago Alight

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 09:00:26 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

The Greater Chicago Area, on Lake Michigan

12 MP (2832x4256) Digital

City lights are very difficult to shoot from space, and the number of photos that are this clear is very small. In spite of being only 12 megapixels, this image is crisp enough to look great poster-size.

That's because astronaut Don Pettit built a specialized camera stabilizer for taking pictures like this one. He used parts he found around the Space Station; personal-size CD players became gyroscopes.

Another attractive aspect of some of the best astronaut photos is the article-worthy narrative behind them.

←BACK NEXT→

Grand Traverse, Fresh Snow

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay

24 MP (4032x6048) Digital The steep angle of the Sun makes some parts of the Old Mission Peninsula look almost hand-painted in the 100% zoom-in. Traverse City, Michigan is my home town. I can pick out many familiar landmarks in this photo, including the wooded neighborhood south of town where I live now, so it's one of my favorites. I've always called that the "I Can See My House! Effect" even when it's not literally true. "I Can See My Home!" probably comes closer to explaining the connection.

←BACK NEXT→

This is Short Tour page #6 of 10.

West Munuscong

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 07:00:57 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

Munuscong Lake in the St. Marys River

16 MP (4928x3280) Digital This exotic-looking location is just 30 miles northeast of the Mackinac Bridge. It was taken on an axis of 45° so it also works well when oriented this way.

←BACK NEXT→

This is Short Tour page #7 of 10.

Three Different Niagaras

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 06:00:01 +0000

The Niagara River and Falls, May vs. March

48 MP (4032x6048x2) Digital

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND and THIRD IMAGES ZOOM TO 100%

Every visitor takes pictures of Niagara Falls. The May photo reminds me of a old-fashioned postcard with "Greetings from Niagara Falls!" in big, colorful letters. Two zoom-ins are provided. They are followed by...

Niagara in Heat

12 MP (2848x4288) Digital InfraRed FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100% The cold river is black, the slightly warmer Lakes Erie and Ontario are dark purple-brown, and the hottest spots on land are yellow. Since Infrared photos capture invisible light, the colors are arbitrary.

←BACK NEXT→

This is Short Tour page #8 of 10.

Caribou in the Breeze

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 05:00:41 +0000

FIRST IMAGE ZOOMS TO 4K SECOND IMAGE ZOOMS TO 100%

Caribou Island, Ontario, in Lake Superior

16 MP (3280x4928) Digital It's just 3¼ miles long and 40 miles from the Canadian shore, making Caribou the most remote island in all of the Great Lakes. May, 2017. It's interesting how the waves bend around the island, producing a fabric-like pattern in the lower right.

About Restoration

Photos like these don't fall from the sky, ready to hang on a wall.

Original photo, as downloaded from NASA

Compare the colors of the island's thriving evergreens

The first Mackinac photo in this tour.

Because of the extreme conditions of space, all photos of Earth require routine Photoshop-type adjustments, like color and contrast-curve correction, sharpening, grain reduction, and defect repair. I always try to aim for what the astronaut would have seen with their eyes. I don't invent details, and if I change anything significant I'll mention it in the photo's description.

←BACK NEXT→

This is Short Tour page #9 of 10.

Manitous in Water Colors

GLGL Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2022 04:00:24 +0000

TIP #4: At the top of each album page there's a menu. TIP #5: PHOTO ALBUM on that menu is the site's home page. But not quite yet!

North and South Manitou Islands, Lake Michigan

24 MP (3456x6684) Digital

This is a composite of two 12 MP photos on a single-color blue matte. The color of the water is so pure that the blue border is almost invisible.

In the zoom-in, areas of water and shore that appear grainy are actually just wavy.

Most of the photos in this Short Tour have been prototypes; then represent groups of photos in the larger collection. After this, you can browse the album as much or little as you like. After that, please read the Wrap-up Page. Thanks!

Great Lakes, Grand Lands →

←BACK