In May, I spent some time in an expansive dunescape on Michigan’s western shore. Silver Lake Dunes is an exciting place near the small town of Mears, Michigan. “Expansive” is quite a relative term, though. If you look for it on a map of Michigan, it is just this tiny little bump into Lake Michigan, sandwiched between Silver Lake and Lake Michigan.
On a map, it doesn’t look like much. But when you are in the middle of the dunes, it feels like another world, showing the incredible power of perspective and immersion. When you think about it, humans are rather small compared to many environments, so it isn’t that hard to do. Not the forested shoreline, not the beachfront—something in-between—a unique ecosystem.
The State of Michigan recognizes these areas as critical dune habitats, and many areas face continuing development pressures. This feeling of being between worlds stayed with me when I reviewed the photographs at home, trying to decide whether to keep them in color or convert them to black and white.
Traveling to any place away from the familiar contributes some visual energy to the experience. Many photographers rely on that psychological soul juice to inspire their photographs, especially in unique environments. However, this feeling of “between” seemed to resonate deeper than just the physical environment. I wanted that to influence the development of the photos.
It is a word I often think of when it comes to my age, personally being “middle-aged.” Some of it may be inherent to my generation – where the ‘X’ in GenX is referred to as the variable lacking (or perhaps refusing!) definition. 1 This definition fits a generation that wants to refuse stereotypes! 🙂 But this unique landscape certainly isn’t lacking definition at all.
‘Middle’ certainly is a word that doesn’t seem to have a place in the polarized political climate of the U.S., where vocal extremes seem to suck up most of the oxygen. Life reveals millions of colors between red and blue. Problems are rarely black and white. The power of perspective and immersion plays a role here, with our views often formed by our environments and whether we choose to explore outside of them.
Photography also has more options than simply color vs. black & white. Whether polarized or using a polarizer (ahem), it starts with acknowledging our eyes don’t always reveal a single truth. Observation of light is subject to manipulation and physiological limitations, and landscape is subject to perception.
The world ‘between’ can be confusing – a risk of discomfort in wandering too far outside the familiar. Without a compass, it’s easy to get lost. In one direction, there is water, and in the other, there is forest. These concepts seemed to wiggle their way into my development of these photos. I found myself unsatisfied with a simple color or monochromatic “truth.”
- Raphelson, S. (2014). From GIs To Gen Z (Or Is It iGen?): How Generations Get Nicknames. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2014/10/06/349316543/don-t-label-me-origins-of-generational-names-and-why-we-use-them ↩︎
What beautiful and, yes, perhaps somewhat otherworldly photos. They’ve probably been lovingly post-processed to enhance that feeling as well. ? Mankind hasn’t seemed able to merge environment and development very well, at least on a large scale, without one or the other coming out heavily on the loss (sadly, usually environment.)
Thanks. I often wonder if it is impractical (maybe naive?) thinking to have a balance between development and preservation. But lately I just kinda shrug and think nature will let us know when enough is enough. Hope no bad effects of Helene down your way!
Personally, we escaped with no real damage. We didn’t lose power, but most of our power lines are underground. As you’ve probably seen via media sources, the western mountain communities of NC are a real mess. I-40 and many of the local roads are closed due to washed-out roads or bridges, and then there are downed trees and powerlines to contend with. Many areas and homes are still only reachable via air or on foot. Many people are captive, can’t get out for help, and are without power and sources of clean water or food. I think state and Federal resources are doing their best, but the scale is so large that it takes time. For us who escaped unharmed, there is a sense of helplessness and uncertainty about where we can do the most good. There are a lot of videos on YouTube of the area damage.
I saw one estimate that Asheville received nearly 4 ft of rain with the combined effects of how Helene moved in and how the jet stream was at the time – crazy. How can anyone prepare for that?