-- One "T" and Three "Cs" --

TCCC - stands for "Think", "Compose", "Click" and "Check"

Through my mind's eyes... over the years I have semi-consciously put together a portfolio of mental images that I want to take. This set of semi-conscious mental imprints was formed through the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of  photos that I have seen and admired. It may even be my own interpretations of photos I have seen or feelings I have experienced. The bad news is that in the heat of the clicking moment (when I am actually on-site and looking at the scene), I tend to fall into two traps that always adversely affected the outcome:

1. Clicking without thinking and composing - this is my no. 1 enemy. And sometimes even when I told myself consciously not to do it... I somehow forgot about the simple, think, compose then "click" rule (TCC rule). An example is when I visited the Michigan Capitol Building recently, I ended with only a handful of images that I felt happy about (and I have spent three hours there). How did this happened? Simply because there were "great" scenes all around me and I was trying to capture everything without applying the TCC rule. I forgot to "think" about what is the subject matter... what message am I trying to convey. Because the subject (or hero) of the shot wasn't well defined, I didn't "compose" the shot. I just click on whatever is in the frame... indiscriminately. Well, the end result... I did a lot of "clicking" but zero thinking and composing - and I ended up with almost nothing. Sigh!


(Only a handful of shots out of almost 500+ taken at Michigan Capitol Building)

2. My next mistake is what happens after I click... I forgot to check. Sounds strange? Oh yeah, I thought so too... it wasn't until I opened my image on photoshop that I noticed the subject was completely out of focus!!! Another recent experience, I was at a baseball match at CoAmerica Park last month. I decided to go for a panoramic shot of the Tiger's Stadium from behind the grandstand. The scene was awesome (with dramatic sky) and I knew that it will be a great shot... well, if only I checked my shots. I would have noticed that the two critical shots right in the middle were completely out of focus! I could still do a panoramic ... the only problem is that the center shots would be completely out of focus.


(Love this shot I took in the Detroit Packard Plant)

Hopefully we all get better and exercise the discipline of TCCC.

Sunrise in Mackinac Island

This is the Part 2 (also Day 2) of our recent trip to Mackinac Island. After having dining in a warm and cosy restaurant along main street, we finally decided to call it a day and start heading back to Mission Point Resort (this is a hotel I will not recommend staying in!). We were really struggling to fall asleep given the thin walls & blabbering hotel guests.

Vaguely, it was a night of toss and turn... at around 6am, we decided that we would brave the cold and head out to get some photos of the sunrise. It seem logical ... we were staying in a resort minutes away from the beachfront. Well, actually it was a big struggle - first, we were still sleep deprived... then, it was extremely cold outside I remember checking Yahoo! Weather and it was around 35 degree Fahrenheit (that's like close to zero degree celcius)!!

After much struggle, we decided to head out... nothing ventured nothing gained.

(Photo of sunrise taken at the mini-golf course on Mackinac Island)

We first stopped at a mini-golf course near the resort, there was no one around at this hour, and we had a blast taking photos of the manicured landscape in the mini-golf course. The sun in the background was glowing red, orange and yellow reminding us that the sun will be up any minute ... we decided that we should head out towards the beach for more shots.



Interestingly, we met another couple taking photos of the sunrise when we reached the beach... what a surprise! Thankfully, we were not the only ones crazy enough to take photos in this cold weather. They looked a lot more well prepared then us! After a quick "hello!", we wasted no time to find good spots and started a "golden" hour of "clicking". By the time we were done, we knew we have some nice photos to bring home... *satisfied*!



(Here's another shot we took in the early morning - the colors of Fall in full view!)

Welcoming Autumn in the Mackinac

Since the day I stepped into Michigan, I have been told that Michigan has the most beautiful Autumn in all of United States. "You should visit the Upper Peninsula," one said... "Mackinac Island is the place to be in Fall" said another... and the often heard, "It's BEAUUUTIFUULL!"

Surely there must be something special about Michigan during Fall, since almost everyone I spoke to raves about the colors of Michigan Fall. This October I decided - it's time to verify... let's see what's the hype about, I'll be the judge!

First, it was the drive. It takes about 5 hours (long drive) to get to Mackinac City where you'll take a 20mins ferry to Mackinac Island. After an hour on the I75 highway, I was pleasantly greeted by a sea of green, yellow, orange and red on both sides of the road. Clearly, just the colours of the Fall on each side of the road is already... "impressive". 

"This is a good start," I thought. And yes, the best is yet to come.


(Scenic drive to Mackinac City - my wife says I need to acknowledge her as the photographer of this photo) 

After spending about 5 hours on I75, we finally got to Mackinac City. The city looks very welcoming with heaps of restaurants and hotels but we wasted no time and went straight to the ferry point (tip: those of you who wants to visit Mackinac Island, try going with Arnold Transit and if you purchase the ferry tickets online it's a saving of $6 per person).

No motorized vehicle is allowed on Mackinac Island, so you'll have to either walk, ride a horse-drawn carriage or cycle.  Great exercise for city dwellers like myself! We've decided to bring our mountain bikes with us into Mackinac Island.


(If you bring your bike with you on the ferry, there is an additional $8 fee you'll have to pay - I think the $8 is well worth it.)

As with all tourists, the first thing we did on arrival was to check into our hotel - Mission Point Resort. While the exterior was breath-taking, the rooms were... in short, much less impressive. For over US$250 per night, you'll expect much more. The rooms are dated and the worst part - the walls are so thin you can hear you neighbour talk throughout the night... not to mention the occasional footsteps. Really... it was just a horrid experience for us at Mission Point Resort. But thankfully that was the worst part of the trip for us... everything else was "Awesome!"



(Mission Point Resort - I don't recommend it!)

After dumping our heavy luggage in the room, we went straight for the beach - yes, it was in the middle of Fall and way too cold to take a dip (altho' it was tempting). The beauty of the island's beaches was simply captivating - the water was crystal clear (and I have not seen such clear blue water in a beach for a long time).


(Mackinac Island's beautiful beaches - perfect BBQ spot!)

After enjoying the island beautiful beaches, it was almost dusk! We headed straight to the Western Bluff of the island to catch the island sunset. The island's Western Bluff is a short walk away from the Grand Hotel. We found a scenic spot and waited for the sun to set (while trying to take as many photos as possible).


(Outside the famous ... and $500 per night - Grand Hotel)


(Western Bluff - waiting for the sun to set. Grand Hotel in the background)


(Horse-drawn carriages)

The "Golden Hour" started... Pearly and I were busy clicking away, while ensuring that we take in as much of the moment as possible. As nightfall approaches, the tourists return to the mainland leaving only the folks staying in the island behind. There was such a sense of serenity and peace... the buzz is gone and now replaced with calmness and the Island.


(Enjoying the moment - as the sun goes down)



Well, if you think the sunset was beautiful... wait til you see the sunrise shots in Mackinac Island (stay tuned).