Category: Beach

I’ve seen this view, or something very similar, countless numbers of times. The sun setting beyond the horizon framing Lake Michigan and the ever-present lighthouse and pier in Michigan City, Indiana.

Taken in June 2008 this picture is one of many that I have taken of the sunsets, the waves, the lighthouse; from different angles, in different days and seasons of the year. There are times when I have gone to the lake to enjoy and, perhaps, photograph a sunset, that I have found, often, especially during the Spring and Summer months, that silent crowds will gather, enjoying the event in their own, unique ways.

Like most moments, but, for me, especially the grandeur of the sunsets, there are never two quite the same. I could be at exactly the same spot at any other given day and invariably something changes; the motion of the lake, the clouds. So many subtleties or greater changes, taken together, can give a completely different look, feel, impression, story than what seemed so evident before, is now so different.

It is such a beautiful, unfolding tale being told. We get to witness that moment, all those years ago, together.

Another picture taken that same evening that you can find in our Etsy Shop is Untitled #81.

Paths like this crisscross the sand dunes that lie in close proximity to Lake Michigan, the area I call home; the place I’ve spent so many hours traversing both as a child and an adult.

I love this picture, from June 2008, for two multifaceted reasons. First, I love the geographical composition. The clouds, the sky, the sand, the grass, the lake, the shadows, all blending in a beautiful harmony but each element commanding its own unique attention. But then, secondly, I love the emotional, transcendent elements.

I could remain in that exact spot and ponder the physical elements of color, texture, the breeze blowing off the lake, the lengthening shadows, the feeling of the warm sand squishing between my toes. And yet, there is the sense of adventure and discovery as I consider what the next few steps to the top will reveal. What beauty? What color? What will the larger view of the lake, and perhaps beyond, reveal to me?

For me, it is like a picture of life. Embracing the moments, but reveling in the hope and expectation of the goodness of what lies ahead.

This is a picture of Mount Baldy, a well-known, popular sand dune west of my hometown. On June 2, 2008, I took my camera to see what I might find at the dunes and along the shores of Lake Michigan which lie adjacent to the dunes.

It had rained the night before and what was left of that storm system is evidenced in the clouds in the picture. I was walking along the crest of the dune and then planned to walk the gentle slope toward the lake. The sand, which usually had multitudes of footprints from the visitors that frequented the dune, was a golden brown because of the abundant rain that had soaked it the night before and into the morning. If you look carefully you can see my footprints in the wet sand.

As I was heading toward the beach I turned and saw what you now see. That place, near where I grew up, has been one of the most cherished parts of my memories as a child, and as an adult, and the subject of so many of my pictures.

On that particular day I also shot pictures at Hudson Lake, Indiana nearly 20 miles away. You can find another part of this story on this website under Beach – Untitled #24 and the pictures of both in our Etsy Shop.

This is a picture taken on June 2, 2008. I shot 53 pictures that day two of which are in our Esty Shop, AbbasImages.

The day began west of my hometown where you can get a bit more description at the post, Beach – Untitled #25. After taking a few pictures there I drove about 20 miles where I shot this image as it was nearing sunset.

This is Hudson Lake, or as it appeared all those years ago. I’m standing on a dock near a tiny beach and enjoying the sights, sounds and serenity of this lovely area. After the passing of time, I still remember well the peace that accompanied my time there. I hope that feeling passes on to you as you consider this picture.

An October 5th, 2008 colorful sunset over Lake Michigan, taken from within the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore.

Of the 27 pictures taken that trip, both this and Beach – Untitled #45 were chosen for our Etsy Shop, “AbbasImages.”

Having grown up in this area, it was interesting to see, as the year and seasons progressed, how the sun set further and further toward the south. I have taken pictures where the sun is setting right behind the Chicago skyline which, though not visible in this picture, would have been visible from this vantage point. But, since it is getting late in the year, the sun, as it does every year, at this latitude, sets further and further south until, around the winter solstice, it begins its setting further and further northward . . . and on and on.