This past weekend Steven and I took a trip to Chicago. It’s always great to see relatives again, and a trip like this gets even more fun when a sailing excursion is involved! First, the boat needs to be gotten ready, of course! Steven and I helped my cousin get the boat ship-shape, and managed to temporarily lose a bottle of sunscreen in the process (yes, it floated!).

During the winter months, my cousin’s sailboat resides in a marina… up the Chicago river. So, the first boat trip of the year involves a day-long trip down the river…. under 18th St, Roosevelt Rd., Harrison St., Van Buren, Jackson, Adams…. ok you get the idea…. more than 20 bridges needing to open, culminating with the Lakeshore Dr. bridge, and finally through the locks to Lake Michigan.

And as we got closer to downtown Chicago:

Our trip took about 6-7 hours, and that was with marvelous coordination of the bridges opening (last year, my cousin said the trip went much more slowly). It’s interesting to temporarily moor a sailboat on the side of the river… at some places you stop and there are people dining on a restaurant patio… at other places (like the Opera house), there is no mooring allowed. Add in the Chicago tour boats, the occasional barge, and kayakers, and you’ll get a feel for the experience. Oh, and there’s not just one sailboat making this trip — more like 15!

Most of the bridges require manual labor to allow them to open. A city worker climbs down to the underbelly of the bridge, and turns a wheel until the mechanism is unlocked. …then they move to the next bridge and repeat the process after lowering the bridge again.

I don’t recall which street this was we passed under, but I loved way the bridge seems to dwarf the Sears tower…

And of course, the sailboat mast… appearing with some of the Chicago Skyline. I love the juxtaposition in this image:

Finally — it never hurts to include a self portrait. Boredom? Nope! Just plain old creativity… while we were waiting for a bridge to open. Don’t worry, I did put the camera down below deck while helping sail the boat… wouldn’t want that to fall overboard!!!

Dexter Photographer Receives Detroit Photographer Awards — Detroit, Mich. — Betsy Finn of Betsy’s Photography in Dexter received a number of awards at the awards banquet held by the Detroit Professional Photographers’ Association, at Roostertail Banquet Hall in Detroit, Michigan on June 17th, 2008.

Betsy was named as one of three finalists for the Detroit 2008 Photographer of the Year Award. She was given an Award of Merit for being named Runner-up Photographer of the Year. In addition, two wedding albums, designed by Betsy Finn, received awards during the awards banquet.

The designation of Detroit’s 2008 Photographer of the Year was awarded to the photographer based on combined print and album competition scores. This was Betsy’s first year participating in the competitions held by the Detroit Professional Photographers’ Association; in November’s print competition, one of Betsy’s entries was awarded “Best of Show.”

The Detroit Professional Photographers Association is Michigan’s largest affiliate for the national organization, Professional Photographers of America. DPPA was established in 1915 to serve the professional photographic community by offering educational opportunities to help photographers grow their business and improve their artistic abilities.

Betsy Finn, owner of Betsy’s Photography, is a Certified Professional Photographer and award-winning photographic artist whose work has received local and national recognition. Betsy’s Photography studio is located in Dexter, Mich., and provides wedding & portrait services to clients in Southeast Michigan. For more information, visit the studio website: betsysphotography.com.

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Betsy Finn Attends Elite Photographic Institute — Traverse City, Mich. — Betsy Finn of Betsy’s Photography in Dexter has completed course work at the Great Lakes Institute of Photography, a school for professional photography and digital imaging.

Ok, so now that I’ve gotten the “formalities” out of the way, I can tell you about the amazing time I had at GLIP. Last year at GLIP, I studied wedding photography. This year, it was time for a change of pace — I completed a week’s worth of intensive training with Andre Constantini, and was able to get some great ideas for creative location lighting. It’s always exciting to try out new concepts that I will be able to implement into my daily photographic work.

I’ve shared an image from one of our model portrait sessions. This particular moment I captured in between poses — This girl was fun and bubbly, but I love this particular moment because it’s more introspective. I love to capture those natural moments that are the epitome of someone’s personality.

And in case you’re wondering, I did have a great time, and will be returning to GLIP next year as well!