C&T Publications 50 States of Art - 2015 | Page 38

Scott Gordon - Michigan
I was born in Mason County, Michigan which is on the West side of
the State, about 1/2 way up the "mitten." Being raised in
Michigan, so close to Lake Michigan it was easy to take it all for
granted. The beauty of the shoreline, the woods, farms, brilliant
blue skies, and water... water everywhere. Lakes, rivers, ponds,
streams, and of course the Great Lakes.

My Father was an avid photographer and carried his beloved 35mm with him everywhere we went; and we went everywhere. By
the time I was 15, we had traveled to a vast majority of the lower 48 States, and the love of travel and photography had been
deeply instilled by that time. At age 15 the family moved to Texas and stayed a couple of years before returning to the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan. At age 24 I moved to Maine and called the East Coast home for 18+ years. During the years in the Northeast I
managed to spend quite a bit of it traveling the backroads and filling in the States I had missed as a youngster. When I married, then
started a family, my wife and I decided that Maine was not the place we wanted to raise the boys, and after an extended study of
the entire US, we decided on where I started... Mason County, Michigan. I have been to 48 of the 50 States; hate freeways,
Interstates, and divided highways. I always have preferred to travel the "blue" highways and smaller roads in my travels when
possible. As my Father before me, my camera is never too far away; first 110 as a kid, then 35mm, now digital; I love the freedom
the digital format provides me when it comes to photography.

Web Site:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-scott-gordon.html

Here is my piece. It is called Beach House Sunset.
The image of the "Beach House Sunset" was taken on a chilly, windy evening in late September 2014. It is of the beach house
located in the Ludington State Park, one of Michigan's pride and joys in their State Park system. Visited by tens of thousands of
visitors each year, it has been a destination since the late 1930's when it officially opened. The beach house was built in 1935 by the
Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) to welcome tourists and locals alike to the fantastic Lake Michigan beach. In 2013 it underwent a
complete renovation and is once again a true jewel along the lake shore.
The day the photo was taken opened overcast and rainy, but by late afternoon it had started to clear and after living in the area for
so long I knew/hoped the sunset was going to be stunning. I packed up my camera and tripod and headed out with my youngest 2
sons. After climbing one of the dunes that border Lake Michigan and overlooks the beach house, I knew I had found my spot.
I sat up and waited for the sun to dip a bit more and really bring out the vivid sunset I hoped was coming... I was not disappointe d.
After standing on top of the dune for a while shivering and being blasted by blowing sand, we were rewarded with this image. The
lights had just lit on the beach house, the sun was peeking from under a dark cloud scudding across the sky and I knew a sunburst
would show in the image if shot right. This is a perfect representation of the style I like to shoot with my camera. Dramatic skies,
either because of clouds, color or a combination of those two things, are one of my favorite things to photograph. Along with a love
of photographing old buildings, beaches, & water; this image brings them all together.

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