Bill Buchanan, HonPSA, FGDC  

Michigan Central Station by Bill Buchanan, HonPSA, FGDC

September 2023 - Michigan Central Station

About the Image(s)

The Michigan Central Station opened in 1914. It ceased operations and closed in 1988 and sat vacant while the scrappers and urban explorers had their way with her. In May of 2018, Ford Motor Company purchased the building and began an effort of restoration to become the headquarters for their EV development. These efforts have spurned development and revitalization in the immediate area. Interior restoration continues and the city is eagerly awaiting to see the insides once again.

I scouted the area a couple of times for a camera club outing using my iPhone. This scene was photographed with my Canon 7D MKII and a Canon 10-22 mm lens at 200 ISO, three exposures at -2, +2 and 0. It was processed in Photomatix 7.0 with a realistic preset. I zeroed in on the White balance by zooming in on some concrete barricades. I als selected the foreground rock and added a mask to reduce the brightness. My final touch was a slight vignette to darken the edges.

This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted

Max Burke   Max Burke
Bill, This is a wonderful night picture with good colors, interesting lights, excellent composition, and all technical parts are to me outstanding.   Posted: 09/13/2023 21:15:36
 
Beautiful night scene! I love the architecture! Nice light and shadows. The only thing that I can see is the red buildings on the right and the red spot in front of the building take my eye away from the main subject - maybe desaturate the red a bit? Love the way the trees frame the station and the rocks compliment the building.   Posted: 09/14/2023 08:06:49
Rick Cloran   Rick Cloran
Excellent composition on this one. The tones and blending are both first rate. For me, the foreground grass is just a bit too strong.   Posted: 09/16/2023 13:46:22
Don Poulton   Don Poulton
Well done Bill, your HDR treatment really brings out the detail and color in this scene. I agree that the red on the right could be toned down a bit, but the green is OK with me. I have followed reports on this building on the internet and on TV, and it looks great that things are being done to restore it to its former greatness.   Posted: 09/18/2023 10:20:40
Brad Ashbrook   Brad Ashbrook
Very cool building and I really like the composition with the trees framing the image and the foreground rock. I would look at doing something with the red areas, they do stand out. I also agree with Rick that the green is a little strong especially at night. Overall, very well done.   Posted: 09/18/2023 11:01:44
Lisa Cuchara   Lisa Cuchara
I love the warm tones against the blue sky, great time of the evening for this. The greens are like icing on the cake and the aperture chosen created those wonderful lights, shining like diamonds.

I would remove the red from the far left building and crop some off of the right.   Posted: 09/25/2023 19:18:14
Comment Image
Bill Buchanan   Bill Buchanan
Thanks. Good comments. I was more concerned about the rock in the foreground and overlooked the red/orage barricades.   Posted: 09/25/2023 20:35:29