Closet ©2012 Bo Mackison
Shower ©2012 Bo Mackison
Towels ©2012 Bo Mackison
Metal and Paper ©2012 Bo Mackison
Getting Comfortable ©2012 Bo Mackison
Pillows ©2012 Bo Mackison
Curtains ©2012 Bo Mackison
Chair ©2012 Bo Mackison
Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.
Doors on Pontiac Building ©2012 Bo Mackison
It feels appropriate that while I am at a photographers convention in downtown Chicago, my hotel and many of the buildings within sight of my destination are part of the Printing House Row Historic District. It isn’t that much of a stretch to connect the early days of newspaper and book printing with the printing of photographs.
I’ve taken just a few photographs. All day workshops and lectures in the evening limit my ability to get out there for a long shoot, though I am anticipating some camera time this weekend. I’ve done my homework and know which of the nearby buildings have historical merit. I did a few morning shots just as the sun was peeking over Lake Michigan, and again when the sun lit some of the buildings.
And I’ve discovered a favorite haunting grounds from my college days, just in a new location. I spent more than a few evenings, studying gross anatomy while munching on Gino’s East pizza.
I’ll post about the conference after I’ve had time to pull my notes together into more cohesive ramblings! And check out the building on Printing House Row.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is attending the Filter Photo Festival in Chicago the week of October 15. My take on this marvelous conference and learning experience coming soon.
Dahlia and Bud ©2012 Bo Mackison
When words become unclear
I shall focus with photographs.
When images become inadequate,
I shall be content with silence.
~ Ansel Adams
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She photographed these flowers while walking the paths of a sculpture garden near Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
Begin with Potatoes ©2012 Bo Mackison
A visit to Door County is hardly complete until one experiences a Door County Fish Boil, a Scandinavian tradition. Now the Fish Boil is a tourist attraction, but in the 1800s it was the most expedient and cheapest way to feed the masses of fisherman and other workers in a sparsely populated area.
Lake Michigan Whitefish ©2012 Bo Mackison
It is cooking at its simplest. Outdoors over a log fire. A huge black kettle. Plenty of salt water. Basic ingredients – potatoes, onions, and Lake Michigan Whitefish. Tradition has given way to modern convenience in one way – the stainless steel inserts often come from recycled washing machines. The Whitefish is only hours from Lake Michigan. Three or four steaks are cut from each fish, and fileted by machine.
Checking the Progress ©2012 Bo Mackison
Potatoes go in almost whole. The ends are cut to allow the salt water to flavor the whole potato. Next the fish boil master adds the onions. And then he adds the whitefish last.
Adding a Little Salt ©2012 Bo Mackison
He adds a huge scoop of salt. This is salt water cooking!
Hard to Wait! ©2012 Bo Mackison
And then the wait is on. All the diners circle around the cooking area, all with cameras in hand. The littler kids squeeze up front for a good view. These little guys, brothers who wer 5 and 2, kept chanting. “Hurry up! Hurry up!” Ten minutes is a long time to wait when you’re a little kid (or an adult for that matter) and you’re waiting not only for dinner, but for the fish boil master to yell “boil over!”
Regulating the Boil ©2012 Bo Mackison
The fish boil master regulates the fire and the cooking temperatures by kicking away logs. Logs standing on end keep the fire burning intensely. Logs kicked to the side allows heat to escape and reduces the heat.
Adding Kerosene to Fire ©2012 Bo Mackison
When the fish and accompaniments are fully cooked, kerosene is added to the flames. This cause a flash of fire, the water boils over the pot, and the excess oils from the fish wash over the pot.
Boil Over ©2012 Bo Mackison
The fish pot is then lifted by two men with long poles, and delivered to the kitchen where dinner is quickly put on plates and served. The clean plate award is a slice of cherry pie. That’s another Door County tradition, courtesy of the many orchards on Door County. Its geographic position, a peninsula stretching into the waters of Lake Michigan, keeps the county more temperate than the rest of Wisconsin, so apple and cherry orchards are plentiful.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She took this series of photos while on a weekend trip to Door County this summer. Bo has been to many a fish boil, beginning with her first one when she was ten years old. She remembers taking a single photograph of a fish boil with her Brownie camera, and wishes she still had a few photos from her earliest attempts.
Good Thoughts © 2012 Bo Mackison
It’s amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions. ~ Charles F. Kettering
Driving along one of the country roads in Door County, in the rain and fog, I saw this sign. The “good thoughts” part of the sign is permanent, as is the word “BE.” The word under the “BE” is on a hook and can be changed. On the hook dangled the word “AMAZED.”
What a great reminder. It was a real pick-me-up. We had spent the day dodging raindrops, and were a bit disappointed that we were having a rain out on one of our three days of vacation. But the day – the day was still amazing. We were still enjoying ourselves and having an amazing time, and the foggy scenery was, well, amazing!
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is looking through the many photographs she took on her weekend trip to Door County, and remembering all – with AMAZEMENT!
