Mary Bedy Photography

  I have been thinking a lot about how I compare myself and my work with the work of other people. In my case, I specifically compare my photography with that of others. This is an on-going process, but the parameters have changed over the years. Many younger people start out with the attitude “I’m going to be the next best (insert profession or activity here) and I will be applauded and noticed for my (art, athletic ability, scientific achievement, photography).” Usually after that train of thought, there is a period of adjustment when a person finds out how much work is actually involved in this adventure they chose, and there is some decision whether to continue and perhaps narrow down the focus of this endeavor. For example, a track and field athlete may find their strongest area and specialize in long-distance running instead of sprinting. A visual artist may love to work in watercolor and not really enjoy painting in acrylics or oil. As a photographer, perhaps someone becomes a t

I have lived next to the Saint Clair River in Michigan for the last 27 years and I have been fascinated by the recent changes in water levels. This year, the water level here in town is only about a foot below the boardwalk. I have mentioned this in a previous blog post, but this level has alarmed me since for the previous 25 years, and until last year, the water level of the river was several feet lower. Not just inches lower, several feet lower. I started wondering what causes this fluctuation (aside from the larger concern of global warming) and being a “slightly informed” geology junkie, I jumped on a couple of websites to explore this phenomenon. One large factor that affects the water level in the lakes is apparently how much ice forms on the lakes in the winter, which cuts down on natural evaporation. This, along with precipitation and run-off from land, is one of the major contributing factors to the water level. I decided to peruse the NOAA website (National Oceanic

I live in a small town in Michigan called Saint Clair, population about 5,000. It’s located about 18 miles south of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron which links Sarnia Canada with the US mainland. Most of you know from your geography classes that in this part of Michigan, Canada is directly East of the US instead of north. When I go downtown, I’m looking at Courtright, Canada across the river from Saint Clair. The river at this point is a little over a mile wide, so I can clearly see the houses and the traffic on the road along the river there unless it’s really foggy or there’s a heavy snowstorm. The Saint Clair river runs between Lake Huron and Lake Saint Clair, with the current running south from Lake Huron at about eight or nine knots. Some days the river is angry with white caps, but most days she’s relatively calm and just goes about her business of flowing south. Along the river here in town, we have the supposedly longest fresh water boardwalk in the world. That is a b