Northport Photo Exhibit Photographers 2025
Robert Bayer
I became interested in photography after receiving a "Spy" attache case with a hidden built in camera when I was a child. In the early ‘90s I got hooked again while scuba diving in Cozumel after watching our dive guide glide through the water capturing images of the undersea world. In the early 2000's, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was into underwater photography. He then convinced me to join a local camera club which held monthly meetings and competitions.
Having some of the best photographers in the Grand Rapids area available to me through the camera club, I picked their brains and improved my photography skills greatly. Eventually, some of them started sharing their "Secret" photography spots or would notify me when a hard to find animal was in the area.
It was through the camera club that I was invited to photograph the athletes in numerous sports for the State Games of Michigan in both the Summer Games and the Winter Games. From my images of the State Games, I was referred to the West Michigan Sports Commission where I was invited to photograph the Meijer LPGA Classic, EPSN X-Games Mastercraft Throwdown, USA Masters track & Field, the first High School Gridiron Classic event and the Michigan High School Gymnastics Finals.
Since moving to Northport in 2016, I’ve done photography for the Northport Performing Arts Center and the Northport Arts Association events as well as local high school sports. In 2021, I had an entry in Art prize, and I currently have two of my images hanging at the new wing of the McLaren Hospital in Petoskey.
Amber Bingham
Amber settled in Leelanau County in 2005 and enjoys being creative in all aspects of her life. As with most things you give time and attention to, photography is one interest that she continues to develop and over the last several years it has grown into a rewarding hobby.
Finding her most joy when immersed in nature, her photos focus on that inspiration attempting to capture the beauty of the present moment.
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it”.. Confucius. You can follow her on Instagram, under the handle "Ambovison".
Ryan Blessing
My name is Ryan Blessing. I'm a native to Northport and I've had an interest in photography since getting a digital camera back in middle school. Moving away to college in the Upper Peninsula really spurred my interest when I was suddenly living just moments away from rivers, waterfalls, and forests that all had something to offer the inner photographer. Although I still have a digital camera, my phone has become a camera that's always at the ready and I've been fortunate enough to get some special shots when I'm out on the go. Many thanks to the Northport Arts Association for giving me the chance to show some of my pieces.
Mike Haynes
Mike is a Northport resident and a self-taught photographer. He is a contributing photographer for Pixabay, Pexels, and iStock by Getty Images. Mike also dabbles in writing, painting, and rock art.
Mike uses photography to tell stories and to help others see the world in different ways. Mike’s goal is to demonstrate that even the simplest objects in front of a lens can stimulate curiosity and evoke emotion.
The works on display represent Mike’s attempt to use balance, rhythm and overall composition in order to trigger a response from viewers.
Marilyn Hoogstraten
Photography began as a hobby for me, photographing my young daughters, their friends, their activities, and the landscape around me. I bought used darkroom equipment and spent hours printing my parents' old negatives. When my daughter’s best friend said, “But you are going to photograph my wedding, aren’t you?” I bought a digital camera and took a workshop. I loved wedding photography, and when I had an opportunity to retire from my “real” job, I started an “encore career” in photography. I found over the years, even in wedding photography, that it was capturing the details, the essence of a place, or the emotion of a person, that I enjoyed most. Now I shoot for myself, celebrating the shape, the form, the design of the space around me, and collecting through photography things that delight me.
Image: Reflections of the Ottaway
Coreene Kreiser
For as long as I can remember, I have always had an innate need to create and express myself through art. As a child, the best present I ever received was a plastic art easel. It prompted me to spend hours practicing to be the next Bob Ross. Within a couple of years, I burned rolls and rolls of film as my best friend Dana modeled among the apple trees near our home.
I refined my love of photography by earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Western Michigan University in 2002. Then I learned more than I could have imagined working for big city commercial photographers & international clients before taking my career freelance in 2008. In 2020, I earned my Masters of Art in Photography from Savannah College of Design and my Masters of Art History & Visual Culture from Lindenwood University in 2022.
I view my photography as more than just a way to make a living. My hope is that you are able to experience all the beauty in the world in a different way, that you are able to see it through my eyes.
Coreene is also the owner of Northern Michigan Talent & Production and teaches yoga with her company Yoga Vidya North.
Diane Lather Belfour
Born in a darkroom on the shores of Lake Michigan, diane lather belfour has been a photographer for most of her life.
A passion for capturing the emotion of weddings and portraits kept her very busy for 35 years. Sensing there was more to do, diane decided it was time to play!
Loving traditional photography, diane will never abandon it!
Born and raised in Suttons Bay, she was taught photography by both her parents; her dad taught her it was all about the eye, never about the camera.
She was never allowed to have anything but an Instamatic until she could create good images with it. And even when she finally got an SLR, it was one lens at a time, learning the capabilities of each one well.
On her very first trip to Europe, she followed that rule: One Camera. One Lens… capture it from that perspective.
The basics learned from her dad, the playfulness coming from her mom: don’t follow the rules, do something daring, do what you love, pour your heart and soul into it!
What she seeks is to shoot compelling images and, sometimes, send them on a grand adventure of their own.
Her motto: "To laugh & create is to live & love!"
Leelanau 5th Generation Photography
leelanau5thgenphoto@gmail.com
Esther Send
I am married to a cherry farmer with 3 married kids and 5 grand kids. I have had a camera since I was 11 years old, at a time when you usually didn't give a kid a camera. While I mostly tend to focus on nature shots, I'm inclined to take photos of many other things that catch my eye.
My other interests include machine embroidery and sewing. There are times when I can combine photography with one or both of the other interests.
As a life long resident of Leelanau County, I find plenty of picturesque settings that demand being photographed.
Don Spezia
Influenced by the elements of nature...
I have been interested in photography, since acquiring my first 35mm camera. Photographs usually include nature, wildlife, architecture, moments in time, motion, and landscapes. My favorite photographs are outdoors, influenced by the elements of nature. A photograph of something unplanned will will find me, instead of me finding a photograph of something I was hoping to capture.
I shoot 35mm digital with a Canon 90D, a number of lenses; and an occasional iPhone 8 photograph. I had been a member of the West Shore Camera Club (Muskegon, MI), from 2003 to 2010. I served on the Board as Secretary/Newsletter Editor most of those years.
I have had photographs accepted for showing at various juried Art Exhibits, including a Purchase award at the Muskegon Museum of Art, and various Honorable Mentions at a number of exhibits. Among the latest are an Honorable Mention for “Abstract Matters” category at 311 Gallery in Raleigh, NC, and an Honorable Mention for the 2023 Plein Air Photo Shoot for the Northport Arts Association (NAA), and an Honorable Mention at the 2024 NAA Photo Contest. I have had a photograph accepted for publication in the Walloon Writers Review 9th Edition, slated for publication in 2025.
I have worked as an Architect as my career and retired in 2017. Other activities include playing and writing original guitar instrumentals. My photography has been used in the CD case design in all of my 9 different music CD's. More information can be found on my website:
Sheen Watkins
Sheen is a landscape, bird, nature, and adventure photographer who thrives on capturing the beauty of the outdoors in all its forms. As a Part 107 FAA certified drone pilot, she also brings perspectives from above, showcasing nature from angles most people never get to see.
She feels most at home in the outdoors, on the road, anywhere surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature. Based in Michigan, Sheen finds endless inspiration in the changing seasons—each one bringing new photo opportunities and creative challenges.
Whether it’s a quiet forest path, birds in flight, or a magnificent night sky view, Sheen’s photography reflects her deep love for the natural world and the adventures that come with exploring it.
Explore her work at www.sheenwatkins.art.
Rachel Winslow
Rachel Winslow is an innkeeper, light artist, and self taught experimental photographer living in Leland, MI. Her work focuses on the use of homemade, vintage, and toy cameras to make photographs that are abstract and dreamlike. She has taught countless film photography workshops through the years and her musician portraiture has been featured on national platforms such as Pitchfork, NPR, and more. She's been shooting film for 16 years and is constantly exploring new & unconventional ways to photograph using experimental methods.