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11/13/2019 0 Comments

Little Things in the Expanse of Life

Earlier this fall I was in Traverse City for the weekend visiting Family. I took the opportunity to spend the morning at the Boardman River, where the Cass Rd Dam used to be. I had recently purchased a new lens (wide angle, Rokinon 24mm f1.4) and was eager to use it. I wandered for a while, looking for that great landscape shot that could express the beauty I saw around me. I did take some wide shots, but after some time, I realized I was missing the beauty, looking for….the beauty!

I am always impressed by those grand, huge landscape photos. And I occasionally get them myself! But what is truly amazing, is the amount of beauty we pass by, while looking for something else. Big picture mentality is good to keep before us, but make sure to look at the little things too.

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5/12/2019 1 Comment

Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Two and a half hours by bus west from Cancun Mexico, lies one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World". Chichén Itzá, or more specifically the Temple of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá was voted into this distinguished group in 2007. Constructed around 600 AD, this stone structure is still impressive today.

A thousand years ago, this area would have been teeming with people, vitality, color, and life. A hub of most trade routes in the area, it was truly the center of the Mayan world. Unfortunately, by the time the Spanish arrived in 1526, the Mayan culture had declined so far that they encountered no real resistance taking Chichén Itzá.

This amazing place is still experiencing challenges, even fifteen centuries later. In recent years, the amount of tourism has increased drastically. With the current economy in Mexico, street vending has exploded at tourism sites like this. Our tour guide explained with obvious frustration that over 500 vendors would be inside this astounding archaeological site. This puts significant stress on the locations facilities, and even on people who wish to come and ponder this incredible place.

I would highly recommend visiting here, and going with a reputable tour guide. The amount of history, culture, religion, and awe inspiring engineering that you can see here is overwhelming.

One of the many colorful "shops" along the path from the main entrance to the Temple

It appears that this road was paved at one point, but due to the years and people it is back to mostly dirt.

Some of the colors here were amazing to my American mind.

I took some photos in color, but I think this place is best shown in a distinguishing black and white.

There was quite a few birds around the area, filling the air with sound.

This vendor was in the process of carving one of the statues he was selling. He found it humorous that I wanted to take a photo...

There were also quite a few iguanas waltzing around, or as in this case, sitting around.

One of the many "Cenotes" in this area of Mexico. (Yup, I went swimming in this one)...

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5/10/2019 0 Comments

Maple River Area

I had some spare time the other day, so I wandered though the Maple River State Game Area. I'll let the photos speak for themselves on this one.

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2/9/2019 0 Comments

Traverse City At Night

Last weekend the family and I went up to Traverse City to visit my Parents. I took the opportunity to run into town and do some night photography.
I only spent 4 hours downtown because my foot was hurting (another story), but it was fun none the less.

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2/8/2019 0 Comments

Traverse City Michigan - Abstract

While out in Traverse City last week I did a bunch of more abstract images.

Webster defines abstract as "expressing a quality apart from an object ". Abstract photography is photos of items that are portrayed in a way that draws attention to something other that the normal use of the object.

Quite a few of these photos are actually of frost on a glass door, with Christmas lights, and other lights in the background. But the photos are not of the lights, the frost, or the glass. They are photos of the abstract patterns and designs created by the combination of glass, frost, and lights.

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1/16/2019 1 Comment

What to do without Snow?

Michigan weather has always been...well...unpredictable. I am not one who usually complains about the day to day outside conditions. But as I live in the northern part of the United States, I do hold the belief that winter should contain a significant amount of the white fluffy stuff.

The interesting side effect to our current snow-less weather pattern, is that many locations that I would not normally go walking to this time of year are easily accessible. Further some things we would not normally see, such as the still colorful, undamaged leaves you see below can be found.

It can be hard to take time out of a day to go for a walk. It seems as if there is always an excuse. My reasoning right now, "well I need to get this done, etc..." But in reality, many of the projects I am doing these days, would not even be possible if the ground was covered in snow (like it is supposed to be). All of these photos came from 2 hours of wandering the paths at Sleepy Hollow State Park just north of Lansing MI.

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12/24/2018 0 Comments

Drone Photography!

We live in an ever-changing world. One field that is rapidly evolving is Unnamed Aircraft Systems or "Drones" According to the whitepaper "EMS Agenda 2050" in another three decades, we will be using drones instead of ambulances to retrieve injured patients and transport them to a hospital. (An interesting read if you want to know what the powers that be believe the world of Emergency medicine will look like in another 31 years. Link here. )

Drones are already integral to our military warfare and reconnaissance, and even Amazon has begun the process of drone delivery. A quick Google search will show a huge number of photographers and videographers offering drone photography. Drones are now being used for surveying, thermal imagining, crop studying, and even wildlife management.

As drone usage broadens, the FAA and other regulator agencies have to come up with new rules. For the last couple years, drone use near widland fires has been prohibited, due to the potential for the helicopters working the fires having a mid-air-impact. In 2016 the Federal Aviation Administration passed section 107, creating rules and regulations for UAS. Associated with this, is the relatively new "Remote Pilot Certificate. This is required for any "commercial" drone use. The photos you see on this post do not constitute commercial, because I am a. Not being paid to take them, b. Not selling them, and c. Not using them to advertise a service.

I want to say thanks to my brother-in-law Jason for allowing me to play around with his DJI Mavic Pro drone yesterday. Will I "go into" drone photography? The remains to be determined. I would love to, but the price tag on the lease expensive drone I would look at is about what I make in a month... Feel free to make a donation.....

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12/2/2018 0 Comments

Sarah and Aaron Luna Wedding

I recently had the privilege of taking my little sister Sarah's wedding photos in Bigfork Montana. That sounds pretty simple when written in a sentence, but taking two kids under the age of 4 across the US... well, lets just say I am glad to be back to my own bed. From a photographer's view, the wedding day was perfect. Lightly cloudy in the morning, with some patchy sun in the afternoon and evening. From a brother's view, she's married. What more do I say.

Congratulations Sarah and Aaron!

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12/1/2018 1 Comment

About Levi Hebert Photography

So why does the guy you know as Levi, now have a website called Levi Hebert Photograph?

I grew up in the Traverse City area of Michigan, spending most of my waking hours outside. The area I had within bike range was mostly swamp to one degree or another. I became interested in photography pretty early in life, starting with a 35mm camera, and then being given a 4.0mp Cannon Powershot for a birthday present. I roamed the woods, swamps, beaches, and streams near my house, taking as many photos as possible.
Fast forward a few years. Ok, more than a few. In my teenage years I upgraded to my first DSLR camera, and started being an “assistant photographer” for some weddings. After a few of these I started doing a few weddings myself. Then life happened, I got married, moved a few times, etc. I still enjoyed photography, but I felt there were so many good photographers around, what did I have to offer?

Jump ahead to more recent years. I work full time in Emergency Response in different roles. Most of these jobs had a good bit of downtime. I have observed that many people in these situations just vegetate on movies / youtube / facebook / etc. Now I like all of the above, but I took a vacation from these and downloaded books, tutorials, classes, lessons, and anything else I could find on my favorite subjects: Photography, Kayaking, Navigation (for kayaking), and Scuba Diving.
I know that not having a degree in Arts or Photography may dissuade some from wishing to entrust their photography to me. I completely understand, but I wish to suggest a close look at my portfolio.

I believe my photography speaks for itself. When I go looking for a photographer to learn from, I look at their portfolio, not their choice of camera, education, or location. The most important part of photography is the photographer’s “eye” This is their ability to look at a subject and choose what details, what framing, and what perspective will best showcase the subject.
What will the future hold? I am not exactly sure. More accurately, I do not have a clue... I do know I love photography, being a Father, Husband and Paramedic. How these will be balanced, and what will be added I am not sure. Photography may stay something done mostly for fun, and a little for hire. Or it may become a full time occupation in itself.

Only time will answer some questions. Such as what the weather will be tomorrow in Michigan. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and if you wish to stay update as the story unfolds, consider following Levi Hebert Photography.

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Little Things in the Expanse of Life

Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Maple River Area

Traverse City At Night

Traverse City Michigan - Abstract

What to do without Snow?

Drone Photography!

Sarah and Aaron Luna Wedding

About Levi Hebert Photography

Levi Hebert

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