Misc - Croasdill Photography

Ann Arbor Alpacas, gone but not forgotten.

Greg C — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 19:10:00 +0000

Ann Arbor Alpacas History

In 1997 Kara and I started an Alpaca farm here in Michigan called Ann Arbor Alpacas. It was a fun and rewarding experience for all of us as our family grew.

Grey Alpaca in the Snow

About Alapacas

For those who don’t know, an Alpaca is a gentle South American camelid and is similar to Llama, but about half the size. Their fleece is warmer than wool, yet lighter and less bulky. Additionally, it has a natural luster that makes it look like silk. Alpaca fiber is also hypoallergenic, making it a good choice for people with allergies to wool.

Pretty Alpaca Face

Our Herd

At our high point, our farm had 50 Alpacas, 2 llamas, 20 chickens, and 2 goats (and of course kids and cats and dogs). Although we all had a great time, once the kids grew up moved out, Kara and I were started thinking about moving. So we started selling off the animals, stopped our breeding program, and closed up the business in 2017.

Alpacas in the Field

Alpacas as a business

I would highly encourage any and all who want to raise these wonderful creatures to go ahead and jump into it. Sure there’s going to be a bit of spit now and then, but sitting in fields full of these relaxing creatures is the most relaxing thing I can think of.

White Faced Alpaca

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Creation Wars 51

Greg C — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 03:25:52 +0000

I’ll fill in more later, but I couldn’t be prouder of my Arcanum cohort or mentor, Master AD Wheeler. Tonight’s Creation War’s episode featured AD where he did a critique of a few Arcanum images, highlighted some my cohort’s efforts and then gave a great comparison of modern autofocus some inexpensive manual/vintage lenses. Worth a watch!

https://youtu.be/fS_bACzxgdQ

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River Time

Greg C — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:42:14 +0000

Playing with the new timelapse functions on the iPhone, I went out to the River this morning at sunrise and watched the ducks…

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Remember to Look Up

Greg C — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:00:25 +0000

Nothing burns like the cold. After less than a half hour out at Barton Dam, we couldn’t feel our fingers and what we could feel HURT. I was all over the idea of grabbing the equipment and making a heads-down dash to the car. But Greg looked up and with the dam at your back, you’re facing the train trestle and trellised walkway, which was just, well…, kind of beautiful.

HDR – with a lot of chromatic aberration (see the purple and green fringing on the back of the bridge)

As photography technique, never skip the opportunity to look up.

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Frozen in Time

Greg C — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:00:41 +0000

Barton Dam is probably the most photogenic of all of Ann Arbor’s dams, but it really puts on a show in winter. The frozen cascades look more like the calcifications you’d see in caves and the thick ice in the downstream basin shimmers pale green and turquoise in the morning light, while the old powerhouse still somehow manages to look a bit gothic and moody.
That said, it’s a short, but cold, trek in. Good thing we took pictures! Click through the gallery above to experience some of it yourself.

The dam was opened in 1913 and is still used to generate electricity, though now it’s owned by the city of Ann Arbor, rather than Detroit Edison. Check out this circa 1913 view of it from somewhere in the bowels of the UMich libs system.

Where is This?

Barton Dam can most easily be accessed from Huron River Drive from the city park located off of Huron River Drive and Bird Road.

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