A Marine’s life

Posted on February 21, 2012 by rsalway

This morning I had the privilege to photograph Lt. Col. Mike Harmon and his wife, Joy. Mike, 42, is a helicopter pilot in the Marine Corps who just completed a one year deployment to Afghanistan. Mike and Joy wanted some portraits of themselves so they stopped into Alway Photography. I couldn’t resist interviewing Mike and Joy for MasonCountyPress.com about life in the Marines. Both Mike and Joy are truly American heroes, putting service to their country before everything else.

I’ve known Mike most of my life, pretty much since grade school. We graduated together at Mason County Central and grew up down the road from each other in northern Amber Township. After high school he attended Purdue University on a Reserve Officer Training Corp. (ROTC) scholarship to the Marines.

For more of Mike’s story, go to www.masoncountypress.com.

– rob

Down to the wire, our Ireland photography exhibit

Posted on February 20, 2012 by rsalway

We are getting down to the wire, just over a week before the premier of our exhibit, Emerald Expressions. The show will be on display at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts. The opening reception is Saturday, March 3 and the show will continue through April 7. The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free!

Emerald Expressions is a result of our 14-day journey in Ireland last May.

I fell in love with Ireland in 2006 when I traveled there with my brother, Tom. We spent 9 days there, not really knowing where we were going. Since that time I was able to do a lot of research and a lot of dreaming.

Becky and I started talking about our trip last winter. Originally we were going to visit Scotland as well, but we decided 14 days wasn’t enough time.

I have been to tropical islands and as far south as Argentina. I absolutely love Michigan and the Great Lakes region but there is nothing like Ireland. When you hear about how green Ireland is, it’s no exaggeration. Though Ireland is located 10 degrees further north than Michigan it is in line with the Gulf Stream from Florida, keeping the temperatures above freezing most of the year.

As we get closer to the show I will talk more about our adventures.

– rob

Irish heritage month at Ludington Center for the Arts

Posted on February 5, 2012 by rsalway

March is quickly approaching. That means the debut of our exhibit, Emerald Expressions, at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts. Our opening reception will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. The exhibit will continue through April 7.

The center will observe Irish Cultural Month throughout March with special presentations, including:

Thursday, March 8: “Emerald Expressions,” Photographer’s Journal. Rob will discuss the photographic journey he and Becky took last May and how they created the images in the exhibit. 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 9: “Secret of the Cave” film screening. Scottville native Harold Cronk, co-owner of 10 West Studios in Manistee, will talk about the movie “Secret of the Cave,” which he served as production designer. The movie was filmed on Achille Island, County Mayo, Ireland, which is also where many of the photographs of “Emerald Expressions” were created. 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 16: “Reading the Irish Landscape.” Professor Seàn Henne of West Shore Community College will discuss how the Irish landscape influences poetry, art and photography. Professor Henne majored in Irish Studies at Boston College. He is of Irish decent and has traveled there several times.
Saturday, March 17: Emerald Ball. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style as the Ludington Area Center for the Arts holds its annual major fundraiser. The event will feature the General Assembly big band.

The hairdressers; Ludington photography

Posted on January 31, 2012 by rsalway

We recently photographed the staff of Mane Street Moxie hair salon, our building mates. Here are some of the photos from that session.

A vision of Ireland; Ireland photography by Rob Alway

Posted on January 2, 2012 by rsalway

On the way to the Cliffs of Moher in what is known as The Burren in western Ireland, we came across this beautiful castle that overlooks the Aran Islands. In three short months, Becky and I will debut our Emerald Expressions exhibit at the Ludington Center of the Arts. We are hoping to turn this into more than just a photography exhibit and plan on holding cultural and educational programs about Ireland. If you have an interest in Ireland and would like to participate, please feel free to contact us.

– rob