Zeeland

This weekend I spent some time photographing in Zeeland, about 30 minutes southwest of Grand Rapids. I realized that I’ve not photographed in Zeeland, Holland, Grand Haven, and Muskegon and decided to start. I did not have a lot of time and got sidetracked in a bike store. But I got a few images that I liked of architecture and people.

First the people. Zeeland is a town with some money, which you can see in some of the shops and clothing and restaurants, but it’s also got a mix of folks across the economic spectrum, as you can also see. And it’s an agricultural town, serving local farmers and growers of various sorts. And, of course, there’s dogs. The woman in the first photo wanted me to photograph her and her dog. I managed to catch him with his face where the camera could see it.

Then there were the people, some hustling to a restaurant for lunch, others lingering after eating Saturday brunch.

Then there is the architecture. My favorite images were of older buildings with some modern renovations. The first looks a bit as if Ikea remodeled the face of the building. Look for the little “easter egg” feature, the little human presence in the image. I had to wait a bit to get her right, so she looks as if she’s by herself. The second? Well, I’m not sure what to say. It’s not my taste, but someone spent money and must have thought it a good idea. The third looks its age but remains lovely.

And one more. For me it’s about the “symmetry” of the barber shops and the fate of the faces of buildings like these as they got renovated. I’d love to know what the architect who designed them more than a century ago would think of them today. Would they see progress? Loss?

Enjoy!