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Ann Arbor Photographic Arts

A Staircase of Creative Expression

Our Newest Galleries and Photo Blogs

Bikein Ann Arbor Midpoint | Lowlight photoshoot with the Panasonic Lumix FZ2500

A spontaneous pop-up photo shoot happened when photographer Evans Koukios encountered A2 bikers at their midpoint stop on their last Friday of the month Bikeinannarbor. It was late evening at Mary Beth Doyle Park, known for its urban wetland environment.

Click to view the youtube video shot with a Lumix Panasonic FZ2500 bridge camera in 4K and converted to slow motion in post. The original soundtrack is used to present the park’s evening audio ambiance.

Photo study galleries were also created that show a group picture captured with the FZ2500’s built in flash, a potpourri gallery of stills, two galleries of a2photographic’s “photodesigns”, animated video slideshows and a gallery of “snaps” or frame extractions from the 4K footage—all to show the creative efforts that Ann Arbor Photographic Arts can bring to its artistic portfolio.

Explore it all by clicking the slideshow or the button below. Leave your comments in the gallery guestbooks and buy from our photo product shopping galleries. Click on!

Families Belong Together Activism Asylum Seekers are Not Criminals

The immigration and asylum policies in America were changed by President Trump’s administration to where immigrant children were separated from their parents. This change drew massive protests at rallies across the country to stop this inhumane treatment.

In Ann Arbor, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and others addressed the crowds on the University of Michigan’s campus. On that hot day, June 30, 2018, forceful stories were video recorded by Ann Arbor Photographic Arts, providing comprehensive coverage of this important time in America’s political activism history. View Rep. Dingell’s stirring speech and all the other speakers that are in our galleries.

But beyond belief, these frightful stories were eclipsed in this first week of August 2019. A mass killing of 22 Hispanics in El Paso, Texas by a white terrorist armed with an assault weapon was followed by another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. That was followed by the largest ICE raid arresting 680 undocumented workers in food processing plants in Mississippi.

Children and parents were traumatized by the cruelty, and some say torture, executed with the encouragement from an illegitimate, white supremacist President. Our country showed the world a sick, Nazi face. We are not in a reality TV show for entertainment but an entertainment of demagoguery and ugly power of greedy men executing a RICO conspiracy to take even more of the world’s material riches.

We at Ann Arbor Photographic Arts will still fight to create and create to fight. Art and activism goes together, here. View our new photo design animation video, “Asylum Seekers and Families Are Not Criminals” and all of the other photography and video in our political action galleries.

The Electric Bolt 2019 - Pressing the Panasonic FZ2500 in the Cure for ALS

We at Ann Arbor Photographic Arts celebrated a one year milestone as our photo coverage of the Ann Arbor Electric Bolt Race last year was the impetus for creating our a2photographic.com website. This year we returned to the photo site of our maiden web voyage and created a new video slideshow, “Pressing the FZ2500 Finish Line Camera” at this year’s Electric Bolt on July 28, 2019.

The play on the word “pressing” is an understatement, as this photographic assignment has a continuous stream of runners approaching from a distance and heading right at the camera. Bands of light streak across the path from the east, and the camera is “pressed” into keeping zoom, focus and exposure at a blistering pace, as the goal is to capture all of the individual finish line photo stories.

The first video slideshow is running at a pace of 6 high resolution shots a second, about the same burst rate of the Panasonic Lumix FZ2500 camera. It is fast action sports photography, a study in the capabilities of this powerful bridge zoom camera.

The second video slideshow, “Photo Story at the Finish Line” is more measured at 148 high res photos and feeds into the PHOTO BOOKS we created especially for this year’s run. Enjoy the drama at the finish line with this poignant selection of images.

Please share your stories about this photography by clicking below and signing the gallery guestbook. Create your own PHOTO STORY BOOK by picking your favorite pictures. A2photographic.com is the place for 2019 Electric Bolt photography. Click below for our galleries.

Street Photography and Photo Designs at the 2019 Ann Arbor Art Fair

The Ann Arbor Art Fair 2019 happened again this year with artists from across the country coming to Ann Arbor to display, sell and share their artistic creations. A2photographic.com was in attendance, too, taking in their stories and working its own street photography. See our first creation made with editing brushes, palettes of color, in the youtube “photo designs video”. For our second creation, watch our 900 shot video slideshow “The Spray”, a new exhilaration for a “treat on the street”.

So as to the first creation, what are “photodesigns”, anyway? Well, one answer is graphic changes to a photograph by use of mathematical algorithms that can, step by step, transform a digitized photograph into a new rendering. In this “video photodesign”, a2photographic worked four photographs to produce 300 unique transformations, investigating this relatively new genre of art making that has come to us with the computer age and electronic displays. Plus, an a2photographic extra, the transformations are in motion !!!

Then there is the unexpected event in street photography adventure, “The Spray”. Quick thinking to adapt the camera to the scene and hope for the best. A2photographic.com even pressed with shutter speeds to 1/10000 of a second to investigate what was coming out of those sidewalk jets. No work, however, involved in asking the photo subjects to pose, smile and say cheese. It was the magic of “the spray” that did the tickling.

A2photograhic.com is still matting and framing these artistic creations, but it considers itself another pioneer of artistic expression. With a niche in street photography, we greeted this year’s street-vendor artists, who braved the hot temperatures, storms and booth flooding, to bring us this year’s fair. The flourishing culture of art in Ann Arbor, Michigan is alive and well. Thanks to everyone for contributing !!!

Visit our photo galleries for all of our Art Fair photography by clicking on the button below.

The Jaycee's Ann Arbor Fourth of July 2019 Independence Day Parade

It is now a tradition for Ann Arbor Photographic Arts to cover the Ann Arbor Independence Day Parade. With more than 60 marching organizations–from politicians, non-profits, organizations for causes, schools, cultures–it is a vibrant expression of being American on this festive national holiday.

We are a country of diversity, a nation of nations, an America of principles and ideas, a United States of children, families, seniors and land of opportunity. View the full 4K parade video we recorded by clicking on the youtube link.

Then view our albums in our gallery store and leave a happy comment for others to see. You’ll be convinced of Ann Arbor’s commitment to expressing the soul of our nation from the time of its independence.

Click the button below for the full gallery of photos.

Electric Bolt 2018 | Active Against ALS

We at Ann Arbor Photographic Arts celebrate a one year milestone as our photo coverage of the Electric Bolt 5K last year was the impetus for creating our a2photographic.com website. One year later, Ann Arbor Photographic Arts is still a vendor at The Sunday Artisan Market in Kerrytown, selling creative canvas prints and photo designs. As our website demonstrates, we were active this year as photographers and videographers of A2 events, reporting on a variety of social, political and artistic themes.

To thank Electric Bolt and help in its fight against ALS, we created an Electric Bolt slideshow from last year’s finish line photography. To our great delight, these were perfect pics for our maiden voyage in photo story telling.

This year’s race is Sunday, July 28, 2019 and you can sign up at www.activeagainstals.org . Following the race, visit our Kerrytown Sunday Artisan Market booth. We will make history again with coverage of our second annual Electric Bolt Race. See you at the finish line and click below for last year’s photography in our gallery store.

An Immigration Story A Century Old, the Red Hot Inn and Gus's Original Close

This is a family photo story nearly a century old as Jim Koukios was the first of his Greek family to come to the United States in 1920. After settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he then brought over his nephews Sam, Thales, and Gus Koukios to sell “Red Hots” in his chili hot dog style restaurant at 131 Michigan Ave NW. It has been a three generation livelihood with the secret chili recipe at the core of its lore.

Today’s happening was the family getting together in a nostalgic celebration of the successful retirement of a branch of this story, as the Red Hot Inn at the corner of the Belt Line and Leonard St. cashed out after 35 years in business at that location. Gus’ Original pizza restaurant closed as well after 7 years, as both brothers, Jim and Matt, felt it was time to move on. All this, however, happened while stories of the home land, the mountain village of Dikastro in Greece, were still being told. Thanks Uncle Jim for the century of stories.

Click the button below for the full gallery of photos.

Evans Koukios, Ann Arbor Photographic Arts, June 22, 2019

On Nature's Trail - A Decade of Photo Birding In and Around Ann Arbor

Neighbors and friends from Cincinnati, Toni and Marshall Wilson came to Ann Arbor yesterday for a long overdue reunion of our two families. Now teaching bio and photo chemistry at Bowling Green State University, Marshall has also built an incredible database of 25000 birds. Spurred by their upcoming visit, Evans did a search in his online google photo albums for the term “birds”. However the graphical and text algorithm worked, it selected 6500 images our of tens of thousands. These were downloaded and then half were selected and then uploaded today to a2photographic’s zenfolio photo galleries.

This project revealed a host of cameras including early Canon, Kodak, and Fuji models; a Sony line of HX100, HX200, Alpha SLT A57 and A65 cameras, and the Panasonic Lumix line of the FZ200, FZ1000 and the FZ2500. There were a host of environments, too, throughout nearly a decade of photo birding in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County parks, backyards, the Detroit and Indianapolis zoos, the Great Lakes National Cemetery, nature photography workshops and the very special bird sanctuary at the Leslie Science Center here in Ann Arbor. So thanks Marshall and Toni for the inspiration to go out on the birding trail once again and relive my photo adventures of the past decade.

For all other photo birders, be sure to go to the galleries, see the trials and tribulations of bird photography, sign into the guestbook and please leave your own birding adventure stories, too. More to come. This is but “day one” of this new project.

Take care,

Evans Koukios, Ann Arbor Photographic Arts, June 16, 2019

National Day of Action for Reproductive Freedom, ACLU of Michigan

On May 31, 2019 the ACLU of Michigan joined in a National Day of Action to fight for safe abortion access with a rally in Ann Arbor for reproductive freedoms. It was held in the Diag of the University of Michigan. The keynote speaker was Cecile Richards.

The ACLU partnered with Planned Parenthood, NextGen, Equality Michigan and others to fight back against the blatant attempts in many states across the nation to gut Roe v Wade and criminalize health care.

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts was there with a Panasonic FZ2500 to video record and document, in 4K, the entire hour and a half rally. To see and hear all of its many speakers, click on the youtube video link.

Plus, Maria roved with a Panasonic FZ1000 to capture action shots of the protesters with their signs and messages, highlighting the dire situations women are being subjected to. “Women’s rights are human rights.” This is a call to action! Visit the photo galleries for more.

Video Vignettes At Highland Cemetery After the Memorial Day Ceremony 2019

Memorial Day is special for Ann Arbor Photographic Arts as it has covered the parades and ceremonies for years. This year was memorable for its in depth look into stories at Ypsilanti’s Highland Cemetery following the Memorial Day Ceremony.

Click to see our video including interviews from Chaplin Lawrence Vollink, DAR member Roberta Kemp, EMU history students Jay Frye and Lacey Opdycke, and Willow Run Chapter of the Civil Air Patrol volunteer Norman Terry. The sights and sounds of the day were captured with the live video vignettes followed by a photographic slideshow. in the video as well as still images captured in our photo gallery store.

It was a beautiful, sunny day that helped us reflect on the heroism, sadness and tribulations of soldiers for every nation who have fought and are fighting in the world’s wars. May the valiant be secure and rest in peace and those safe at home be vigilant in sending a constant message for peace. And click on the gallery story that includes an album of photo designs on a playful spinner.

Modern Harp Quartet "Going Baroque"

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts recorded all concerts of the 2018-2019 FUMC Green Wood Chamber Music Series. For the season finale The Modern Harp Quartet shared their talents with “GOING BAROQUE”, works composed during or inspired by the Baroque era. This program was a perfect blend of the ancient and modern with a baroque flair.

Members of the quartet include Lynne Aspnes, Lydia Cleaver, Maurice Draughn and John Wickey–seasoned alumni from the harp studios of Cass Tech, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. The idea of forming the quartet was spurred by the well-received performance of the Cass Tech Alumni Harp Ensemble at the 2008 American Harp Society National Conference in Detroit.

Today they promote the modern harp as a versatile instrument, capable of producing a vast array of tone colors and effects through performances and workshops. Click on the videos to hear and be inspired by their modern arrangements of Bach, Stravinsky, Ravel, Rameau and Respighi, with the unique sounds of these four harps and these four harpists. Enjoy.

FUMC Chancel Choir Sings Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen

At the worship services of the Ann Arbor First United Methodist Church on Sunday, May 19, 2019, its Chancel Choir was joined by orchestra under the direction of Dr. Ann Marie Koukios to sing “Come Into the Light”, Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna. Based on a theme of “Light”, this much-beloved work was written in 1997 and was embraced by the entire global choral community. Written in a personal response to his mother’s final illness, Lauridsen found the ancient Latin texts centering on light to be a source of great comfort.

This work by a gifted composer was woven into the worship services to uplift our souls through musical images of light. “The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” [John 1:5]

This beautiful service, with Prelude music Bach’s Air on a G String, Offertory Music and Time of Meditation music Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Postlude Dubois’ Fiat Lux (Let There be Light) was video recorded by Ann Arbor Photographic Arts as an historical record in the life of this progressive and loving congregation.

In Celebration of the Life of The Honorable Damon J. Keith

The Hon. Damon J. Keith’s life was celebrated May 13, 2019 with a service at the Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit Michigan. When he passed away at age 96, he was still a jurist on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and still mentoring at the service through those sharing memories of his legendary accomplishments.

Keith had deep connections to Detroit, Wayne State University School of Law and civic organizations. He was a jurist of national stature. Dignitaries from Michigan and across the nation came to pay their respects.

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts became acquainted with Judge Keith when it photo documented the Civil Rights Museum at Wayne State School of Law in 2012. It’s one of the albums in our collection of galleries on this website.

We attended the satellite feed of the funeral service on Wayne State’s campus and video recorded the ClickonDetroit telecast from that auditorium. There we met Peter Hammer, one of the authors of Keith’s biography, Crusader for Justice, professor in the Wayne Law School and Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. Thanks to Wayne, where a2photographic’s founder Maria Koukios received her BFA degree in photography, we were able to witness, record and share the outpourings of love and reverence for Keith’s life and work.

Our photo journalistic endeavor was a blessing and timely for today’s urgently needed activism for social justice. Judge Keith ruled in his pivotal case: “Democracies die behind closed doors”. It is now Donald Trump who is in need of a “Keith correction”. Click on the button below to visit our Judge Damon Keith photo/video galleries. Our democracy is in peril and must not perish. Judge Keith sounded the alarm. See more in our galleries.

On A Photoshoot at the Lincoln Street Art Park Near Wayne State University

Detroit is a creative place for artists and Ann Arbor Photographic Arts has significant roots there. Co-founder of the company, Maria Koukios, got her BFA Degree in Photography from Wayne. Now in the professional world, she is assisting one of her former teachers. Deborah Kingery, in developing curriculum materials for a new online “Introduction to Photography” course being offered during the Spring and Summer semesters.

To introduce her students to the wonders of photography and the operation of DSLR cameras, Deborah took Maria and her photographer dad Evans (see bios below), to Lincoln Street Art Park just north of Warren off Trumbull. There are no shortage of pictures on the web taken at the park and a2photographic.com just contributed more, with the purpose of aiding photographic and fine art instruction.

There are galleries showing the relationship of Depth of Field and lens F stop, motion blur with slow shutter speeds, frame grabs from 4K video, post processing for fine art effect, perspective and leading lines, photo journalistic coverage of a location with their Leica super zoom lenses and Panasonic Lumix cameras.

Explore the galleries at our webstore by clicking on one of the slideshows or the button below.

2019 Easter Services Recorded in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Boca Raton, Florida

This year, Easters fell one week apart on the two different Christian calendars. On April 21, 2019, the Easter service at the Ann Arbor First United Methodist Church was video recorded in 4K by a2photographic, while the Resurrection Vigil and Holy Pascha Divine Liturgy was streamed live and recorded from Saint Mark’s Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida, April 28, 2019.

Both were uploaded to youtube servers and now shared from a2photographic.com, informing us of the changes in civilization for communicating photographic and video arts today, connected by the new internet infrastructure. People around the world can visit Ann Arbor and hear the messages of pastors Nancy Lynn, Nick Berlanga and Tim Kobler. They can hear the choirs, bells and brass directed by Dr. Ann Marie Koukios. Likewise, the ambitious live streaming in Florida gives us access to Rev. Father Mark Leondis , the chanters, choirs, parishioners and pageantry in an Orthodox church steeped in historical tradition.

So we can now live in a virtual world. We have upped the way of interacting with each other. Christos Anesti!

Greektown Independence Day Parade Marches on A Rainy, Rainy Day in 2019

A2photographic.com covered the 18th Annual Greek Independence Day Parade in Detroit’s historic Greektown with two video cameras and Maria’s awesome street photography. There was a spectacular rain that drenched those walking, making for a “one of a kind” experience. Click on our youtube.com videos for the sounds and sights of the day! Then click on the slideshow to go to our Greek Heritage photo galleries and comment in our guestbook. OPA to the Greeks and their fight for freedom! Great Greek food at the Golden Fleece afterwards, too. Efharisto!

Video Slideshows of the 2012 and 2016 Greektown Parades in Sunny Weather!

This year marks the 18th Annual Greek Independence Day Parade in Detroit’s Historic Greektown District that Ann Arbor Photographic Arts has covered for years.

Click to see our youtube photoshows from 2012 and 2016 and get into the Greek spirit. This is “OPA” coverage that gets you dancing and up to speed with the festivities to come. Visit the parade committee website for more information at greekparades.com.

The committee’s schedule includes (times are p.m.):

1:00 Dignitary Reception at Atheneum Suite Hotel
2:00 Doxology Service at Annunciation Church
3:00 Parade travels on Monroe St. to Greektown Hotel
4:00 Post Parade ceremony, dancing and street festival

a2photographic.com loves covering this local tradition for folks of Greek backgrounds and Philhellenes touched by the draw of Greece; and we’ll SEE you with our cameras at this year’s parade. Also, click below to visit our Greek Heritage Photo Galleries, share comments in the guestbook and find a picture of yourself! Efharisto.

Justine Sedky, flutes & Ellen Sirower, piano - Recital

Justine and Ellen, both hailing from New Your City, have found themselves united here in Ann Arbor, both pursuing degrees in Music Performance at the University of Michigan. They appeared on the Greenwood Music series of the Ann Arbor First United Methodist Church April 7, 2019, where a2photographic.com video recorded their exquisitely performed recital for flutes and piano. Selections included improvisations, works by Bach, Chopin, Varese, and Debussy.

Justine and Ellen are members of Red Shoe Company, a collective which creates multi-genre events in venues ranging from traditional concert halls to gather spaces of all types. Their versatile capabilities as soloists bring Justine and Ellen to a wide variety of venues, performing freely improvised music alongside standard repertoire.

View and hear the concert on a2photographic’s youtube channel by clicking to the left, and go to a2photographic’s gallery store to see the photo design art of selected images from their concert by clicking on the slideshow or the button below.

McMillan's Chernobyl - Photography Exhibition at Oakland University Curated by Claude Baillargeon

Since 1994, university teacher and photographer David McMillan revisited the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl 1986 nuclear accident in Ukraine. His photography intimately and artistically captured the deserted region of our planet contaminated by deadly radiation, its cultural heritage in decay, and nature’s relentless reclaiming of its habitats. McMillan began his career as a painter and landscape photographer before embarking on this major photographic project. It was brought to exhibit status by Curator Claude Baillargeon, Professor of Art History at Oakland University and expert in exploring the history of the nuclear age.

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts video covered the curator’s talk on March 29, 2019, purchased the newly published book of more than 200 images in McMillan’s project (including an essay by Baillargeon), and revisited the gallery to make a journalistic record. This is an important story for photographers in search of subjects and on the curator’s craft of gallery exhibition. It even inspired A2’s documentary video with a photographic slideshow; and a new collection of A2’s unique “photodesign art”, created with a new experimental technique. You’ll recognize faculty from Oakland University, CCS, Wayne State, Toledo University, Adrian College and more. Click to view the video documentary and for our gallery albums.

Jenny Lind, The Swedish Nightingale in America, A Musical Play by Kelly Hale

Very special things happen in Ann Arbor and on November 18, 2016. a new play by author-actor Kelly Hale, starring the highly-acclaimed New York soprano Risa Renee Harman, came to town. It is the story of the most famous singer in the world in the 19th century, about Jenny Lind’s American Tour of 1850-52. This musical play was written by the opera professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM) and featured him at the keyboard and playing multiple roles during the performance.

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts was on hand and is now able to reproduce that memorable evening at the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor. It was a very moving performance as soprano Harman sings a rich collection of some of the most popular and exquisite soprano operatic arias sung during the course of Lind’s American adventure tour, sponsored by none other than showman P.T. Barnum. It’s history well worth remembering in artistic circles throughout the ages.

View our youtube “live recording” and visit our gallery store for more images from the evening’s performance.

Ann Arbor Camerata Recitals on FUMC Concert Series

Ann Arbor Camerata Chamber Recital
Sunday, March 24, 2019 – 3:00 p.m.

The Ann Arbor Camerata returned to the Green Wood Chamber Series of First United Methodist Church with a recital featuring three Masters students from the University of Michigan. Natsuko Takashima played violin, Isabel Dimoff was on cello, and Hyerim Lee on piano.

They performed the Piano Trio in A minor by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and the Sonata for Cello & Piano in C Major, Op. 119 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).

Click on the “live concert” links to view our recordings of this exquisitely performed repertoire by these Camerata, U of M musicians. We have been covering and recording concerts in Ann Arbor for over ten years. Contact us for your video recording and editing needs.

And click on the button below to go to our photo gallery store with more great photography from this event.

"Meet Me in the Air", Old Time Radio with Friends of the Groom Theater Company

Ann Arbor First United Methodist Church hosted a special Christian theater company from Cincinnati, Ohio and on March 3, 2019, brought their theatrical skills and original works to Ann Arbor Photographic Arts as well. The group normally travels in teams of three and in the past thirty-eight years has performed plays and conducted workshops in thousands of locations from Anchorage to Beijing. Tom Long is the director, playwright, and chief storyteller who came with accomplished actors Jocelyn Sluka and Colleen Scheid.

We had a chance to interview all three, do a portrait photoshoot, record their workshop messages in the Sunday services and finally record a very special production of their work, “Meet Me in the Air”. Tom Long was the playwright who recreated the sounds and sights of a radio station in the 70’s. A2photographic.com then added its video recording skills to create a “live view” of this wonderfully staged audio and visual production. Experience the action “up close”. It’s the “best seat” in the house for this special broadcast of WJCN.

A Concert for the Grand Old Flag

Time to vlog about a very special Ann Arbor-Washtenaw County group, The Town Band. Click to play A2photographic’s “live” youtube performance of their complete concert, February 17, 2019. Then click button below to see our photo and video galleries for this concert.

The Town Band is a 20-piece vintage music group that plays only music from the 1880s to 1920s, in period-appropriate costume, and with period-appropriate instruments. It recreates the sounds and atmosphere of the popular town band concerts of the World War I era.

“Professor” Jerry Robbins is the conductor and mastermind of this ensemble and we are tremendously pleased to have recorded this at the Greenwood Chapel of the First United Methodist Church.

Extras include a barbershop performance of the “Full Value” Quartet from Huron Valley Harmonizers, the “Tappen Teen” wiz kid Mr. Connor Casey tap dancing, and the Village Dancers waltzing and doing the Tango!

It was a grand old day for the Grand Old Flag. Sousa is political activism at its finest. Feel great again about our country, its culture and history.

Click below to play our youtube recordings of 1) Hispanic and 2) Arab parts of the evening's concert 3) the dinner speakers on immigration and 4) Rev. Paul Perez delivering his sermon message "Blessing or Curse".

FUMC Global Ministries

Each year the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor plans activities around global awareness and this year’s theme was “Joy in Diversity & Grace Through Immigration – A Celebration of Arab and Hispanic Cultures.

On Feb 9, 2019 dinner was provided by Chela’s Mexican restaurant and Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine. Speakers were 18th District State Senator Jeff Irwin; Sonja Luna, Methodist Missionary for Hispanic Ministries; and Victoria Booker, Justice for Our Neighbors & Immigrant Hospitality.

The evening concert featured the Chancel Choir under the Direction of Dr. Ann Marie Koukios, included music of Hispanic and Arab cultures and Michael Ibrahim of the National Arab Orchestra. Sunday morning, Rev. Paul Perez of the UMC Conference gave the sermon message on diversity and immigration, “Blessing or Curse”.

Greek Heritage Michigan

For years Greek communities in Michigan have hosted Greek Independence Day events centered on a parade in Greektown, Detroit. Ann Arbor Photographic Arts has covered this cultural tradition for folks of Greek backgrounds and those Philhellenes interested in the draw of Greece. Of recent note was the passing of Olga Loizon in 2019. She was the founder of Olga’s Kitchen and photographed at a 2017 banquet when the Detroit Greek Independence Day Committee awarded Loizon the Greektown Preservation Society Award. Please share comments in the guestbook with your stories about these photos. Efharisto.

In Concert - U of M's Brass Faculty

The Music and Arts Concert Series of A2 First United Methodist Church presented the distinguished University of Michigan’s Brass Faculty, January 20, 2019. Video was recorded by A2 Photographic Arts and included:

Dance Suite, Leonard Bernstein
Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, Georg Philipp Telemann
Showdown at the Hoedown, Charles Reskin
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, Heitor Villa-Lobos
Fury II for Solo Tuba, James Grant
Summer Dances for Brass Quintet, Charles Reskin

North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) | Detroit

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts makes a trek each year to the North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit to take in the sights and lights, the concepts and customers, the gigantic and model arts, the cars and the city.

It’s a visual photographic delight to our cameras and art making. See for yourself from the hundreds of images in our galleries. Select and buy prints that will amaze your artistic and historic sensibilities. Click below to go to our Detroit Auto Show Galleries.

The Sunday Artisan Market Kerrytown Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor Photographic Arts has had an artist’s booth at the Sunday Artisan Market with it’s framed photography, photo canvases, photo calendars, photo badges and photo cubes. Plus, we make instant framed photo portraits to commemorate your day at the market, or the day of your pet, or the day of your event. The market is closed for the winter but our market products can be purchased online, too. The market reopens in April. See you there.

Going Tall in Ann Arbor

We’re vlogging about a Design Review meeting in Ann Arbor on a new building for 616 E Washington Street, across from the First United Methodist Church. Find out what it looks like and where it fits in the list below, from the architects themselves and our vlogging video coverage!

Tower Plaza Condominiums, William Street, 26 stories
Burton Memorial Tower, U of M Campus, about 21 stories
University Towers, South University, 18 stories
University Village, South University, 14 stories
Campus Inn, East Huron Street, 14 stories

A2 Photographic Arts Founders

Evans Koukios

A graduate of Harvard University ’68 with a B.A. degree in European Intellectual History and as a special student in optical engineering, Koukios has had a diverse career in the optics industry, developer of computer software, political activism and photojournalism. He was an Emeritus student at Washtenaw Community College studying photography and videography with its excellent faculty. He became an award winning photojournalist with its school newspaper, The Washtenaw Voice, for his photo coverage of Barack Obama’s campaign visit to the University of Michigan to support Hillary Clinton, the day before the 2016 presidential election.

He was also a post baccalaureate student at Wayne State University studying photography, online curriculum development and alternative photographic processes, including chlorophyll prints.

He shoots with a Panasonic Lumix bridge camera allowing 4K video capture, rapid burst shooting, in-camera multiple exposures and a powerful 20x optical zoom lens.

Maria Koukios

Maria holds an Associates degree from Washtenaw Community College in Photographic Technologies and a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from Wayne State University, majoring in Photography.

She has exhibited her black and white architectural photography of Detroit’s urban setting and was selected by Wayne State’s photography department to attend the 2018 conference of the Society for Photographic Education in Philadelphia. There she had portfolio reviews of her digital colorizations of black and white urban images as well as her graphic photo designs.

She shoots with an advanced bridge camera providing both macro and telephoto capabilities for creative photo composition. She can capture thousands of photographs in event photoshoots and is very creative with in-camera multiple exposure compositions.

As a BFA major she incorporated photography in mixed media projects with oils and acrylics. She created the sculpture, Cityscape, a walk thru photo gallery in Wayne’s Art Department building. She is versatile with Lightroom and photo book creation, as well as Photoshop editing, including use of its textile design features.