The following is a little about ourselves and other photographers involved with the Lighthouse photography in our web site. Their participation and willingness to share their photography is really appreciated, without it this web site would not be as far as it is today.

If you would like to be involved please Email jpeg images with related information to: webmaster@midwestconnection.com  

No photos are sold or released to any third party without the copyright holders expressed written permission.

Keith Churill  /  Jeffrey Churill  /  Roy Westin  /  Debbie Westin  /  Marcia Adamski

  ( webmaster )

- Born 1967 in Detroit, Michigan, I spent many days growing up on the Great Lakes. As a kid the family moved to a house on the water near New Baltimore, Michigan (Northern Anchor Bay). Taking many boat trips with my parents and later on my own has made me appreciate what the Great Lakes Region has to offer in both it's beauty and it's fury. 

As a married father of three, I now live near the same area and have began to take more interest in the Nautical History of the region. The Midwest Connection web site idea was sparked when looking through old photographs and trying to plan a boat trip. With the help of my wife Susan and brother Jeffrey we started to collect our photography. First as a hobby the web site has grown to be more of a passion. It is very rewarding to me when I see how many others share the same interest.

Lighthouses have a real mysterious feeling about them and I am always eager to go out of the way to photograph them. I use a Digital Sony and various 35mm cameras for my work. Most of my photography on the web site is digital.

My other lifelong interest since being a kid has been Offshore Powerboat Racing. Doing a web site at home for the St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race along with one for the entire Great Lakes Silver Cup Series as well, sparked my web site design interest. Coupled with racing throughout the country with our Short Circuit Offshore Racing Team, this allows me to photograph many different lighthouses and share the experiences with others.

When not racing or photographing lighthouses, harbors and ships, I also like to scuba dive. My main occupation is as a design engineer for aircraft and aerospace assembly tooling. In my spare time I work to put the Midwest Connection web site together and am a member of the: United Shipmasters Association, American Powerboat Association and Blue Water Offshore Racing Association. 

( web designer )

- Born in Duluth, Minnesota, he began his association with the Great Lakes fishing Lake Superior on his father's boat in the 1940's. he moved to Lower Michigan as a teen and lost contact with the lakes until salmon fishing began in the late 1960's. Buying a boat in 1971, he began fishing the upper four Great Lakes whenever possible.

Roy retired in 1995, and with an interest in the Great lakes, boating, navigation, and lighthouses, he has allot of things to keep him busy. He has helped friends rebuild several boats including his own. He has also taken lighthouse photography more seriously. Sailing and powerboat trips have taken him many places in the upper Great Lakes. This along with and motor trips around all the U.S. shoreline has built his collection of photos past 160 facilities and is still growing. Because a photo can always be improved upon, many are still being revisited during a special season, time of day, weather condition, etc. He says "Lighthouse photography has been the best excuse to get off the expressway's and find some of the gorgeous shoreline the Great Lakes have. Every mile is different."

- Daughter of Roy B. Westin. She has been very helpful with some of her own photography along with helping her father put a digital library together that can be shared on the internet. 

- Living in suburban Chicago, Illinois, Marcia is a newlywed mother of three, stepmother of two and grandmother of one with one more grandkid on the way.

She has enjoyed photography as a hobby since childhood. Classes have been taken in Black and White photography but she now shoots mainly color. Marcia uses three cameras for her work: two Canons and one Minolta.

Lighthouses are one of her favorite subjects to photograph. Wisconsin's Door County is a favorite place to visit and home to her favorite lighthouse - the Cana Island Light.

When not taking photographs, she works in a marketing department of a food testing laboratory. Her other artistic passion in life is creating silk floral arrangements.