Mark Cassino Photography - Photo Galleries

I first stumbled into the Allegan Forest in March, 2004. Properly called “The Allegan State Game Area,” the forest forest is about 51,000 acres of woodland, pine barrens, oak savanna, and wetlands. Over the years I have made countless trips to many locations within the forest. Initially my focus was on photographing insects, wildlife, wildflowers and birds. Over time the emphasis shifted to photographing the landscape in black and white.

In late 2019 I made a few photos that seemed to capture the forest in a different way, and that led to an emphasis on intimate landscapes of forest scenes.

I chose to photograph with black and white film, in large part because the film process is so enjoyable. It also requires the photographer to really think about composition and exposure. Old manual cameras offer no short cuts or automation. Each step of the process,- composing, metering, developing, even the selection of film and developers – requires an intentional decision. There’s no spray and pray. These photos were all make on medium format film. Most were made with a Ricoh Diacord L twin lens reflex camera, though a Pentax 6x7, Ricohmatic R225, and Minolta Autocord have all made contributions.

The project continues... and it continues to be a lot of fun!

Updated 1/11/2026