Justin Milhouse has a portrait gallery at Michigan Central Station
Before he shoots, Detroit photographer Justin Milhouse listens, capturing the true essence of his subjects. His approach and work are now on display at Michigan Central Station.
When Justin Milhouse captures the world with his collection of cameras and video equipment in his photography studio in Detroit’s historic Woodbridge neighborhood, there’s a very special kind of energy that he always seeks, no matter the assignment.
The dynamic energy that drives Milhouse can be summed up in three words.
“Fresh. Cool. Awesome. I define it as people being themselves in everything they do,” said the 35-year-old Detroit native. “I’m constantly looking for that quality. When it’s there, people are having a great time and those are the stories I like to capture. I think the root of all photography is telling a story.”
Last spring, Milhouse was able to apply his approach to photography and his love of storytelling to a project that helped celebrate the reopening of Michigan Central Station.
“It’s a visual-audio experience with 9-foot-tall photos,” said Milhouse, speaking from his photography studio Thursday afternoon, still sounding genuinely impressed by the sheer size and scope of the project on multiple levels. “Everyone in the gallery has a strong connection to Michigan Central and you get to hear their stories in their own words, too. So I hope people continue to come on Fridays and Saturdays to see and hear the stories for themselves.”
Milhouse said that before he could even think about taking a single photograph of any of the subjects, he first had to demonstrate his listening skills. And from there, he was guided by what his ears and other senses picked up.
“I spoke to every person highlighted in the exhibit, but most of all I listened as they shared how their lives and families were connected to the station,” Milhouse said, just before describing the tears of joy he saw from an exhibit subject he will never forget: Kitty Heinzman, who was 16 when she arrived at Michigan Central from Ireland in 1958. “I wanted to capture the true essence of each person, so they had to feel as comfortable and authentic as possible. Kitty remembered the majestic station, then the chaos there, and she thought this day would never come, and that was seen in her reaction. Each person described something that was very real to them. But at the end, when they said, ‘Oh, that’s it,’ I knew that was the level of comfort I was aiming for.”
On the afternoons of June 25 and 27, Milhouse also lavished praise on project producer Sara Ketchum. As Milhouse tells it, Ketchum’s support helped make the opportunity possible for him, and she provided him with valuable background information on all of the exhibit topics before Milhouse met with each person.
“This wasn’t the kind of project where you say, ‘Let’s bring these people in and take pictures of them so we can do an exhibition,'” said Milhouse, who first saw himself as a storyteller when he started the photo blog Fresh Cool Dope over a decade ago while studying business at Alabama A&M University. “We wanted it to be an experience for everyone in the exhibition, and that was only possible through teamwork.”
After an intense two-month period that began in April and lasted until just before the June 6 reopening celebrations of Michigan Central Station in Corktown began, Milhouse was able to point to portraits he had taken that are now on display in a gallery that makes up the “Faces of Michigan Central” exhibit. The exhibit features what organizers call “just a small handful” of the millions of people touched by Michigan Central Station’s past and present, including the extensive, six-year renovation by Ford Motor Co.
As it turns out, Milhouse has always developed connections with “teams” in Detroit, even professional basketball teams like the Detroit Pistons. When he met Sabrina Galloway, wife of former Pistons guard Langston Galloway, in 2018, Milhouse took photos for the Galloways at games, in the community, and at their homes. And after the Galloways put in a good word for him, Milhouse was asked to take photos for other members of the Pistons organization, including former two-time NBA All-Star Andre Drummond and former Pistons head coach Dwane Casey.
“People come and go from professional sports teams, but the photos tell a story that lives on in everyone who sees them,” said Milhouse, who in 2021 was one of three Pistons-sponsored creatives to capture Detroit’s culture through the lens of a Canon camera purchased by the team. “I saw how the players took care of their families and how the team, players and their families took care of the community. The Galloways loved Detroit and I took photos at events for Sabrina and Langston’s programs. After they left the Pistons, they even flew me to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to photograph a foundation event Langston was doing there. So my camera and the Galloways opened up an avenue for me to see more of the good things people with the team did for the people of Detroit and elsewhere.”
As Milhouse shared his story about the relationships he built with people within the Pistons organization, he brought back memories of his late grandfather, Don Robinson (June 2, 1932 – January 6, 2022), for those who know Milhouse well. Robinson, Detroit’s first Black fire marshal, combined his duties as a fire marshal with his love of photography, sports and the people of Detroit. Robinson was often in attendance at Pistons home games in the mid-1970s, snapping photos of the action during a time when the Pistons had homegrown talent from Detroit high schools, such as Kettering High products Eric Money and Lindsay Hairston, who played alongside future Hall of Famers Dave Bing and Bob Lanier, and a legendary superfan – Leon “The Barber” Bradley. And it’s Don Robinson who continues to inspire Milhouse’s work today.
“My grandfather showed me pictures he took at games at Cobo Arena, and I can imagine how excited he was when he was able to capture history right away,” Milhouse said. “But besides recording history, my grandfather always wanted to show Detroit in a positive light, and I picked up that philosophy from him — that Detroit pride. And so I know he would be proud of the exhibit at Michigan Central Station, because I’m doing something with photography and art and doing something to show Detroit in a good light. My grandfather always said, ‘Live your bliss,’ and with this project he would say I listened to him.”
Summer at The Station
What: Invite visitors to self-guided tours of the ground floor of the revitalized Michigan Central Station (2001 15th Street in Corktown), which also houses the “Faces of Michigan Central” exhibit. No tickets required.
When: Until August 31st, Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Learn more: For more information, including a complete list of all the exhibits, entertainment, artwork and more available at The Station during the summer, visit michigancentral.com.
Scott Talley is a Detroit native, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in all its many forms. On his second tour with the Free Press, which he began reading as a child, he reports with enthusiasm and humility about the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who make up its diverse communities. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
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