I love taking pictures. I love capturing moments and memories. I love seeing others’ pictures to view a scene as they do and glimpse their lives. So I was very excited when my husband and I planned a date night that included a visit to Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills. A new exhibit, Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment, focuses on the amazing work of 11 award-winning female photojournalists from National Geographic.

It happened that the evening we chose to visit was the first Friday of the month, which meant museum admission is free from 5-10pm. We wandered through the main halls of the institute to explore and play in the exhibits. Unfortunately the outside sky was cloudy and drizzling so we couldn’t look at the stars or planets. The Institute replaced their telescope and upgraded the observatory area last year. The technology involved in the operations is very cool so I highly recommend visiting on a clear evening.

Down in the lower level, the exhibit, “The Science of Sight, Light and Illusion,” provided some fun interactive items. Several kiosks highlighted techniques used in the entertainment industry to manipulate light and motion (using a green screen caused lots of laughs with Justin and me!). The stations on sight looked at both human and animal eyesight, which was pretty fascinating. Other stations looked at color from the human eye.

The Women of Vision exhibit is also in the lower level and contains more than 100 images and multimedia from these 11 influential female photojournalists. The photos were taken from around the world, featuring animals, landscape, war, society and life. Each photographer has her own section of the exhibit with a short background on her and top photos.  This was truly a fantastic exhibit. I found myself going back to certain photos to look a bit longer at the details and absorb the impact the photos had on the story trying to be told to viewers. I loved the photos of the African animals and landscapes around the world. I couldn’t pull away from the images of child brides in the Middle East and worn torn Iraq. The images of people in the Arctic fascinated me and the moments of teenage life touched me. Justin and I both agreed this exhibit is very well-done and worth seeing. I’m so happy we checked it out.

After Cranbrook, we headed to Griffin Claw Brewing Company in Birmingham. The restaurant/brewery opened several months ago but it’s always been packed when we’ve driven by so we hoped it would be less crowded at 10pm. It was still busy but we easily found seats amongst their communal seating (not my favorite type of seating). The decor and ambiance are relaxing and low-key, however, the noise level is fairly loud. I tried a flight of four beers – their wheat beer is very light (for a wheat) and I liked the Screamin’ Pumpkin. Justin tried their Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout – a little light in flavor. Our next stop (hey it was a Friday!) was at Black Lotus in Clawson. I was at first disappointed they had no wheat beers on tap but I tried their pumpkin ale, which was surprisingly tasty (I say this because I don’t usually like pumpkin). Justin enjoyed their Octoberfest beer. Overall, a very enjoyable date night with my husband. I can’t wait for the next one!

The Women of Vision exhibit is open through Dec. 30, 2014 and is free with museum admission.