Abstract

My kids like to give ideas for my photo of the day. Today, they suggested I take a macro shot of some air freshener beads. They reminded me of fish eggs.

The 80-degree weather today along the shoreline of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior was good for my soul. With the low angle of the March sun, I was able to capture all the shadows of each beautiful rock and the majestic looking piece of driftwood. The shadows and the warm quality of light are my favorite parts of this photograph. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

The view between swipes of the windshield wipers becomes beautifully distorted as I stop momentarily to appreciate the springtime view of a Buttersville hillside near the Pere Marquette Cross. F4.0 at 1/200, ISO 800, 12-24 mm lens at 22 mm

It looks to me like there is a moose on the loose in the area woodlands. I laugh as I make this portrait of "Bullwinkle" in the Buttersville campground. F8.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Solar smash

Sometimes the least expected subject can be fun to photograph. This helium balloon weight was the perfect abstract subject tonight.

On my daily drive through Stearns Park, I noticed the mix of sunlight and a snow fence creating a graphic shadow on the pavement. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and made this photo. The entire process took less than one minute. I love when everything comes together that quickly. F10.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

For the second time in less than a week I am back at Summit Park rock hunting along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I am looking for that picture perfect wet rock to photograph in the golden light just before sunset. I find two I really like but this one stands out as the clear choice. F3.3 at 1/30, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Sometimes you must look a little deeper to find inspiration as an artist. Tonight, I was struggling to find something to photograph. Eventually I found this piece of window art that hangs in my living room. I was pleased how the final image turned out.

Lined up in the sand like beached sailboats, frozen sand sculptures created by the wind catch my eye along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Looking down as you walk often leads to interesting discoveries that might easily be missed. F22 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 165mm

The underside of an old fishing vessel is a great place to explore with a camera. The colors and patterns can be mesmerizing. F22.0 at 1/10, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 27 mm

I imagine that this old Dodge was the pride of the Motor City back in the 1950s, but after sitting in one place for several years on the Shoup's farm east of Custer, Michigan, Mother Earth has taken its toll on this beauty. I love how it has become one with its surroundings. F6.3 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

My front door has the most picturesque designs in the glass. I have always admired these types of doors, and now I have my own.

This is another photo of TJ Christiansen's 16-foot giraffe that he cut and welded from the ground up. I got underneath Geoffrey and shot straight up in the air to make some abstract black and white art. F2.8 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I admitted to my love of solar lights in an earlier caption. Here is yet another solar light that graces my deck. This one is a wind chime and provides me with beautiful music on windy days. Because it reminded me of the Earth, I decided to spin it while exposing my photo of the day.

For this shot, I put my camera on a tripod, used my 70-200 mm zoom lens, focused on the yellow bush in front of me, set my aperture to F22, my shutter speed to three seconds, and my ISO to 100. Once the camera started to expose, I carefully zoomed my lens from 70 mm to 200 mm creating beautiful art inside my camera. F22.0 at 3.0, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

The natural and manmade beauty of downtown Grand Rapids is reflected in the mirrored windows of the Gerald R. Ford Museum. I think Grand Rapids boasts one of the most beautiful downtowns anywhere. Walking through the downtown is, for me, always a visual treat. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

Some clouds just feel good. These popcorn clouds make my day brighter than anything else I have seen to photograph today. Brad and I say: "Clouds are your friends." Some are friendlier than others. F3.5 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Always looking for a unique angle or perspective for my art, I hung over the edge of the waterfall at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum fountain. I used my external flash to illuminate the underside of the waterfall and the cement wall. The bright blue sky added a lot of pop to this image by making colorful streaks in the waterfall as I aimed my camera upwards at a 45-degree angle to create this image. F22 at 1/250, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Today we took the winding road trip to Hana. Along the way we stopped at the Honokalani Black Sand Beach. The incredible beach is made up of varying sizes of black rock. I saw a large wave deposit the red plant or piece of coral onto the black rocks and had a split second before the next wave came and took the spot of color back to sea. F5.0 at 1/125, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm