Barns

I had never really noticed this old barn and silo just off the road of US-31 between Scottville and Manistee. The bright red bush in front of the barn is what I first noticed while driving down the highway. I turned around and got out and then I waited about fifteen minutes for the clouds to move into the correct spots to make a stronger image. I wanted the clouds to mimic the shape of the barn.

I am driving along Fountain Road when a sunlit grain storage building and barn on Dennis Road attracts my attention. I turn around to check it out. I love the patterns of the structures as well as the patterns created by the evening light and shadow. F6.3 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 120 mm

Fountain Road is one of my favorite roads in Mason County to photo hunt on. With the fresh snow we got overnight, I was excited to head out to the countryside looking for new photos. I was on a mission to photograph a barn or farm that I had not ever photographed before. While driving down Fountain Road, I loved how this red barn just popped against the white snow.

The kids and I spent time at the farm tonight. It was a rain-snow mix earlier today, creating a puddle in the driveway in front of the barn. I worked hard to have the Christmas lights reflect in the puddle. My nephew, Preston, always does a great job with the lights.

Roger and Marcia Hansen's barn looks like a Christmas card to me today, just as I thought it would. The Christmas wreath I noticed a few days earlier, combined with fresh snow, make the beautifully restored barn even more stunning than usual. F7.1 at 1/100, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

It is beginning to look at lot like Christmas at the Polcin farm. This scene looked like Christmas in the country when I chose to photograph it earlier today. But now I am back because the sun came out and I knew I could make a cheerier Christmas picture. F22.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

Heading westward across Michigan via highways and byways, I come upon this scene near Fowlerville. The quality of light playing on the goldenrod, grasses, trees and barns makes this look like a textured country tapestry. F11 at 1/250, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The Iris family barn was part of the Barns and Byways tour this past October. I have always loved photographing this unique piece of Mason County history. Today with heavy frost covering every tree in sight, the multi-colored barn stood out even more than usual. F5.6 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I love the color complements and contrasts provided by overgrown asparagus plants and the green barn at the Green Farm north of Hart, Michigan. I decide to focus on the red seeds and use the rest of the scene as the backdrop. Bob Green, a former Michigan State University research microbiologist, explains to me that only the male plants sprout these colorful red seeds. The Greens have farmed in the Hart area since 1989. F5.6 at 1/125, ISO 200, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

One of the things I like to do most on my fall color tours is to get out of my vehicle and sit in the leaves along the right of way to immerse myself in the color. That is what I did on a drive down Conrad Road in Amber Township to experience leaves close-up while still taking in the country road and Polcin Farm with my wide-angle lens. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

If this grand maple tree and old barn could talk, I wonder what stories they would tell about the history of farming and life along Conrad Road near Scottville, Michigan. The emerald green winter wheat surrounding the barn was planted by Pete Conrad. Pete rents the use of the land for farming from Tracy Thompson. F8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 26mm

I have been wanting for several years to photograph one of the largest and most symmetrical oak trees I have ever seen. Today I have the opportunity to photograph the beautiful giant that has been growing on the John B. Sobanski farm long before the farm was established in 1919. The meticulously maintained farm is located southeast of Ludington along the Pere Marquette River. F16 at 0.4, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

As we enter the village of Boon, Michigan, my eye is drawn to an old barn on a nearby hill. An overnight snowfall dresses up the once grand structure that is fading away like so many of Michigan's old barns. F22 at 1/125, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 112mm

Christmastime is one of my favorite seasons to drive through the Michigan countryside. I love seeing many of the farms decorated for Christmas. Roger and Marcia Hansen and their family spread Christmas cheer by placing this wreath on their beautiful barn on Conrad Road between Ludington and Scottville. F9 at 1/25, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

I believe that if John B. Sobanski were alive today he would be proud to see how well his homestead at the end of Victory Corners Road has been maintained by his descendents. Nestled along the Pere Marquette River, this has to be one of the most beautiful farms in Mason County. This monster oak tree looks beautiful all year long, but I think it looks best covered in snow. F22 at 1/15, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

I believe that if John B. Sobanski were alive today he would be proud to see how well his homestead at the end of Victory Corners Road has been maintained by his descendents. Nestled along the Pere Marquette River, this has to be one of the most beautiful farms in Mason County. This monster oak tree looks beautiful all year long, but I think it looks best covered in snow. F22 at 1/15, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

The old chicken coop and storage barn on the John B. Sobanski homestead in Amber Township was bathed in magic light this morning. With the giant clouds, blue sky, and sunshine, I felt like I was photographing a farm in Wyoming or Colorado. F8 at 1/320, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Someday I would love to photograph Roger Hansen working on rebuilding this old car in his machine shop at Cherry Hill Farm on Conrad Road. Until then, I will enjoy looking at our neighbor's car sitting next to his magnificent barn and photographing it in different seasons. F22 at 1/6, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Meandering our way through Oceana County, my son Brad and I venture down a side road near Crystal Valley that looks less traveled. After driving a short way, this classic old farm comes into view at the end of a snowy harvested cornfield. Everything about the farm, including its neatness and lofty location high atop a hill, looks grand to me. F6.3 at 1/160, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm