Fall
Ridge View
The 112-foot-high Big Point Sable Lighthouse towers over the shoreline and forest in this November 4 view from the Ridge Trail. A giant white pine provides a counterpoint for the composition I had envisioned weeks earlier before the color peaked.
Sunset at Little Sable Point Lighthouse (6984)
Sunset at Little Sable Point Lighthouse
Pere Marquette Palette
I have never been good at painting, but if I were, this is the kind of art I would try to create with a paintbrush. I thank God my dad helped me discover my inner artist with a camera. I also thank God for creating the Pere Marquette River. My family has spent our lives on or near the internationally-known water system.
Country Lane
Maple trees planted when horse and buggy traveled a country lane now tower over anything or anyone passing their way. The stretch of Decker Road, between Ludington and Scottville, is one of the few country roadways in the area that remain more of a lane a road. Because of its natural look and the magnificent maples, it has long been one of my favorite spots to drive through and to photograph.
Motor Life Boat 44359
Self-righting motor lifeboats like this Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel are designed to survive and thrive in high seas. This 44-foot vessel, 44359, crushes a large Lake Michigan wave during a patrol from Port Sheldon to Muskegon. I had the honor and privilege of driving 44s for over 25 years.
Point Betsie Reflections
The brilliantly colored rocks along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Point Betsie Lighthouse make the perfect foreground for our photographs. Today, with several workshop students, we found a storm pool just south of the lighthouse. I lay on my stomach and put my tripod very low to capture the reflection of Point Betsie Lighthouse in the storm pool. The light rain we had a few minutes earlier made all the rocks wet, which in turn made them more colorful.
Arcadia Glory
I thank God for this glorious view from the Lake Michigan bluff high above Arcadia. After years of looking, I finally found a vantage point that gave me an unobstructed view of this church steeple amidst a sea of hardwood tree canopies in full fall color.
Time to Reflect
Long after it had outlived its usefulness as a boat, a rusting hulk remains in the water on tiny Fox Lake in eastern Mason County. I wonder about its history and the enjoyment it probably brought people in years past. Even though half rusted away, I find it beautiful as a still life subject.
Autumn In the Country
Young maple trees and an old barn on Fisher Road caught my eye while en route to West Shore Community College to teach a photography class. I tried to persuade my students to always have their cameras with them and tell them that stopping to take a photograph is one of the few good excuses for being late to class. I tried to leave home early so I could make a picture and still get to class on time.