Fall

This creek outlet at Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon is a gorgeous spot to savor a Lake Michigan sunset or just have some late summer fun. The park features three miles of pristine beaches on Lake Michigan. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 36mm

I stayed up late tonight trying to photograph the Northern Lights out at the Ludington State Park. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights did not appear, but the lights of Wisconsin were visible, along with thousands of stars.

Before work this morning, I took a nice drive around the Ludington State Park. It was great to have a few minutes of peaceful quietness before starting the workday. This interdunal pond matched my peace.

Driving rural roads west of Free Soil, Michigan in a frantic search for a country sunrise scene to photograph, Brad and I encounter this lone bull only a few yards from the edge of the roadway. The scene is a showstopper for me. I pile out of the truck, lie down in the grass and make a silhouette portrait before he loses patience with me. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

Well, Brad and I did it again. I was making my way into work and knew the clouds were too good to pass up. I turned on old Pere Marquette highway and parked at the river flats. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized Brad had shot there 40 minutes before I did.

Although Nordhouse Lake has dried up and is covered with grasses and flowers this summer, I still find the view from this high spot along the south shore of the wilderness lake to be splendid. Best of all, Brad and I find this shady natural overlook to be the perfect spot to rest while savoring the view. We pause for a while to watch and listen to sandhill cranes on the far side of the lake bed. F18 at 1/60, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

The dramatic storm clouds in the distance and the brilliant sunlight combined to create an incredible light show for me today as I stood in Lake Michigan and photographed these monster breaking waves. This wave looked like a fine crystal sculpture, but had the power of a freight train. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

During that golden hour before sunset, I am struck by the thousands of dimpled impressions left behind by hikers to the Lake Michigan shoreline observation area in the Nordhouse Dunes Federal Wilderness. Within a couple months, when the cold and snow arrives, footprints will be few and far between as fewer and fewer people will venture to this warm weather mecca. F13 at 1/60, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The summer of 2012 is coming to a close. It has been a great summer for photographing the beauty of Michigan. I am generally not a fan of really hot summers, but the warm weather definitely heated up Lake Michigan and made it much more enjoyable for swimming and family fun. F22 at 1/8, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Calm and beautiful is the best way to describe the Pere Marquette River Flats. My favorite time of the day on the river is sunrise. This morning, the sunrise is gold and blue. This is heaven on earth to me. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Life is good in Ludington. Bring your family and friends here year round and you will find some of the most beautiful lakeshore in the entire country. On this mid-September day, I had the entire Ludington State Park to myself. Priceless! F11 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 35mm

While I was making a sunrise photograph this morning along the Pere Marquette River, my uncle, Rod Marble, called to tell me he was looking at the largest double rainbow he had ever seen. I stood up, turned around, and almost fainted. I instantly knew where I needed to head. My destination was Cherry Hill Farm on Conrad Road. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Roger and Marcia Hansen own two donkeys at their family farm on Conrad Road. These donkeys keep me entertained all year long every time I drive by. I used my widest angled lens and got extremely close to this white donkey in order to make his head look twice the size it should. This photograph will always remind me of "Donkey" from Shrek. F14 at 1/250, ISO 400, 14mm lens at 14mm

After a drizzly start to my hiking day at Kensington Metro Park, diffused sunlight creates a soft glow on leaves along one of the park's many miles of trails. I use a large telephoto lens and fast shutter speed to make only a cluster of maple leaves stand out sharply in the forest. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 3200, 300mm lens at 300mm

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

Big-time farming is a big and impressive business in Michigan. Today is a corn harvest day for Jorgensen Farms in Williamston, Michigan. Two giant John Deere combines load a Jorgensen Farms semi before harvesting more corn. F11 at 1/500, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 16mm

I have photographed my way westward across Michigan today. Clouds have been an important ingredient in several of my shots. Now my hunch that the supersized marshmallow clouds in the western sky are going to help create one of the most spectacular sunset light shows of the year is paying off. I have reached the Grand Haven shoreline just in time to see the sky on fire. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 130mm

This day started with a massive double rainbow in the west and now we have some of the largest, most distinct God beams I have ever seen. Days like today make my job as a photographer a whole lot easier, but more importantly, more fun. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 145mm

By setting my camera aperture to F22 and shooting directly into the sun, I was able to make it appear like the Ludington North Breakwater Light had a crown of sunshine. Shooting on full auto would have never allowed for this look or feel. At our weekend workshops, we teach our students how to use their own cameras on full manual. F22 at 1/80, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm