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A Florida Sunset

Florida Gator

Ludington State Park

Thoughts of a refreshing Lake Michigan swim surface while watching waves splash amidst some rocks on a late September morning. A reality check tells me the water temperature is probably barely above 50 degrees Farenheit. I decide to stick with making a picture of the fresh water.

Triangles of snow-covered ice line a creek near the corner of Meyers and Conrad Road. I am en route to West Shore Community College to teach photography. I am cutting it close on time but I stop to make this picture. I rest easier knowing that I always tell my students the only valid excuse for being late for class is stopping to make a good picture. F7.1 at 1/200, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Today was a busy day. I didn’t have a chance to think about a photo until well after sunset. For Christmas I had received a potpourri dish from my brother and sister-in-law. One of the ingredients was a dried orange. The textures and tones called for a macro black-and-white image.

Signs from Above

I have driven by this barn on US-10 multiple times a year my entire life and have never seen it look as good as it did today. Julia, Ethan, and I were on our way to visit my cousin and her family in Lake Fenton when I had to pull over and walk in the deep snow to make this image. I used the fence to create leading lines

Today my cousins Casey, TJ, and Mason took the kids and me to an indoor trampoline park in Oxford, Michigan. I used my external flash to help freeze Ethan in mid-air as he was doing a flip.

On our way to an indoor water park in Frankenmuth, Michigan, this red barn and its silver metal roof glistened in the sunlight. I pulled off into the ditch and quickly made this image, so we weren’t late to the water park. Frankenmuth is definitely one of Michigan’s coolest towns!

Jagged icicles in the foreground create a unique look at the Lake Michigan shoreline. The ice formation changed before my eyes with each powerful wave that pummeled the shore.

This small section of woods by my late Aunt Mary and Bespop’s (grandpa) drive is always so captivating this time of year. The sun crosses its path in the best way.

Nikon D850. F14 at 1/60, ISO 1600. 24-70mm lens at 45mm. Handheld without a flash. February 17, 2020 at 6:03pm.

Days without my kids can be lonely. This weekend was especially hard. The willow tree in the backyard is one of our favorite trees on our Tiny Acres Farm. The blue light of night matched my emotions.

The Rieth-Riley asphalt company in Ludington always has large piles of crushed up material behind their headquarters. I have always thought they would make an interesting photograph, but never took the time to do it. Today the giant pile of black asphalt looked strikingly beautiful against an all-white sky. F11.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

When the owners of Patton's Junk Yard, on Stiles Road in Riverton Township, granted me permission to photograph the yard I had no idea of the history that lay within. It became apparent that most of the vehicles and machinery reflected a long ago era. I found a delivery truck with "Old Tyme Milling Co." painted on its weathered side. I took many photographs, but I liked this closest, simplest shot that summed up Patton's Junk Yard. The old-fashioned junk yard, with all its relics, has disappeared.

The bow of the commercial fishing tug Judy Ann cuts through the water as the vessel heads for the chub fishing grounds far offshore on Lake Michigan. The tug was operated by Ron Walters and his father, Jim, for many years. It was the last commercial gill net fishing vessel to operate out of Ludington. I miss seeing the sturdy old boats operated by the Walters, Cloutiers, and others plying in and out of the harbor, unloading their catches or working on their nets.

A sign of times past, this sign once advertised a Ludington retail fish business on the waterfront where commercial fishing vessels once docked. The original location of the building and the fish tugs is now the site of Ludington Municipal Marina.

Butterflies have fascinated my six-year-old daughter Julia since she was about a year old. She often tells my wife, Betsy, and me that if she only had one wish in life it would be to grow a pair of butterfly wings and be able to fly. When I spotted this butterfly shape on some tree bark, I immediately thought of Julia.

Did you know Michigan has a jungle within its borders? This frozen jungle is located on a window of the logging museum in the Hartwick Pines State Park. My daughter Julia came up with the name for this image of the frosty window.