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My dad and I study a lot of different photographers and their work. Jim Brandenburg is a photographer I admire. Jim's work has a unique "look and feel" that inspires me. While I was making this photograph on the Sable River, it seemed to me the image had a Brandenburg feel. The beauty of art is that the final image has a mix of my style as well as Jim's.

Most of the time I really do not like the looks of snow fences, especially in my photographs. However, the shadows they cast on the sand and snow can be a fascinating subject to photograph. F11.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 34 mm

The kids and I watched this moose traverse the blue starry night! Actually, I was watching a movie with the kids when this night scene came on. I thought it would make a cool backdrop to a moose statue that lives on our windowpane.

The wallpaper in my bedroom is the last that needs to come down. It is a lovely shade of burgundy. As a black-and-white image though, it feels extremely tropical!

I took a quick drive to Hansen Road tonight, looking for the right foreground to go with the clouds. I quickly found just the thing!

As the sun rose over Hamlin Lake this morning during our Picture Perfect Weekend Workshop, I made this image of water ripples. I explained to all the students around me that I have discovered the key to these images is to rob the ISO bank and put that extra light into more depth of field and a faster shutter speed.

My daughter’s tablet cover reminds me of Van Gogh’s painting, “The Starry Night.” I decided to spin the tablet to create the same spinning movement as he does in his painting.

My Uncle Budde found this very uniquely colored piece of driftwood in front of his Lake Michigan home this morning. He called and told us about it and explained that when the wood gets wet, it turns a beautiful pink and red color. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

I have never seen a piece of driftwood this color before! I’m grateful that Brad’s Uncle Budde called to let us know about it.

My grandpa, Bill Marble, whom I have always called Papa, has had a love of bowling for most of his life. At over 80 years old, he may move slowly, and not breathe the best, but that man can still bowl a mean game.

The first concept we teach in our 20/20 Vision Workshops is “twice as close.” When you find a scene that excites you, shoot it. Then move roughly twice as close and shoot it again. Keep doing that until you can’t get any closer. That is what I did today photographing a new metal sculpture in my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s front yard on Lake Michigan

You can find seagull feathers all along the Lake Michigan shoreline, especially in the windier months. On this blustery October morning, I couldn't resist getting my 105mm macro lens out and showing the world the intricate details of this beautiful seagull feather.

This home has been the subject of many photographers over the years. As I visit it today, I worked to let the light through the doorway while keeping the tree limbs on the right, reaching into the shot.

For several years now the incredibly large overturned stump on the northwest shores of Lost Lake inside the Ludington State Park has been a favorite place for photographers and hikers to explore and document. Today I decided to use my macro lens and show the beautiful wood grains and textures of the dying wood. The wind, rain, and sunlight have bleached the wood and turned it a gorgeous blond color.

My dad is the master of making great art out of snow fence. I know a lot of people that hate looking at the snow fence down at Stearns Beach, which is up for about seven months of the year. My dad has taught us all how to find the beauty in things that at first might look ugly.

I have several of these solar lights along my porch railing. I was struck how much the metal framed the light in black on this dark night.

When I went to lift up my truck topper and put my camera away, I was awestruck by the beautiful pattern of small puddles reflecting in the sunlight. I climbed up and stood on my bumper and used my wide-angle lens to make this abstract image.

I love to look down on a hike along Lake Michigan to discover what Lake Michigan waves have deposited upon the shore. A seagull feather washed up along the shoreline near Pentwater, creating a natural still life scene I found to be attractive.

My dad and I often tell our workshop students to try to shoot reflections or water on bright sunny days. The water will render very chromatic and brilliant compared to the sky or other surroundings that are being washed out by the sunlight. F5.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 23 mm

Looking down from the porch of the Ludington State Park Beach House, I noticed the shadows cast by fencing erected to reduce the amount of drifting sand and snow. The fencing, bent by nature's forces, caused a curved shadow.