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One of Michigan's most impressive old barns stands out at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. People by the thousands view this barn on busy summer days. Today however, in the wake of the biggest snowfall of the winter, I am one of only a handful of passersby privileged to see it at its winter best.

A fresh snowfall makes the historic Glen Haven Canning Co. building stand out even more than it already does along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Two fellow Team Reed members, Rachel and Dustin, went on a two-day shooting trip with me. Our most northern point was the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. After photographing the lighthouse for a few hours, we headed towards home on M22. We all made many strong images that day along the famous Michigan highway, but this old barn was one of my best from the entire trip.

Boldly beautiful; that is my response to the restored exterior of the historic Glen Haven Canning Co. building at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. A view through one of the many windows gives a glimpse of the equally restored interior that now serves as a maritime museum.

When I pulled my truck off the side of the road and came up to this horse, I felt like the horse was asking me to set it free. I made my images and then quickly left so I did not disturb the quiet little farm.

This historic barn in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore south of Leland has been a photographic muse of mine for several years. When I photographed it after a heavy snowfall earlier this year I noticed the star ornament near the peak of the barn roof. I am thinking this grand old structure certainly looks like an autumn star today.

Sleepy Morning

It is not very often you see cows grazing in a swamp, but if you drive to the corner of Conrad and Meyers Roads in Ludington, you will see several cows enjoying the low lands near the Pere Marquette River. This cow stood still long enough for me to get into position and capture it, its reflection, and the barn all in one photograph. F8.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 30 mm

The snow is blowing so hard I am afraid to stop along the highway north of Evart, Michigan to photograph this grand old barn. I pull my trusty four-wheel-drive off the roadway as far as the snowdrifts will allow and wait for a lull in the wind so my camera and I can see the barn. The barn comes and goes like a mirage. I am living the dream as a full-time outdoor/nature photographer. I am loving this winter dream.

Red barns in the snow are hard for photographers to resist. During a blizzard, I drove to a friend's barn because I was certain it would look stunning with the blowing snow. It looked better than I ever imagined.

The second time is the charm. Two weeks ago I noticed this heart-shaped tree and barn along US10 between Walhalla and Custer. The view caused me to stop and make an image I liked a lot. But now, two weeks later while motoring back home from a long day of shooting pictures across the state, the same scene is in front of me with light and atmosphere to die for. Brad and I like to tell our photography students 90 percent of a good picture is about the light and/or atmosphere. I am witnessing the proof of that.

I find the "real deal" far more impressive than any fake lawn ornament I have ever seen. Even the placement struck me as ideal as I stopped my truck along a country road near Twin Lake to make a still-life image while the farmyard attraction stays still. Stopping also gives me time to truly appreciate the tender loving care the owners of the Ponderosa have given to their fine old barn.

The old oak tree continues to grow as the house and barn continue to fade away. I see more than a picture here; I see a story to be told with my camera. It is an evolving story of the tree and the farm growing old together. I wish I knew more of the story, including whether the tree was already growing along Schoenherr Road in rural Mason County when the original homesteaders arrived, probably more than a century ago.

Growing Old

If you like to pick your own fruit, you have come to the right place. Michigan has u-pick farms scattered across the state. The signs leading me to The Gary Crane Farm in Fennville remind me of the old Burma-Shave signs our family passed by in my dad's '57 Ford convertible when I was a child.

Fall in Mason County

Wednesday November

One of the grandest beech trees I have ever seen graces an Amber Road farm just north of US 10. This afternoon, with the atmosphere provided by a light rain shower, the tree stands out even more than usual. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 135 mm

Metamora Horses Barns

Conrad and Hawley Road December