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Kay's Sendoff

Rain Dance by Brad Reed The rain rarely stops my dad and me from getting outdoors to photograph. Today, we stood in the freezing rain and fog along the shores of Mona Lake near Muskegon, Michigan, to photograph bald eagles. Our good friend, Louise Olson, had told us several eagles congregate near the lake's east edge by some open water. Sure enough, we were not even out of the truck yet and could see several eagles. The rain and fog are what make this photograph more unique. D7000, F5.6 at 1/2000, ISO 3200, 600mm lens at 850mm

The Holiday Inn Express in Munising, Michigan has become our home away from home when we are photographing in the Upper Peninsula. Thanks to a Facebook alert on my cell phone, I knew the northern lights might appear in the middle of the night. Every hour I got out of bed and went out on the porch of our hotel room to check. At around 4:50 a.m., I could see the lights over Grand Island. I set up my camera and tripod and made this image. In a few short hours my dad and I would be hiking across the ice to photograph the caves on Grand Island.

Big Rainbow Over Carferry

After cresting the first massive sand dune near the end of the Ridge Trail in the Ludington State Park, my dad and I were blown away by the number of canvasback ducks that congregated on Hamlin Lake below us. As we stood catching our breath, a pair of large geese flew overhead and startled some of the ducks. With a thunderous roar, several hundred birds took to the air at once. The partially frozen lake and the fog amplified the sound and also created a gorgeous backdrop for this photograph.

Ludington State Park Workshop

Kitch-Iti-Kipi

Today was Ethan's first visit to Big Sable Point Lighthouse inside Ludington State Park. In between the handfuls of sand that he was eating, Ethan would momentarily pause and let me document his big day in front of the historic structure. F18.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Ludington State Park Workshop

Through My Eyes

Our workshop students were up to their waists in dewy grasses before sunrise and many of them were on their knees getting their cameras immediate to the wildflowers, grasses and weeds in a field near our Pere Marquette River property. I got down low beside them to immerse myself in the tapestry of spring growth. Six a.m. never looked better to me.

Dandelions and Fruit Trees

I walked as far west of Big Sable Point Lighthouse on land as I could tonight to make this photograph of the historic structure. When you view a map of the state of Michigan, you can see why they named this lighthouse Big Sable Point. Both Big and Little Sable points stick farther out into Lake Michigan than any other points of land in the lower peninsula of Michigan. F18 at 1/20, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Old Mission Peninsula Cropped Vertical

Mackinac Island Mackinac Bridge

Old enough to explore, a fawn pauses to check out a potential threat at the edge of its still small world in a swale between dunes near the Sable River. Hundreds of park visitors swimming, fishing, or just sitting on the beach have no idea the nearby swale is the fawn’s first home.

It’s comical to watch geese trying to walk on land, especially when they are only a few days old. This particular group of goslings seemed to be quite fond of the game leapfrog. As they passed by my camera, they clumsily hopped over each other while trying to keep up with the rest of the family.

Old Mission Peninsula

Workshop at Ludington State Park

Today on the Little Cedar Creek near the Muskegon River, the golden light hitting the trees created a beautiful reflection. The hardest part of making this image was avoiding my own reflection.