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365 Week

Over time man has designed and built many beautiful things-the Colosseum in Rome, the Statue of Liberty, and the 1965 Ford Mustang just to name a few. They are each a perfect blending of beautiful lines and powerful angles. However, none of them compare to one of God's most beautiful creations of all time, the bald eagle.

After following this same snowy owl the entire day, I was finally able to sneak close enough to the mystical creature to capture all the intricate details of its feathers and magnificent eyes. The beautiful side lighting made the eyes of this snowy owl look even more dramatic and powerful.

After following this same snowy owl the entire day, I was finally able to sneak close enough to the mystical creature to capture all the intricate details of its feathers and magnificent eyes. The beautiful side lighting made the eyes of this snowy owl look even more dramatic and powerful.

Using a shutter speed of only 1/200 of a second with a 600mm telephoto lens allowed me to partially freeze the body of the snowy owl, yet still show the movement of his wings. However, if this scene unfolded in front of me again, I would shoot it at 1/320 of a second in order to have the owl's face a bit sharper. Experience is the best teacher.

Determined to safeguard their offspring, a pair of proud-looking Canada geese share the watch while their tiny gosling peers out from beneath its mother's chest. I love exploring Ludington State Park in the springtime, looking for scenes like this one of the natural world coming alive with new life. I made this image from a respectful distance with a large telephoto lens, then moved on to seek other discoveries.

This white robin appeared in my friend Curtis Haynes's yard two days after his mom passed away this winter. The beautiful rare bird has been hanging out every day with the other robins in the area. My dad and I enjoy making environmental portraits of animals.

Getting flying objects sharp and in focus while photographing with large telephoto lenses takes a lot of practice. For years, I would be presented with beautiful moments and would somehow mess up the exposure or focus, and the bigger the lenses, the more mistakes I would make. Today, I got "lucky" with these mallards and my practice is paying off.

Snowy owls like to visit Mason County between Scottville and Manistee. Driving along US-31, I always try to keep a lookout. Perched upon an old metal fence, this owl was just waiting to be photographed. The subtle color in the sky and weeds added just the right touch.

Almost every day for two weeks in May I hiked the Island Trail at Ludington State Park, hoping to see newborn swan cygnets appear in this nest. I had envisioned making a photograph with several cygnets and one or both parents for this book. Instead of the picture I had pre-visualized, I was finally rewarded on May 17 with a simpler, more unique shot. A lone first-hatched cygnet crawled out of the nest and waddled precariously around the top edge until coming face to face with its mother. I tripped the shutter at the instant world-famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson liked to call "the decisive moment."

A Canada goose keeps a watchful eye out as she escorts her goslings along a bank of the Sable River at Ludington State Park. I love seeing all the new life of spring in the Michigan outdoors.

As I was photographing a snowy owl, I heard the loud honking of a flock of Canada geese heading my way. The golden afternoon light combined with the dark blue January sky was the perfect backdrop for this large bird as it flew overhead.

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.

A hummingbird takes aim at another wild iris bloom along a trail in the Ludington State Park. Fortunately for me, the bird was attracted to the same flowers I had already discovered.

A male mallard duck was as still as a decoy this afternoon at the entrance of the Middle Bayou on Hamlin Lake. I worked quickly to make this image before a nearby swan messed up the perfect reflection.

Swans Over Ludington

365 Week

I have photographed mute swans hundreds of times and now try to look for peak moments that will produce more original and interesting pictures. This proud swan rose up as I was observing it on the Sauble River at Ludington State Park.

The January Thaw is in full swing today, creating lots of puddles. I know when I see this lone seagull reflected in a puddle near the west end of Ludington Avenue that I have found the shot I was seeking. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Mute swans are not native to Michigan and have made themselves unpopular with many naturalists in recent years, partially due to their interference with other native species of waterfowl. From my standpoint, I understand efforts to reduce their population. At the same time, I love seeing splendid mute swans like this one I photographed on Lincoln Lake in 2017.