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As the warm magic light hits the escarpment of the lookout at the Lake of the Clouds inside the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, I quickly position my camera and tripod at a steep angle to capture the fog rising above the Big Carp River far below. F8 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

If this is not God’s world I don’t know what is. I waited in the dark along with my son Brad for more than an hour for the sun to peek over the mountains at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. I felt like a very small person as the sun began to light the big, beautiful world around me at Lake of the Clouds in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Imagine a 25-mile-long narrow road lined on both sides with trees that appear to be on fire with vibrant fall colors. Now imagine the forest floor covered in leaves and growth that is also flaming with fall colors. This is what South Boundary Road looks like today, at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. F5.6 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

This is the largest white birch tree I have ever seen. My dad and I spotted it while we were driving on South Boundary Road at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. I love how the trunk makes a slow s-curve and the bright colors from the surrounding trees make the birch tree stand out even more. F9 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

A hiker weaves her way down the meandering trail through the mature white birch forest at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The reward at the end of the trail is a small rental cabin in the woods less than 100 yards from Lake Superior. I want to rent that cabin someday. F11 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 86mm

I swear I did not place this leaf on this birch tree at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. As a photojournalist, I would call this a "found" picture. As an outdoor photographer, I consider it a discovery worthy of waiting for the sun to add some "magic light." The sun strikes the leaf before the breeze gets strong enough to blow it away. F8 at 1/250, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

Hikers pause to savor the view from the summit escarpment at Lake of the Clouds inside the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. It seems to me there must be a million colorful trees to appreciate from this incredible vantage point. I know I am going to continue to appreciate this autumn view until darkness takes it away. F13 at 1/60, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

I felt like I was dreaming in Kodachrome as I looked down at peak fall color from the summit at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The Upper Carp River meanders through this section of the nearly 60,000-acre Michigan natural treasure

When I showed my dad this photo from the Lake of the Clouds at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, he commented that it looked like sea corral. I had not noticed that when I was shooting the photo nor when I was editing it on the computer a few days later. However, after my dad compared it to an underwater scene, I could not agree more. F2.8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

The maple leaves are so bright that this birch trunk looks like it is on fire in the White Birch Forest along Lake Superior in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Grand Marais. F22 at 1/200, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

On July 10th of this year for Week 28 of the Tuesdays Project I shot a photo of Mike and Nancy Banninga's "boathouse" home on Upper Hamlin Lake and wrote about the great memories I have of spending time there as a kid. It was fun today seeing it from an airplane as it was surrounded by beautiful fall color. That house has a beautiful view every day of the year. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

For whatever reason the human brain reacts more strongly to the color red than most other colors. The little red home on the right edge of this photo sticks out like a sore thumb in this very colorful aerial photograph that features the "narrows" of Hamlin Lake. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

I enjoy making photographs that look like impressionistic paintings. This photo of peak fall color in Victory Township in the Northwest region of Mason County definitely looks impressionistic. Every time I look at it I get a craving for gumdrops. Some photos really need to be seen large to be fully appreciated and this is one of those pictures. F5 at 1/640, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 70mm

I enjoy making photographs that look like impressionistic paintings. This photo of peak fall color in Victory Township in the Northwest region of Mason County definitely looks impressionistic. Every time I look at it I get a craving for gumdrops. Some photos really need to be seen large to be fully appreciated and this is one of those pictures. F5 at 1/640, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 70mm

Hemlock Golf Course in Hamlin Township was rated one of the best new golf courses in America a few years ago. It is a beautiful course all year round, but it almost always looks the best during the second week of October. Hemlock is a very challenging golf course, but it is a "must play" in my book. F6.3 at 1/400, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

The 17th hole at Hemlock Golf Course just North of Ludington is surrounded by incredible fall color today as I fly over. My grandpa, Bill Marble, golfs on this course almost every day in the summer and fall. F4.5 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Lincoln Hills Golf Club is a beautiful semi-private golf club located just north of the Lincoln River along the shores of Lake Michigan. It is the course that I learned to play golf on with my family. I am not a good golfer, but I really enjoy getting out once a year to swing my clubs. Someday, I hope to have more time to golf, especially during the fall in Michigan. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

One of the things I like to do most on my fall color tours is to get out of my vehicle and sit in the leaves along the right of way to immerse myself in the color. That is what I did on a drive down Conrad Road in Amber Township to experience leaves close-up while still taking in the country road and Polcin Farm with my wide-angle lens. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

From day to day, or year to year, I love seeing the different looks of my most favorite tunnel of trees in the world. Today the tunnel of trees looks solid gold as a vehicle heads westward on Conrad Road toward Ludington. An image I made two autumns ago of this same tunnel is being displayed across the Midwest this fall on Pure Michigan billboards. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

If this grand maple tree and old barn could talk, I wonder what stories they would tell about the history of farming and life along Conrad Road near Scottville, Michigan. The emerald green winter wheat surrounding the barn was planted by Pete Conrad. Pete rents the use of the land for farming from Tracy Thompson. F8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 26mm