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Over thousands of years, wind driven sand has polished smooth millions of stones along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The flat-sided stones are called ventifacts. I made this photograph near the Big Point Sable Lighthouse while on a hike to the northern boundary of the Ludington State Park.

I stood in one spot on a dune above the beach in Pentwater while waiting over an hour for the magic light to appear. In that time, I used a spherical perspective to imagine what different compositions would be in nearby locations. I knew that once the light appeared, I would try to make one of my shots from the water's edge and would have to lie on my stomach to capture it. My previsualization paid off. In two minutes, I made four strong images from four different spots that were all within 40 yards of my original spot on top of the dune.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

Epic Manistee Blast

Wagner Falls Near Munising

My large telephoto lens exaggerated the mirage I was seeing as I watched a lower laker pass by Ludington today from Stearns Beach. This ship appears to be hovering in the sky just above the water line. Cameras do lie!

The 112-foot-high Big Point Sable Lighthouse towers over the shoreline and forest in this November 4 view from the Ridge Trail. A giant white pine provides a counterpoint for the composition I had envisioned weeks earlier before the color peaked.

This is one of the lifeboats from the City of Flint 32. The City of Flint 32 was one of the many past carferries that put Ludington on the map when this port had the largest carferry fleet in the world. F5.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Red pine trees are known for growing tall and straight in Michigan but one or more severe windstorms has obviously impacted this forest near Free Soil, Michigan. Many of the trees have been left bent to varying degrees. F10 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Morning Light on Lost Lake

Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Magic Light in Manistee

Wagner Falls Near Munising

Maple trees planted when horse and buggy traveled a country lane now tower over anything or anyone passing their way. The stretch of Decker Road, between Ludington and Scottville, is one of the few country roadways in the area that remain more of a lane a road. Because of its natural look and the magnificent maples, it has long been one of my favorite spots to drive through and to photograph.

I have never been good at painting, but if I were, this is the kind of art I would try to create with a paintbrush. I thank God my dad helped me discover my inner artist with a camera. I also thank God for creating the Pere Marquette River. My family has spent our lives on or near the internationally-known water system.

Self-righting motor lifeboats like this Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel are designed to survive and thrive in high seas. This 44-foot vessel, 44359, crushes a large Lake Michigan wave during a patrol from Port Sheldon to Muskegon. I had the honor and privilege of driving 44s for over 25 years.

I thank God for this glorious view from the Lake Michigan bluff high above Arcadia. After years of looking, I finally found a vantage point that gave me an unobstructed view of this church steeple amidst a sea of hardwood tree canopies in full fall color.

With the Detroit skyline in the background, a fishing boat speeds northward up the Detroit River. The cold of an early November morning cannot deter the avid fisherman from his pursuit. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

The 630-foot Calumet is being guided through the narrow waters of the Detroit River near Wyandotte, Michigan by two small tugs. The tug pulling from the bow is the Idaho and is just out of view in the photograph. The twin tug Wyoming is assisting the Calumet from the stern. F11 at 1/800, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 70mm

Grand Traverse Lighthouse