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Birch Forest Trail

Forest Vertigo

Bucks at Hydro Electric Plant

Brad and I both got to witness and photograph the second "Blood Moon" of the year. The earth has eclipsed the full moon on this October morning, blocking direct sunlight. The scattering of the sunlight is causing the red color. I like learning the science behind the "Blood Moon" but it is the resulting art I love.

Orvis fishing guide Frank Willetts looks on as customers fly fish for trout on the Pere Marquette River, one of many world-class trout streams in Michigan. Customers come from across the country to fish the Pere Marquette. Willetts co-owns the Pere Marquette River Lodge in Baldwin.

Brad and I are floating a stretch of the Pere Marquette River in avid fly fisherman Larry VonDrasek's drift boat when I spot an osprey perched in a treetop as we round a bend. Fortunately, I have my camera settings ready for "jump shots" because within seconds the osprey dives off the perch and soars right over our heads. I find the fast-flying bird in my viewfinder, swing with it like a duck hunter, and pull the trigger. My digital playback shows I was right on target.

Fall Color

Fall Color West Shore

Fall Color West Shore

Halloween arrived in Mason County this morning with bucket loads of rain and even an occasional snowflake. But as experienced outdoor photographers, Brad and I know that nature’s nasty weather tricks can come with some unusually good treats. So back to Conrad Road I went to photograph the tunnel of trees between the Polcin and Greene farms for the fourth time in five days. The fourth time was the charm.

I learned in the Coast Guard to be “Always Ready” for whatever Lake Michigan threw my way. As an outdoor photographer, being “Always Ready” is still a motto I try to live by. And since a November gale is as predictable as a calm day in July, I make certain I am especially prepared and alert for the arrival of that big November blow. Sure enough, on November 6, 2007, Lake Michigan looked like it was in a Mix Master. I donned my waterproof, insulated clothing, Fuji S5 camera body and 500-millimeter Nikon lens and hustled to the water’s edge. Lying in the sand (and occasionally water) on the Ludington beach, I extended the tripod legs flat and let the occasional wave washing beneath me help bury the tripod solidly in the sand to minimize movement resulting from the powerful northwest winds. After nearly an hour of shooting, at about 2 p.m., sunlight began breaking sporadically through the storm clouds. The resulting “storm light” turned on my adrenaline like a light switch. I was totally engrossed in trying to shoot peak moments of light and wave. I made several images in which the waves totally obscured the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse as they flew over the top of the lamp house. Then came the moment I was looking for—that delicate balance between power and beauty. Mission accomplished.

Kinney Gold

Fall color stretched as far as the eye could see, and the morning mist allowed, as I stood in awe at the edge of the Manistee River High Rollway, also known as the Buckley Rollway. This is, without a doubt, the best grand scenic vantage point for fall color I have discovered in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. How is it that I had never been to this magic spot before?

I wonder what the view from the Manistee River High Rollaway looked like in the 19th century when lumberjacks were rolling logs down it. I know for sure the view looks splendid roughly a century and a half later. This lookout near Buckley south of Traverse City belongs on every Michigander's fall color tour bucket list.

The Shining

I wonder what the view from the Manistee River High Rollaway looked like in the 19th century when lumberjacks were rolling logs down it. I know for sure the view looks splendid roughly a century and a half later. This lookout near Buckley south of Traverse City belongs on every Michigander's fall color tour bucket list. D800, F22 at 0.3, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 34mm

The Sun of God

Morning Stroll

Morning Wait

Never Gets Old