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Did you know northern Michigan is an excellent place to grow lavender? Linda and Roy Longworth have created a successful lavender farm near Horton Bay, Michigan. The 45th parallel in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is ideal for growing lavender and Horton Bay is located on the 45th parallel. The Longworth's have over 8,000 lavender plants and 30 different varieties. The gift shop is a treat to the senses. Go visit them and help them spread their success story around the country. D800, F11 at 1/160, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Shoup Family Farm Weldon Creek Farms

Shoup Family Farm Weldon Creek Farms

As a team-building exercise to kick off the busy summer selling season, my dad and I took many of our staff members out shooting with us today. We started the morning shooting the sunrise at Bass Lake, then we shot sailboats on Pentwater Lake. Now we have moved to Christofferson Farms on Morton Road south of Ludington. As I am composing this photograph, I am certain I will be back in the fall to pick the fruit off these same trees with my wife and kids; we enjoy going there every fall.

My son Brad and I teach that 90 percent of a good outdoor photograph is about the light and or atmosphere. Three videographers were with me on a late January early evening that could best be described as gray on the emotional scale. They probably wondered why I was stopping along this country road with it getting so dark. However, I instantly saw, looking at Cherry Hill Farm, that the soft snowfall was creating a painterly, Christmas-card atmosphere that I could previsualize much brighter. A longer exposure would do just that but I needed the snowflakes to remain relatively distinct. Adding to my challenge, I wanted as much of the scene sharp as possible. The solution was to raise my ISO (digital sensor sensitivity speed) to a fast 3200, which allowed me to shoot at a relatively fast shutter speed (1/100th second) and still maintain a medium depth of field (f9). All I had to do now was slap down the tripod, mount the camera and trip the shutter. I have studied and photographed our Conrad Road neighbors’ farm for years. This image is one of my wintertime favorites

 I had just arrived at my parent’s home east of Custer, Michigan, and the smell of homemade chicken soup was in the air, dinner was ready! My two kids and two nieces were already seated at the table when we started to see the glow of the sunset through the kitchen window. We ran outside to watch and what we found was an incredible rainbow to the east! I hurried to get the tripod and camera out. The rainbow started to get more intense, and the double appeared at the same time as we were seeing beautiful magic light from the sunset. The light was hitting the tops of the trees; it was one of the most incredible scenes that I’ve ever witnessed! I was able to get a few shots off before the intense glow started to fade. What an incredible sight to see and share with the family!

My dad and I always like to have strong immediacy in our photographs. With my wide-angle lens, I got very close to this frozen fruit tree and then made the barn a much smaller part of the composition. The final photograph is an environmental portrait of Cherry Basket Farm near Omena, Michigan in Leelanau County.

Cherry Point Farm

Monton Farm

I have now photographed this old McCormick Deering tractor in all four seasons. My dad and I got to meet the family that owns this tractor and the farm it sits on near the Sleeping Bear Dunes. This tractor is a great piece of Michigan history!

A Beautiful evening Rainbow during a Sunset

Pumpkins at Monton Farm

Farm Focal Point

Cherry Hill Farms R

Cherry Hill Farms

Icy Trees at Weldon Creek Farm

Icy Trees at Weldon Creek Farm

I truly appreciate those Michigan entrepreneurs who make the Michigan countryside more beautiful in the process of luring customers. The Iris Farm on M72 west of Traverse City is a stunning example of such a business. I am delighted to drive a hundred miles to take in this sight.