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I was on a scouting expedition to find good locations for photographing fall color when I came across this pastoral scene along Sugar Grove Road west of Round Lake. The red barns caught my eye, but it was the sheep in the foreground that made me stop to make a photograph.

Michigan abounds with new life in spring. I love traveling the countryside looking for views like this one along Iris Road in Mason County.

Young maple trees and an old barn on Fisher Road caught my eye while en route to West Shore Community College to teach a photography class. I tried to persuade my students to always have their cameras with them and tell them that stopping to take a photograph is one of the few good excuses for being late to class. I tried to leave home early so I could make a picture and still get to class on time.

The first week of the 365 Project seems to be an overwhelming success. The response to the photos by email and on Facebook has been fantastic. To start the second week of my shooting, I headed south of Ludington to the fruit fields in Summit Township on Morton Road. This is one of my favorite areas of Mason County. F22.0 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Maybe it is because I am short, but I have always liked big things. I like big trucks, big guns, and big horses. Being the fourth generation of a family that owns an Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship, I have always been partial to the Budweiser Clydesdales. When I photographed these two Friesian horses today south of Ludington, I was mesmerized by their size and grace.

Custers Last Stand

Mufasa, our outdoor cat, enjoys playing in the snow. We played chase the snowballs for a while before I made this image of his long fur blowing in the wind.

A beautiful red barn sits among a field of blossoming fruit trees early this morning along Morton Road south of Ludington. The fruit fields and rolling hills of Mason and Oceana counties are breathtaking right now. Tourists flock to this area for the fall color tour, but I don't think it holds a candle to the spring blossoms. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I am sizing up a sunrise shot of the carferry Badger when my cell phone rings. My wife Debbie has scouted out a picture for me of horses at West Shore Equestrian Center on Sugar Grove Road on her way to Nursing School at West Shore Community College. She sounds very excited so I am off to see the horses. I am so glad I listened to my wife. F4.0 at 1/800, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Cameras do lie! This lawn ornament is a small, but working, windmill at the Greene Farm on Conrad Road. The super dramatic sky and cool blue light this morning really added the drama I needed to get the feeling I wanted for this image.

When I spotted this wintry scene south of Ludington, it immediately reminded me of a famous picture long used to promote Steamboat ski resort in Colorado. I always loved that picture and I loved the one that was in front of my eyes just a few miles from my home.

An artist friend, Lewis King, loves to meander across the countryside to see what he can find to paint. I share his love for the country. This morning I am excited to discover this scene on Kinney Road south of Scottville to paint with light. F18.0 at 1/250, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

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.

Becky Scott, our neighbor at Cherry Hill Farm, called me and asked if I would photograph their newest horse on their farm. I got in the corral as the young horse ran circles around me.

My aunt and uncle and his family own this barn on Conrad Road. Ron Soberalski keeps his two large draft horses on their property. On this foggy morning, Ron’s horses were the perfect added ingredients that this scene needed.

Old Barn Near Brethren

For several years, I have dreamed of making an aerial photograph of fruit trees in full bloom taken from a dynamic angle with dandelions on the ground. Today, our manager, Sarah Genson, and I went flying with Ryan Johnson from Mason County Aviation. I told Ryan about the idea I had and he knew just where to take us. This is an orchard south of Ludington.

The asparagus harvests are long past at Bob and Lori Green's farm on Monroe Road near Hart, Michigan. However, as an artist, I am much more attracted to the asparagus fields when they become overgrown, colorful bushes. F4 at 1/200, ISO 200, 24-70mm lens at 32mm

My kids had their first day of downhill skiing today! They crashed hard asleep in the van on our way home from Crystal Mountain when I spotted this stunning silhouette. The flow of the tail was the finishing touch.

Some of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments that my family has are the rocking horses that Hallmark put out in the 1980s. This last Christmas, I enjoyed pointing them out to my daughter Julia. This scene near Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Benzie County reminded of those horses. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 640, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm