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Looking like giant Oreo cookies, these striking cattle graced Larry and Jo Sholtey’s Beef and Bees Farm along South Lakeshore Drive between Ludington and Pentwater. Commonly referred to as Oreo Cookie cows, they are more accurately named belted Galloways, a rare breed of Scottish beef cattle. Larry Sholtey had grown up on a farm. He and Jo raised and showed the distinctive, thick-coated cattle for many years after their retirement from Ludington High School, where Jo taught and Larry was principal. I always enjoyed seeing the “Cookie Cows,” occasionally stopping when I thought I saw the makings of a good photograph. I made several images over the years that pleased me but none that wowed me. Then one summer afternoon I spotted them grazing on some Queen Anne’s Lace in a corner of their pasture. I couldn’t stop fast enough. I had not visualized this picture, but I instantly recognized how extraordinary it was. Untold numbers of passersby enjoyed seeing Larry and Jo’s cattle until Larry became too ill to care for them. I will always be grateful to Jo and Larry, for happily and graciously sharing these beautiful creatures with me and countless other passersby

Proud as a peacock, a rooster parades about its pen an hour after crowing in another summer day on a small family farm north of Custer.

Looking like giant Oreo cookies, these striking cattle graced Larry and Jo Sholtey’s Beef and Bees Farm along South Lakeshore Drive between Ludington and Pentwater. Commonly referred to as Oreo Cookie cows, they are more accurately named belted Galloways, a rare breed of Scottish beef cattle. Larry Sholtey had grown up on a farm. He and Jo raised and showed the distinctive, thick-coated cattle for many years after their retirement from Ludington High School, where Jo taught and Larry was principal. I always enjoyed seeing the “Cookie Cows,” occasionally stopping when I thought I saw the makings of a good photograph. I made several images over the years that pleased me but none that wowed me. Then one summer afternoon I spotted them grazing on some Queen Anne’s Lace in a corner of their pasture. I couldn’t stop fast enough. I had not visualized this picture, but I instantly recognized how extraordinary it was. Untold numbers of passersby enjoyed seeing Larry and Jo’s cattle until Larry became too ill to care for them. I will always be grateful to Jo and Larry, for happily and graciously sharing these beautiful creatures with me and countless other passersby

My son Brad had already photographed these trees at various times of day and season. So credit goes to him for the composition. On this early September morning I feel compelled to photograph "Brad's tree" because the Queen Anne's Lace has given it a fresh look.

May

Tonight my eight-year-old daughter, Julia, went on a photography adventure with me. She got to experience climbing on top of the roof of my truck to make an image and she also witnessed first hand what magic light is. As it was lightly raining and the setting sun broke through the clouds, Julia spotted this rainbow. I gave her the camera first. Once she was done making her art, I made this image of Julia's gold.

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.

I am grateful to have made this picture of one of my favorite barns. Like other vintage wooden barns, this one, on Beaune Road in Hamlin Township, fell victim to the ravages of time and northern Michigan weather and is no longer standing.

The architecture of this barn was simply exquisite when it was built more than a century ago just north of the Village of Omena near Northport, Michigan. Now the barn serves as the centerpiece of Cherry Basket Farm, which hosts weddings, private parties, and other events. As an outdoor photographer and lover of classic Michigan barns, I am grateful that the creative use of the barn and other structures on the site enables the owner, Epicure Catering, to maintain the farm in such pristine condition.

I have photographed this grand old maple tree in one of Pete Conrad’s farm fields on Conrad Road in Amber Township for years. On this October day, I loved the bright yellow foreground provided by the asparagus field, which was turning color along with the magnificent maple and the hardwoods beyond.

After five unsuccessful photo trips to the Schwass farm in Riverton Township, south of Scottville, I thought I was never going to take a good photograph of their winter squash. The challenge was to make a picture that would stir the viewer's emotions the way they had described the experience to me. On the sixth trip, a golden luminescence from the setting sun gave me the feeling they must have had. I was glad for the tips and my perseverance.

I stood on the tailgate of my truck along Custer Road to make this image. I loved all the layers in this scene and the rolling hills. All I needed to do was wait for the light. As I waited, I Facetimed with my mom, who lives in Germany.

I have driven by this barn on US-10 multiple times a year my entire life and have never seen it look as good as it did today. Julia, Ethan, and I were on our way to visit my cousin and her family in Lake Fenton when I had to pull over and walk in the deep snow to make this image. I used the fence to create leading lines