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I enjoy hunting for the prettiest flower in a field of Michigan wildflowers. It didn't take me long to spot this gem of a Jerusalem artichoke tonight at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. F2.8 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 30mm

In most cases, I use ambient light to create my photographs but sometimes I have to use my external flash. My goal when using a flash in nature photography is to capture the image so it is not obvious to the viewer that a flash was used in the process. I had to use my flash because the wind was moving these flowers a tiny bit. The closer you are to a subject the more any movement will show up. Also, I had to set my lens to F22 so that I could get both flowers sharp. I set my focus manually one third of the way into the scene. Macro photography requires much more technical skill than most other kinds of outdoor photography. F22 at 1/30, ISO 3200, 105mm lens at 105mm

These tiny cardinal flowers stuck out like a sore thumb in the dimly lit woods at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park. I have only seen flowers like this a few times in my life. I was so glad that my friend Jennifer had her 105mm macro lens with her because I had left mine in the truck. F3.3 at 1/15, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

Looking a lot like small wild sunflowers, Jerusalem artichoke has found a happy home at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. The colorful flowers, sometimes called sun root, bloom late in the summer. I find a view with dark woods behind that I know will become a simple, black background when I expose properly for the flowers. F20 at 0.8, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

The boulevards on Ludington Avenue are lined with beautiful berry trees. I used my largest lens, got as close as I could, and lined up a contrasting background in order to make the red berries pop. I also used a slower shutter speed to show the movement of the snowflakes. F5.6 at 1/100, ISO 800, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

With a single lens reflex camera, the viewfinder shows the image at the largest aperture available to the lens in use. In this photo, I had my camera on full manual and set my aperture to F22, yet in the viewfinder I saw the photo at F2.8. I often use my depth of field preview button to see what the final photo will look like in terms of depth of field. F22 at 1/10, ISO 800, 105mm lens at 105mm

Finding flowers in bloom on a cold December day is always a treat for an outdoor photographer. With the largest telephoto lens that we own, I made this image on the campus of Western Michigan University. Both of my brothers went to Western for parts of their college education and I grew up going to an annual soccer camp put on by Western's soccer team. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm