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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.

Holland, Michigan has dozens of different varieties of tulips that bloom every spring throughout the downtown. Today we saw hundreds of thousands of tulips in bloom and this variety, called "Aleppo" was one of my favorites. F8 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

A 600-millimeter lens and camera appear to be floating in a sea of tulips. Actually, it is such a gorgeous, warm April afternoon that my son Brad (whose head is barely visible) could not resist catching a catnap between rows of flowers after finishing a shot. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 200, 500mm lens at 500mm

We are driving to Calvin College in Grand Rapids to see an exhibit of famous National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry's work and hopefully to hear him speak. Heading south on Pere Marquette Highway I sight my first dandelions of the year in an apple orchard. This one looks perfect; it brightens my day. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Shooting at ground level is one of Brad's favorite techniques for getting close to his subjects. Using a big lens to magnify his subject and make it become the only thing sharply focused is another of his favorite techniques for photographing small objects like these tulips in Holland. F5.6 at 1/640, ISO 200, 500mm lens at 500mm

Admiring the beauty of this blossom, I can't help but wonder how the local fruit trees are going to fare with the frosty weather the weatherman is predicting. I'm glad I am a photographer right now instead of a fruit farmer. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105mm

It looks like a field of dreams as I look at a meadow of mustard grass through my large telephoto lens. The view is equivalent to looking through 10-power binoculars. I focus farther away and closer until the picture feels just right. F4.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Sitting in the middle of a Michigan field on a breezy summer day, I feel like I am watching a motion picture as the grasses and wildflowers sway in the breeze. Lowering my vantage point places me in the grass and makes the viewer of my images feel immersed in the grass with me.

Butterfly and wildflowers at cabin

Field of Canada Golden Rod

Driving through the Michigan countryside on summer days is a good way to enjoy a mobile flower show. This tiger lily caught my eye as I was meandering down West Michigan country roads picture-hunting. You never know what is going to be around the next curve.

Betsy and Sean’s house on Riverview in Ludington has always had beautiful crocuses growing in the backyard. I used my 105mm prime macro lens to shoot a close-up photograph of one of the crocuses. I was attracted to the wild purple and white patterns on the inside of the flower.

I grew up with orchards, flowering bushes, and gardens surrounding our farmhouse. I was fortunate to purchase a home that also has apple trees and several flowering bushes in the yard. This is one of my favorites.

Don Allen of Ludington has been part of the local garden club for many years. His backyard is unbelievably gorgeous from early spring until late fall. He invited me over to photograph tonight and I was immediately drawn to this clump of primrose. F22.0 at 0.4, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 38 mm

One-year-old Caly Eisenlohr stands out beautifully in a sea of dandelions. I was making an image of an orchard and the dandelions in full bloom along Pere Marquette Highway when Caly's parents, Jerrod and Tara, decided this was the perfect setting for them to take pictures of Caly and her three-year-old brother Owen. F4 at 1/320, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

While hunting for morel mushrooms today with Julia and Ethan at Victory Park, we found this delicate little flower. I used my 85mm portrait lens to isolate the flower and soften the background.

Discovering the woodlands in the Claybanks area of Oceana County carpeted with trillium is for an outdoor photographer like winning the lottery. Brad, our business manager Sarah, and I go our own ways to capture our personal vision of the flower story we want to tell. For my part, I find three trillium flowers that I can place front and center in my composition. Focusing on them while letting the rest of a hillside full of flowers show up more softly in the middleground and background tells the rest of the story without stealing the show from the "stars" in the foreground. F9 at 1/100, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

I select this trillium to stand out from others in its vicinity. I want to convey the feeling of this one flower being surrounded by others, but I want the attention to be only upon this one. Like a golfer selecting the right club, I select the right lens to accomplish the mission

This was the first time I experienced being able to stand in a seemingly endless field of trilliums. It was magical. Even with the frosty nights the last few weeks, this trillium is still looking up. F14 at 1/100, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Lying in the middle of a hilly, curving country road is not a good idea, but it was necessary for this photograph. Luckily Sarah Genson and my dad were my spotters and helped me avoid being run over. I used my largest telephoto lens in order to soften my background and get rid of the "junk" in the rest of the scene. F8 at 1/250, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm