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Dandelions and Fruit Trees

Sometimes it seems like we wait forever for the leaves to turn along the shores of the inland lakes tied to Lake Michigan. Then, seemingly overnight, a glorious change greets us on a morning like this one on Hamlin Lake. My son Brad and I encountered this fleeting scene at Victory Park on Upper Hamlin Lake in mid-October. Brad was still running with tripod and camera for a different vantage point while I made this picture along the park waterfront. Fortunately, I got off one shot before a cloud dropped the curtain on the fall color light show.

I am at first overwhelmed by all the color and patterns bombarding my senses amidst the birch trees and maple leaves in the famous White Birch Forest. I know not to hurry. Finally, I find my prize. The patterns of these maple leaves and birch bark are music to my eyes. I have probably spent an hour looking for strong compositions in this magical forest in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Every minute has been a joy. F11 at 1/250, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

Oh, to experience another winter morning as stunning as this. I love below-zero mornings; the sky is usually crystal-clear and the morning light brilliant. But I never imagined the beauty that would await me at the Sable River Outlet this February morning. Steam coming off the water at sunrise had turned the grass to shimmering white shafts on the dune south of the outlet.

Today on the Little Cedar Creek near the Muskegon River, the golden light hitting the trees created a beautiful reflection. The hardest part of making this image was avoiding my own reflection.

This morning my dad and I drove to the middle of the state on US10 so we could photograph Dow Gardens in Midland. As the sun was rising we found this tree between Reed City and Evart. The fog mixed with intense sunlight created a beautiful scene in front of us. I stopped my lens down to F22 in order to make the rays of sunlight show up more distinctly.

Looking like waves rushing ashore on an autumn evening, a ridge of sand dunes stops short

The northwest wind sandblasts me and nearly blows me off the top of the high dune I have run up with the heart but not the body of a 20-year-old. The uphill sprint, the wind and the view leave me breathless. The thought occurs, I might pass out trying to make this Lake Michigan shoreline picture before the fleeting magic light disappears; thank God I don't.

Time marches on, and so does sand. I look at this beautiful dune and the grass and forest land adjacent to it and know it will look very different the next summer. I wonder how much wind and water will change this beautiful area between Lake Michigan and Piney Ridge in ten years, hundred years, a thousand years. Our lives are such a miniscule segment of time gone by and time to come.

Sumac growing along Pere Marquette Highway reminds me of the flower patterns on some loud Hawaiian shirts. I am attracted to the color but on closer inspection am blown away by the patterns.

Sumac looks like it is on fire as it "dances" in the breeze on an October day. When we head out fall color touring in Michigan, we are usually anticipating the color show provided by the maple leaves turning color. Sumac puts on its own show.

It is hard to imagine expensive jewels looking more beautiful than these birch leaves I have discovered along one of Michigan's lightly traveled unpaved roads. I sometimes wish more people could discover the world of wonder awaiting them on dirt roads. Then again, sometimes there is more of a sense of discovery knowing you are among the few who get to marvel at the sight.

It was another dreary day here. As sunset drew closer, I decided to take an abstract view on the day. These three pine trees in my yard are pretty ordinary but zooming while exposing gives them a dreamy feel.

My seventh grade science teacher, Diana Kuras, stopped me in the road today and told me about a giant sunbow over Lake Michigan. I was heading out to Summit Township at the time for a Super Bowl party at our friends Paul and Lisa Cooper's new house. It was the largest, most distinct sunbow I had ever witnessed. F22.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

My aunt and uncle, Sue and Randy Marble, just purchased a large canvas of this photograph of the White Birch Forest. This incredible forest is about 16 miles west of Grand Marais on Alger County Road H-58. The first week of October is often a good time to visit the White Birch Forest to see the surrounding maple trees in peak fall color.

Winter sunrises can occasionally be amazing. Early indications are that this morning's sunrise could be one of those. I quickly set up the camera on the tripod on the deck of our home at Crosswinds. After a few minutes waiting for peak color, presto! F8.0 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Grains

I have always loved this clump of trees inside Stearns Park, but I had never taken the time to photograph them. As Julia, Ethan and I were driving around looking for my photo of the day, I noticed the side lighting hitting the trunks of several of the large trees. After a few minutes of looking at the scene, I finally composed a photograph that I liked. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm