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Mike and Nancy Banninga have a beautiful home on upper Hamlin Lake. The home is actually built out over the water. The lower level of the home is a two-stall boathouse and the upper lever is the living area. I have fond memories of spending time in their house as a kid while playing with their son Adam and their daughter Heidi. This photograph shows part of the view that the Banningas get to enjoy year round. F4.5 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Over the last 15 years the number of new houses and cottages built on the north shore of Hamlin Lake has exploded. Most of the homes border Hamlin Lake on one side and the Manistee National Forest on the other. F6.3 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 17mm

I love seeing the fog dance over the water during a sunrise. This morning did not disappoint as I photographed the sunrise from M-116 over Lincoln Lake. We often try to find triangles for the bases of our images. It helps lead the viewer’s eyes into the photograph.

It is starting to feel like fall! I am always intrigued what makes one particular tree turn (or partially turn) before the others.

Brad and I took a drive around Ludington this afternoon. He made an image of a tree with fall color near Hamlin Lake, and then we ended up on his aunt and uncle’s farm on the Pere Marquette River. I positioned myself to capture the shadows in the water as my leading line into the photograph in the lower left side of the frame and placed the sunburst in the tree in the upper right.

Indian Bridge over the Pere Marquette River is a popular spot for fishing. When the fishing is hot, it is lined with men, women, and families fishing. Tonight, the banks are empty, the river is calm enough that the vegetation and trees along it are reflected nicely. I was even blessed with magic light!

My dad, Tad, Sean, and I went to Crystal Mountain today to play 18 holes of golf. I found these birch trees reflected in one of the beautiful ponds that are spread out around the course. Luckily, the water ripples, caused by my horrible shot, had gone away and the reflections were back in time for me to make this image.

September 25, 2010” “Glorious,” I was thinking as I saw this scene through my viewfinder. While chasing the light at Ludington State Park with weekend photo workshop students, I remembered this nearby interdunal pond just in time. These less traveled spots in Ludington State Park have provided me with some of my favorite landscape views. The sands, water and plant growth are ever-changing. The always-changing light and clouds magnify the difference. Sometimes, all of nature’s parts come together; this was one of those times.

Standing with a group of people who were salmon fishing off the bridge over the Sable River at Ludington State Park tonight, I witnessed one of the most dramatic sunsets of 2010. Just as the light peaked, a salmon jumped in the distance and I captured it with my camera. F8.0 at 1/20, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 70 mm

The good thing about sporting events, besides enjoying watching your kids, is traveling to and from when you live in a picturesque state like Michigan. The meet today was in Pine River. I was early, so when I passed Howe Lake, I had to turn around and find the right place to stop and shoot. To get the view I wanted, I had to climb on my van roof.

Eagle Eye Golf Club near Lansing, Michigan is best known for its island green on hole 17. This par three took a few of my golf balls this morning because I was too stubborn to take a drop. It reminded me of a scene from a famous Kevin Costner movie.

When I was flying 11,500 feet above Crystal Lake earlier today, I chuckled when I noticed that the lake is a similar shape to a bottle of syrup. Do you see it? F8 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 14mm lens at 14mm

Ethan and I went out to the end of the dock at Cartier Park to see what the mist and fog looked like over Lincoln Lake with Epworth in the background. At first the view was rather ordinary, but within a few minutes the sunlight broke out of the clouds and the view became extraordinary. F7.1 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Who's watching over Bass Lake this morning? A manmade owl looms large as it faithfully performs its duty of trying to keep birds off a dock. I can't resist featuring the owl in one of my shots of the dock, lake and Three Sisters hills. F11.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

On the long drive home today from Mackinaw City, we stopped at the Buckley Manistee River High Rollway to photograph the fall color. This is the best vista for fall color that we have ever found in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The color was phenomenal today and all of our kids really enjoyed this Pure Michigan experience.

We were going to head to Mackinac Island, but the cold weather made us change our minds. Instead, we headed towards home with a stop at the Buckley Manistee High Rollway. The last time I was here, it was blowing snow. Today it is much different. The weather is warm, and the kids loved the view!

I was up early today and in position for the sunrise over Lincoln Lake. The sunrise was even better than I had predicted. It felt great to get my image of the day done in the morning.

A beautiful breaking wave comes ashore this afternoon at the Bass Lake Outlet along the Lake Michigan shoreline near Pentwater, Michigan. In the distance a family is enjoying playing in the warm water of the outlet. F8 at 1/1600, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

My dad and I try to turn photography into an action sport. We like to engage our subject. Often times that means getting wet

Sean and I met two of his friends near Canadian Lakes this morning and we played 18 holes at the Royal Golf Course. The golf cart path between two of the holes takes you over a large bridge that overlooks a beautiful river and hardwoods. We stopped the cart on the bridge so I could make this image.