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It is hard to beat Michigan wildflowers and bright blue skies that are full of giant white billowy clouds. My job today as an outdoor photographer was to find the flowers and line up all of the beautiful elements together in one photograph. The old abandoned shale quarry near Alpena, Michigan was the perfect setting. F20 at 1/400, ISO 800, 14mm lens at 14mm

I stood in the mucky water of Lincoln Lake tonight along M-116 to make this image of Epworth. We often try to find triangles in our images. I used the log on the right side of this image to counter the clouds on the left side of the image. Together, along with the shadows of the clouds in the foreground, they created a triangle to point your eyes directly at Mount Epworth..

In my mind's eye, the scene in front of me at this flooded old shale quarry west of Alpena, Michigan is most incongruous. Dead and dying trees appear almost colorless while brilliant yellow goldenrod along the water's edge thrives. I spend a long time fitting these two subjects together to make an image that I find oddly and artistically harmonious. F22 at 1/30, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 16mm

As I crested the top of a tall wooded bank along M32 today just east of Alpena, I was stunned to see the tree graveyard below. An old abandoned shale quarry had filled in with water over the years and many of the trees were unable to survive in the harsh environment. The dense cloud cover created a bright overcast lighting effect on the scene. I love how this photograph looks like it was taken in the wintertime. F10 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

I almost lost one of my boots in the mud while shooting this photo with my iPhone. We dug this pond at our hunting property. Our land has a lot of clay in it. That clay and mud is very difficult to navigate through, but I was determined to get the reflections in this photograph. To get the reflections to look the way I wanted, I had to get down to the water’s edge..

A strong current keeps this offshoot of the Pere Marquette River from freezing today but I know it will eventually ice over. Today I am enjoying the beauty of branches turned into ice sculptures. F16.0 at 1/8, ISO 1000, 80-200 mm lens at 155 mm

The sky is on fire this morning as I scramble to the shore of Pere Marquette Lake. I prefer to move more slowly first thing in the morning, but the dawn of this day has jolted me awake and into high gear. This click of the shutter feels really good; I can savor the digital image over coffee. F4.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

Before work this morning, I took a nice drive around the Ludington State Park. It was great to have a few minutes of peaceful quietness before starting the workday. This interdunal pond matched my peace.

Before the sun rose this morning, I was in position to shoot the sunrise along Old US-31 over the Pere Marquette River Flats. I was excited to see we had great clouds forming as the sun finally rose enough to turn the swamp grass in front of me gold. After I made this image, I headed to the grocery store. When I came out of the store, I was blown away by how awesome the clouds had gotten.

Adverse weather doesn't deter Norm Dwyer from fishing for steelhead on the Pere Marquette River. Norm is used to dealing with adversity; he fought fires for nearly 30 years as a Pere Marquette Township fireman. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Well, Brad and I did it again. I was making my way into work and knew the clouds were too good to pass up. I turned on old Pere Marquette highway and parked at the river flats. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized Brad had shot there 40 minutes before I did.

Lake Michigan and the Sable River outlet at Ludington State Park were eerily calm this afternoon. With the water being so still, it was reflecting the blue and turquoise colors from the storm clouds above. F6.3 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 22 mm

Rachel and I headed to Crystal Mountain to go downhill skiing today. As we got close to the resort, the snow started falling hard. It was the wet, sticky snow that very quickly can transform a normal scene into a winter wonderland. We pulled over and I shot this photo of the Betsie River.

This swampy spot was near Hart, Michigan. I drove up and down this road, choosing the best spot to pull over and shoot. The framing around this opening is what helped me decide this was the place to shoot.

As gray as yesterday was for me, the magic light was back today. Ice is starting to form around the waterways. I loved the juxtaposition of fall-like color in the background, to icy river in the foreground.

I don’t venture to the west side of the bridge over the Pere Marquette River in Scottville, Michigan very often. I tend to pull into Riverside Park instead. I drove as far as I could off to the west and then walked as far as I could go. I sat there for several minutes. Soaking up this view.

I took a detour on my way home tonight. I stayed off US-10 and drove mostly backroads. Color started to fill the sky. The only thing I needed was a subject. This tree was placed perfectly in the roll of the hill.

Most of Michigan was hit with a nasty winter storm overnight. Unlike most people, my dad and I love when winter strikes hard. Ethan and I made our way down M-116 and I made this photograph of Epworth Heights from the bridge over the Lincoln River. F22.0 at 0.8, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Calm and beautiful is the best way to describe the Pere Marquette River Flats. My favorite time of the day on the river is sunrise. This morning, the sunrise is gold and blue. This is heaven on earth to me. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

I liked the delicate look of the patterns made by these grasses, lily pads, and reflections on a pond at Kensington Metro Park. I composed the image to feature only those elements that I found exciting.