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God beams were shining bright this afternoon at Stearns Beach in Ludington. One positive of COVID-19 is that it has tuned our 366 Project into a hyper-local book project. Besides my dad’s and my book on the Ludington State Park and his 50 Year Book, this book will have more shots from Mason County than any project we have ever done.

It is a good thing my son Brad does CrossFit training almost every day because fighting off breaking Lake Michigan waves while trying to make good images in Lake Michigan is strenuous work. I observe that Brad seems to thrive on his photography battles with the big lake. F22 at 1/100, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 165mm

With temperatures in single digits the last few days, it didn't take long for Ludington North Breakwater Light to become a giant ice sculpture. The mix of light, wind, and blowing snow turned the frigid waters of Lake Michigan a gorgeous green color this morning. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

I knew steam would be rising from icy Lake Michigan when the sun came up on this 10-degree morning. I got out early to photograph Ludington harbor from near the Ludington South Breakwater Light. I am pleasantly surprised to see this outbound tug and barge come into view to complete my picture. F4.5 at 1/320, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

I have photographed my way westward across Michigan today. Clouds have been an important ingredient in several of my shots. Now my hunch that the supersized marshmallow clouds in the western sky are going to help create one of the most spectacular sunset light shows of the year is paying off. I have reached the Grand Haven shoreline just in time to see the sky on fire. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 130mm

This day started with a massive double rainbow in the west and now we have some of the largest, most distinct God beams I have ever seen. Days like today make my job as a photographer a whole lot easier, but more importantly, more fun. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 145mm

By setting my camera aperture to F22 and shooting directly into the sun, I was able to make it appear like the Ludington North Breakwater Light had a crown of sunshine. Shooting on full auto would have never allowed for this look or feel. At our weekend workshops, we teach our students how to use their own cameras on full manual. F22 at 1/80, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

The God beams have quickly disappeared and now the sky is flaming red, yellow, and orange. My favorite part of this composition is the lone fisherman standing at the end of the breakwall. He became the little person in the big world and he gives the photograph a sense of scale. The tiny fisherman makes the sky seem 10 times more powerful. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

The rich blue winter sky and brilliant sunshine are making my day as I venture with ice cleats out the ice-coated Ludington South Breakwater. The South Breakwater Light looks like a white candle this morning. F7.1 at 1/800, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

The God beams have quickly disappeared and now the sky is flaming red, yellow, and orange. My favorite part of this composition is the lone fisherman standing at the end of the breakwall. He became the little person in the big world and he gives the photograph a sense of scale. The tiny fisherman makes the sky seem 10 times more powerful. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

I have always been impressed with the brilliant engineering of the Ludington North Breakwater Light. Obviously it was designed well before computers were ever imagined, but they still had the foresight to make the portholes line up with each other on opposing sides so that the sunlight during a sunset would shine through the entire lighthouse. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

As the colors of tonight's sunset changed by the minute, I watched the orange, red, and yellow sunset quickly turn to purple and magenta. Luckily, I was exposing as the purple and magenta started to take over the sky. Experiencing sunsets in Ludington never gets old. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 92mm

The last couple of nights before sunset I have seen large God beams in the sky. Tonight I had to rush to my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl's house on Lake Michigan in order to line up the Ludington North Breakwater Light with the gorgeous God beams behind it. F22.0 at 1/8, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

The amazing God beams were back tonight and even more defined. I waited for the sun to peek through a hole in the thick cloud layer. When the sun finally broke through, the light show was even better than I predicted it would be. F6.3 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 70 mm

It is rainy and, my heart might say, dreary. My mind, however, has been trained to know that cameras do not see like our eyes and hearts. So I am shooting away on the Lake Superior shoreline at Marquette, making my first images ever of the historic Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. My heart is pleased with the outcome. F22 at 0.8, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

I have jumped out of my Suburban and sprinted up and over a dune to get my camera and tripod into position in time to sharply catch this "magic light" striking Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. After a long day photographing in overcast skies and rain, my perseverance has brought me the "luck" to be here to witness and record this autumn spectacle. How could it get better than this? F2.8 at 1/125, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

Three things in life really get my dad fired up. Skiing the fall line when it is steep and deep, seeing a big buck in the woods while deer hunting, and being on or near Lake Michigan during a huge storm. You can feel the excitement radiating off him in this photo. F8 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I filled my boots with ice-cold water several times this morning in order to capture this image. Every 10 minutes or so the beach would flood on the north side of the channel in South Haven. This surge was significantly deeper and more powerful than any of the others I experienced in the morning hours. Rest assured Mom, Debbie, and Betsy, I was not actually in any danger shooting this photo, it just appears that way. Remember, cameras do lie! F9 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

I filled my boots with ice-cold water several times this morning in order to capture this image. Every 10 minutes or so the beach would flood on the north side of the channel in South Haven. This surge was significantly deeper and more powerful than any of the others I experienced in the morning hours. Rest assured Mom, Debbie, and Betsy, I was not actually in any danger shooting this photo, it just appears that way. Remember, cameras do lie! F9 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

A wave generated by Superstorm Sandy explodes against the South Haven, Michigan lighthouse. The hurricane turned superstorm brought 50-knot-plus winds all the way from the East Coast to the Great Lakes and churned up 20-foot monster waves in southern Lake Michigan. F7.1 at 1/250, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm