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Driving down Conrad Road my dad noticed some sumac that had started to change color. He already had his photo of the day so he called me. Twenty minutes later when I showed up with my camera, this beautiful butterfly greeted me. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Sometimes it is the totally unexpected view that we need to be ready to capture. While photographing boats cruising the Pine River Channel between Lake Michigan and Round Lake in Charlevoix, a rabbit appears right in front of me to feast on grass and clover in a sunny spot. I am struck by the rim lighting of the hare's face and especially its sunlit ears. F3.2 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 280mm

I have made the picture I set out to make at Epworth Heights this afternoon

These pigeons are a bright spot in a sad day. Angel, our beloved cat, died today. The pigeons are on a barn roof at Country Clinic, which gave us Angel nearly 20 years ago when he was an orphan kitty convalescing from the loss of a front leg. What a gift he turned out to be! F5.6 at 1/2000, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Using our "twice-as-close" rule, I move right in on some lavender flowers to zero in on a bee harvesting nectar and pollinating the flowers in the process. I want to be as close to the bee as my lens will focus so that almost nothing else is sharp in the picture. I want the image to feel like a bee's field of dreams. F3.2 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Kasey had a cross country meet in Bear Lake this evening. I decided to take back roads home, from Manistee, on the search of a photo. To my luck, I saw this sandhill crane in a field. I safely pulled the van over and got in position. What a majestic bird!

Bethany Rodenbeck holds up a beautiful Lake Michigan steelhead she caught this morning off the shores of Ludington. If you haven't experienced fishing for salmon and steelhead on Lake Michigan you are missing out on a lot of fun. Charter fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry every year in the Great Lakes region and it is worth every penny. F8 at 1/2000, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I am impressed by the affection a pair of mute swans display for each other while basking in the sunshine on Pere Marquette Lake with their offspring. It is clear to me they are mates for life. F4.5 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

David Lundin, originally from Sweden, holds up the first Lake Michigan salmon he has ever landed. He and his father-in-law, Roger Anderson, caught this 21-pound whopper while fishing on the charter boat Willie Wonka this morning off the shores of Ludington. F8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I was on my way to Brad’s when I passed by The Market on US-31. It was closed, but the cattails surrounding it were just waiting to be photographed. I used their exterior lights to add depth to the photo. Cattails always bring back memories of picking them at fair, and then forgetting them in the camper until we would find them exploded the next spring. My mom does not miss those days.

All summer the kids talked about Old Blue – a 6’ blue racer that lived up by the shop on the farm. As much as I despise snakes, I have tried to look for him several times with camera in hand. As we were up by the shop tonight, the kids called out to me. There he was. In all his glory. I used the full length of my lens shooting him so I could stay as far away as possible!

Sean and I, and about 26 of Sean’s friends from all over the country, met in Lansing today for the start of the annual golf outing that Sean organizes. Today, while playing Timber Ridge, the light got really good for a few minutes so I put my golf clubs down and grabbed my camera. This decorative grass was near one of the tee boxes. I lay on my back on the golf cart path and made this image.

Using trees for cover, I have stealthily made my way to within 15 yards of this great blue heron. Fortunately for me, the heron's attention is primarily focused on the water and his quest for dinner. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Dragonflies are nature's fastest insects. They are also the most acrobatic. This Calico Pennant dragonfly manages a stylish headstand while hanging on to a shaft of wheat bending in the breeze in a field near Wilderness State Park in Northern Michigan. F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 200, 300mm lens at 300mm

I spot a bald eagle on a favorite morning fishing perch overlooking Lake Michigan along South Lakeshore Drive. I set up nearby and wait about 20 minutes to capture its takeoff. F4 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I love the sense of adventure and scale of this image as I compose it in my viewfinder. Brad and I call this kind of shot "the little person in the big world." Lake Michigan is definitely a big world. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 155 mm

As this fawn's first year on earth continues to evolve, it now gets to experience balmy summer evenings, luscious grasses and other tasty foods. Life in West Michigan appears to be treating this healthy-looking deer kindly. I hope it continues to eat well while the warm weather food supply is abundant. F2.8 at 1/250, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

Doing these year-long shooting projects, where you have to try and find a book-quality image every single day, gets hard. I remember in 2010, while my dad and I were shooting the 365 Project, that by the time October rolled around, I was anxiously awaiting the end of the year so I could take a mental health break. It is especially hard on days like today when you come down with some nasty bug.

I headed to Copeyon Park on Pere Marquette Lake this morning to photograph the fog and mist. As I was composing a photograph that showed the west side of Pere Marquette Lake with fall color, a swan swam out of the fog and into the sunlight. The photograph of the fall color will have to wait. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

My family has been hunting pheasants for decades. Today, we hunted with the Wright family at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. Their red lab, Drake, was the most impressive hunting dog I have ever witnessed in the field. He also is one of the best-looking hunting dogs I have ever seen.