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I have never been good at painting, but if I were, this is the kind of art I would try to create with a paintbrush. I thank God my dad helped me discover my inner artist with a camera. I also thank God for creating the Pere Marquette River. My family has spent our lives on or near the internationally-known water system.

Preserve the Light

Pere Marquette Cross

I abruptly awoke one Sunday morning at 5 a.m. and could not get a haunting image of the Pere Marquette River out of my mind. I was positive that if I ventured out to our property and stood in the exact location I had envisioned, I would see a beautiful sunrise. I shot out of bed and was on my way. I guess you could say I got bit by the photo bug in my sleep.

Our friend, Larry VonDrasek, took my dad and me in his new drift boat down the fly-only zone of the Pere Marquette River today so we could photograph the fall color. Larry also let me try my hand at fly-fishing for the first time. I proved to be a professional log catcher.

Pere Marquette Expeditions

Looking westward in the Pere Marquette River Flats, on the same morning I photographed the preceding scene looking eastward, revealed a similar view but one with the Dow Chemical Plant in the background.

The fresh, clean waters of the Pere Marquette River snake their way through thick Michigan forests every day of the year. This view is from a section of the fly-only zone of the beautiful National Wild and Scenic River. F7.1 at 1/400, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

This morning our assistant manager Rachel Gaudette and I are back at my favorite spot on her family's farm along the banks of the Pere Marquette River near Walhalla, Michigan. To make this image I had to slide on my butt down a steep clay bank. I aimed for a large tree to stop me part way down so as not to slide into the river. Luckily for my camera gear, and me, the tree did the trick. F22 at 1/10, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm