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A motorist reaches the 45th parallel while northbound on M22 along Grand Traverse Bay between Suttons Bay and Omena. I am glad to also be heading north on this glorious autumn morning in Northern Michigan.

My great-grandma, Martha Delite Benson, had a passion for finding small treasures outdoors. She seemed to gravitate toward beautiful objects that most people would pass by. I believe her ability to "go deeper" into the scene and find the less obvious beauty in nature was passed down to my dad and me. As I photographed this delicate starflower at the Ludington State Park in June of 2006, I could not help but grin and think of my Great-Grandma Benson.

I love calm mornings when the water is so still it appears to be a steel-blue mirror. On an early morning adventure these lily pads near the Lost Lake Trail quickly grabbed my attention. I set up my tripod in the water and carefully composed the photograph while making certain that none of the reflections of the flowers were cut off. Once the ripples were gone and the water returned to its mirror-like state, I gently clicked the shutter.

On an August evening during a photo trek to Big Point Sable Lighthouse I faced a momentary dilemma. I was shooting an extremely dramatic sunset over Lake Michigan to the west when I looked back to the east to see if the sky was "painting" the lighthouse with its brilliant color. As I turned what caught my eye was not the lighthouse-bathed in pink but the moon rising over a gorgeously "painted" dune just north of the lighthouse. The light was splendid and momentary. I knew there was not time to shoot all three pictures. While I was vacillating, my wife was decisive, declaring: "Shoot the moon!" So, I did. Thank you, Debbie!

Frost coats almost everything along the Pere Marquette River this morning. I make a picture of a frost-covered bush with the river as background. Then, following the "twice-as-close rule" Brad and I teach, I start looking for closer pictures. Just a few footsteps closer to the river I find it. Queen Anne's Lace laced with frost looks like a Crown Jewel. F22.0 at 1/160, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

The Lake Michigan shoreline was glowing orange tonight and the dune grass looked like it was on fire. Using a telephoto lens, I could isolate a section of grass that was particularly beautiful.

Shadow Waves

Waves rush ashore at Point Betsie Light Station on a late winter afternoon. Point Betsie is one of Michigan's most distinctive and beautiful lighthouses.

Viewers of ABC's Good Morning America selected Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America. Whether or not you agree, just this single view from one of the Stocking Drive scenic overlooks proves Sleeping Bear is a spectacular place. D800, F9 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Viewers of ABC's Good Morning America selected Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America. Whether or not you agree, just this single view from one of the Stocking Drive scenic overlooks proves Sleeping Bear is a spectacular place. D800, F9 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Autumn Eyecatcher

Speaking to God

I have passed this pasture on Iris Road almost daily for 10 years. But it is not until today that I notice the beauty of this lone tree. Fog and melting snow make the tree stand out like never before. Still I wonder why I never noticed it. F4.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

Spring Time on Old 31

I have always found the bark of birch trees to be interesting and attractive. This decaying birch on the Piney Ridge Trail at the south end of Ludington State Park stopped me in my tracks on an April 29 afternoon hike. Though the trunk was badly decayed, the patterns, varied tones and textures interested me. I made this image with budding maple branches as the backdrop. The same scene would look dramatically different on Oct. 27 (see next picture and caption

Earlier today, I photographed these two large cottonwood trees on the Ludington Stearns beach as the fog rolled off of Lake Michigan and slowly crept over the landscape. I was very excited looking through the viewfinder to see the blue sky slowly fading into the gray fog. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 26 mm

Sleeping Bear Scenic Drive

Sunny Days

This decaying birch tree had caught my eye a half year earlier (see the previous picture and caption - "April Look"). But on this late October afternoon the colorful leaves whipping in the wind behind the birch provided a very different backdrop.

The Best Mornings