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I have photographed these trees three times in the last few weeks, but never felt satisfied with the results. Luckily, the trees are very close to our new house on Riverview Drive so I drive by them often. Tonight the light was soft and the bark on the trees was dry, which was the combination I needed. F22.0 at 1.3, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

As summer wanes, I get the urge to spend more and more time in the woods. Today something inside us draws Brad and me to drive to Hartwick Pines near Grayling to experience being in the largest stand of virgin white pines remaining in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Many of these trees tower more than 300 feet overhead. F22 at 0.8, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

One of Michigan's best-kept secrets is the giant white pine forest at the Hartwick Pines State Park, located just north of Grayling, Michigan. The forest is home to Michigan's largest section of native white pine trees. Some are over 300 years old. Most of Michigan would have looked like this forest 150 years ago before most of our state was logged off. F20 at 5 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

This is what remains of the Mighty Monarch. The Mighty Monarch was one of the tallest white pine trees in the entire state of Michigan and lived for over 300 years just north of Grayling, Michigan. My dad and I photographed her remains today at the Hartwick Pines State Park. In 1992, a storm took the top off the gentle giant and in 1996, she died. She is now slowly returning to the Earth. F20 at 5 seconds, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Yowzah! The dawn over Pere Marquette Lake has me scrambling for my camera and tripod. This is one of the most spectaclular sunrises I have ever viewed from my home on the Buttersville Peninsula. F2.8 at 1/15, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 92 mm

A few trees around the area still have leaves on them, including this birch tree on Conrad Road. The rain and overcast light actually made the yellow leaves pop more in this photograph. F5.6 at 1/40, ISO 800, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Picture hunting from the truck is one of my favorite things to do. While driving across Michigan today, my dad and I spotted this bog full of different kinds of trees and loaded with fog. We got out of the truck on US10 between Baldwin and Reed City and quickly made these images before the sunrise burned the fog away. F8 at 0.5, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 120mm

When the world in Northern Michigan turns brown, the spots of color that remain in the landscape get a chance to really stand out. So it was today along the Pere Marquette River near our cabin. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 185 mm

Foggy, warm mornings in the late summer in Michigan are hard for outdoor photographers to resist. You don't have to walk far to find great images. This morning, my dad was on the hunt to create images that captured the essence of a perfect late August morning in Michigan. F5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

In our apple orchard on our property along Conrad Road, I found this cool little plant while looking for my photo of the day. By getting extremely close to it with my macro lens and shooting with a large aperture, I was able to make the background very soft and painterly. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

The combination of fog and rising sun makes this huge tree stand out even more than usual in a farm field west of Chase, Michigan. My son Brad spotted the rolling field and tree as we were driving across the state to photograph Lake Huron. We try to be always ready and willing to stop to photograph magic moments that appear anywhere we travel in Michigan. F16 at 1/13, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

My dad and I made this hunting blind on the ground back in 1992 and I have sat there almost every opening day of deer season since. Every year I look forward to seeing the new growth and also to seeing which trees have fallen to the prevailing west winds of Mason County. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 400, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

What a view I am enjoying at the dawn of a new day over woodlands, fields and farmland in Amber Township. This is truly a morning to savor and remember. F4.0 at 1/60, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

This photograph is shot on sacred ground. At least the Reed family considers the land sacred where our cedar island meets the swamp. Most years you would see standing water in this area where the Pere Marquette River backs up and floods the low lands on our property. F6.3 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

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

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

The patterns on this stump, along with the fungus and grass, make for an outstanding photograph. After waiting three minutes for the sun to go behind a cloud, I was able to make this photograph in the bright overcast light. F3.5 at 1/100, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

I am about to get back in the truck after taking a picture near Alpena, Michigan when a bumblebee flies past me and lands on a knapweed flower. Bumblebees have fascinated me since childhood. Their colorful, fuzzy bodies and buzzing sound make them my favorite Michigan insect. F9 at 1/500, ISO 400, 105mm lens at 105mm

My dad and I have both photographed Queen Anne's Lace several times this year for the Tuesdays Project, but today I tried to do it in a more unique way. I used my 105mm macro lens and got extremely close to one section of a dew-covered Queen Anne's Lace. I love how macro photography can make the ordinary look extraordinary. F14 at 1/500, ISO 800, 105mm lens at 105mm

Queen Annes Lace