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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

As I crested the top of a tall wooded bank along M32 today just east of Alpena, I was stunned to see the tree graveyard below. An old abandoned shale quarry had filled in with water over the years and many of the trees were unable to survive in the harsh environment. The dense cloud cover created a bright overcast lighting effect on the scene. I love how this photograph looks like it was taken in the wintertime. F10 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

Today all is beautifully still on the Lake Michigan waterfront at Crosswinds but the snow fence lining the beach foretells of the windy, wintry weather to come. I am looking forward to snow. F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The 365 Project has made me a much faster and more confident photographer. I am getting much better at looking at a scene and knowing exactly what lens I want to use and roughly the exposure I am going to need. This scene needed a very large telephoto lens to make the background go soft. F4.5 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

How many trees look as spectacular without leaves as this giant maple along Conrad Road? I photographed it on Day 209 with green leaves and on Day 290 when the leaves turned golden. Today the size and symmetry of its branches stand out. F4.5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

This photograph represents the circle of life for trees. Healthy living trees that are starting to show their fall colors surround the dead tree in the middle. If you look closely you will also see a few tiny trees that are just starting their lives along the Lake Michigan shoreline at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. F22 at 13 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Soon these leaves that are covering the bark of a giant old tree at Stearns Park in Ludington will be flaming red, yellow, and orange as another fall season in Michigan sets in. Today, however, I am drawn to the beautiful mix of yellow and green leaves. F2.8 at 1/160, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm