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If "clouds are your friends," as Brad and I teach our photography workshop students, then this one is one of my best friends of 2010. I am enjoying my evening watching this cloud at the Ludington city beach, one of the best beaches in the world for watching sunsets and clouds. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 112 mm

One dose of day lily colors and shapes arouses my visual senses. A double dose of day lilies sends my visual senses to a different dimension. I have been looking for wild day lilies all afternoon while scouting for pictures in West Michigan. I wind up finding them on my own land near the Pere Marquette River. Brought to the United States as a horticultural garden plant, day lilies are now widely naturalized in Michigan. F8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Some out of town visitors to Ludington were celebrating their anniversary and enjoying watching the Badger go out at sunset while sitting on Stearns Beach. It was another gorgeous night in Ludington. F13.0 at 1/100, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

After being loaned an underwater housing for my camera this summer, I lay in bed one night trying to previsualize several different compositions that I could make with the new system. One of the photos that kept popping back into my mind was a half underwater shot of a water lily at the Ludington State Park. Knowing that lilies love still, warm water, I was certain I would be able to make my photo on Lost Lake. It turned out way better than I ever imagined it would! F8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

After being loaned an underwater housing for my camera this summer, I lay in bed one night trying to previsualize several different compositions that I could make with the new system. One of the photos that kept popping back into my mind was a half underwater shot of a water lily at the Ludington State Park. Knowing that lilies love still, warm water, I was certain I would be able to make my photo on Lost Lake. It turned out way better than I ever imagined it would! F8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

On a few days during the 365 Project, it has been very difficult to pick which photo to use for the photo of the day. Facebook has been helpful because we can have our fans vote for their favorite. This butterfly I photographed at Big Sable Lighthouse after our photo talk was the winner. Thanks for all the great comments and your votes! F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Did you know that Hamlin Lake has mini volcanoes under its surface? Well, they look like volcanoes at least. They are actually massive tree stumps left over from the lumbering era. Many of the stumps are no longer connected to the earth with roots so every winter the ice will move the stumps into different locations. F6.3 at 1/250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

These apples in an orchard along Meisenheimer Road south of Ludington may not be ready to pick yet but they sure look good enough to eat as I look through my viewfinder after a brief rain shower. F4.0 at 1/13, ISO 160, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I have spent very little time in salt water. Swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near Naples, Florida and in the Pacific Ocean near Maui a few times is the extent of my time spent in salt water. The fresh waters of the Great Lakes are one of the world's best-kept secrets. Everyday people come into our gallery in downtown Ludington, Michigan and are shocked to see photos of Lake Michigan with 20 foot breaking surf. Yes, Lake Michigan gets big waves, but you can swim with your mouth open and laugh and talk to your friends around you without getting a nasty taste of salt water. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

One of the best gifts my dad has given me in photography is the ability to stand in one spot and survey an entire landscape, envisioning what a photograph would look like from different vantage points and with different lenses, without ever moving from one spot. It is nights like tonight that I really appreciate him teaching me to previsualize photos. F10.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 135 mm

The look on my son Brad's face tells the story of his determination, intensity, and focus. I have seen that look for many years on the soccer field. That ability to focus and not be deterred is a trait that enables him as a photographer to achieve clear goals. F8 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

On the second foggy morning in a row I am on my way to photograph a barn on Amber Road in this soft, diffused light. I am almost there when a bunch of dew-covered spider webs along the roadside catch my eye. On closer inspection, this spider web and its creator demand my attention. F9.0 at 1/160, ISO 640, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

Taking one for the team, Brad hangs in there as he and his camera are engulfed by a breaking wave. This is one of Brad's first Great Lakes wave adventures with an underwater camera housing for his Nikon D7000 camera loaned to us for the Tuesdays Project. F8 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

Most grand scenic photographs need a strong foreground, middle ground and background. Sometimes it is difficult to have a strong foreground if there are no objects in your photograph that are close to the camera. One trick is to angle your lens down at a 45 degree angle and distort the foreground to make it look larger than it really is. F4.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 90 mm

After getting bashed in the face by several powerful Lake Michigan breakers, I finally captured the photo I have dreamed of making for over 10 years. By using a friend's underwater housing for my Nikon D7000, I was able to stick my camera inside one the rolling beasts and get the perspective I had envisioned. I was glad I had my life jacket on and that my dad had tied a safety rope to me and attached it to one of the jetties along the shoreline. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

A brisk wind snaps the POW-MIA Flag and American Flag to the attention of a passer-by this evening at Coast Guard Station Ludington. The POW-MIA flag salutes all present and past American POW-MIAs and reminds us of the price they and their families paid and are paying to help keep America free. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 120 mm

The man-made colors of the fireworks on the Fourth of July are always fun to watch, but they can't compare to the nature-made colors of the "waterworks" that are created every day of the year on Lake Michigan. Everyone should try, at least one time in their life, to experience the rush of keeping your eyes open and studying the intense colors of the water of Lake Michigan just before the giant wave smashes into your face. It is totally worth it! F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

While shooting our book on Ludington State Park in 2007, my dad and I learned that when the light is way too bright or too flat to make strong images then that is the time to try photographing reflections on the water. Tonight the light was flat and dull so I photographed the clouds reflecting in the river from the Sable River Bridge. F2.8 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

One of my favorite things about my dad is that he likes to goof off and he enjoys making people laugh. This photograph proves my point! F9 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm