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The Gold Coast Festival, a Ludington art fair Brad and I have shown our artwork at for years, is today at City Park. Nearby I spot some of the most stunning maple leaves I have ever seen in the yard of our former neighbor, Stephanie Thomsen. A silver coating on the crimson leaves looks almost like chrome plating. F7.1 at 1/60, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

One of the most difficult aspects of the Tuesdays Project so far has been coming up with fresh and creative names for all of our photographs. While trying to name this photograph, I searched Thesaurus.com for synonyms for the word water and learned that "Adam's Ale" is what water is referred to a few times in the Old Testament. I thought that would make a unique name for this unusual photograph of Lake Michigan. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

One of the concepts we teach in our workshops is to put triangles or pyramids in the base of your compositions. That is what I tried to do in this photograph. When you place a strong pyramid shape in the bottom of your image, the viewer is drawn into the photograph. F6.3 at 1/60, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

This is possibly the worst self-portrait that I have ever seen. Fish-eye lenses do not do any favors for people's faces. I am glad Hamlin Lake is so clean because I drank a lot of water while trying not to laugh under water. F9 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

Every time I look at this photo I think of the movie Terminator 2 and the bad guy who was in human form one minute and the next would liquefy into a mysterious silver puddle. The beautiful shapes, colors, and unique formations that rushing water can take on fascinates me. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

The Lake Michigan Carferry, SS Badger passes by the Ludington North Breakwater Light upon reaching its homeport. The historic carferry can transport more than 500 passengers and dozens of vehicles on each of its crossings between Michigan and Wisconsin. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 750mm

It is a spectacular summer afternoon to be at Epworth Heights. Brian and Leah Roche of Columbus, Ohio walk along the North Beach sidewalk en route to meet some friends on the beach. F8.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 16 mm

The Lake Michigan Carferry, SS Badger passes by the Ludington North Breakwater Light upon reaching its homeport. The historic carferry can transport more than 500 passengers and dozens of vehicles on each of its crossings between Michigan and Wisconsin. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 750mm

The carferry Badger looks like a toy boat as it heads to Wisconsin tonight. I made this photo from First Curve at Ludington State Park with a large telephoto lens. F5.0 at 1/160, ISO 800, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Dick and Patti Hale have seen thousands of sunsets from their Lake Michigan home at Little Sable point. "This is the best one I've ever seen, spectacular because of the variety of the color, depth of the color, variation of the cloud cover," Dick says. I too am overwhelmed by the intense color and amazing patterns as I shoot near the lighthouse. F4.0 at 1/13, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

I never get bored or tired of photographing the SS Badger coming in or out of the Ludington harbor. Lake Michigan was as calm as I have ever witnessed today and that makes for smooth sailing on the carferry as it crosses to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. F8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Sometimes a photograph I knew at the time felt good, seemed like a home run, somehow, years later, still had not managed to find its way out of my vast storehouse of yet or never to be worked up digital files living only on my computer. I was pleased to discover and resurrect this image while searching through my old digital files for this book project. The photograph feels as good to me now as it did when I was making the shot on February 22, 2008, along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Just after my dad and I finished giving a photo talk to over 30 people at Little Sable Point Lighthouse tonight, the sun broke out below the thick cloud layer and lit up the sky and waters of Lake Michigan like the 4th of July fireworks. It was an impressive light show that lasted for several minutes. F22.0 at 1.0, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

I never get bored or tired of photographing the SS Badger coming in or out of the Ludington harbor. Lake Michigan was as calm as I have ever witnessed today and that makes for smooth sailing on the carferry as it crosses to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. F8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

It is always fun to find new vantage points from which to photograph the Ludington North Breakwater Light. This morning it was the reflection of the lighthouse that caught my eye. I used the dunes as my foreground and searched for a spot where the reflection would tie into the dunes. F9 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

My stepmom Debbie hates frogs and toads. Tonight while we were having a picnic at her and my dad's house, I found this toad and photographed it with my macro lens. I was tempted to take the toad in the house and scare her, but I knew she would probably get me back some day with a big, nasty spider. F10.0 at 1/250, ISO 320, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

The back-roads drive along the Lake Michigan shoreline between Manistee and Onekama is one of my Michigan favorites. At this spot near Onekama motorists can look through the trees and see miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, including the Portage Lake pierheads. F22 at 1/30, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

Once in a blue moon a picture like this comes along. I am on my way home from teaching a photo workshop with Brad and am feeling like I have not yet made an image I want to select as my 365 picture of the day. Then I remember the Blu Moon restaurant and how interesting its one-of-a-kind neon sign looks at night. F2.8 at 1/40, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

You know summer has arrived in northern Michigan when you start seeing sweet pea along the roadsides. I singled out this flower to photograph from amongst hundreds of sweet peas along the shoreline road south of Onekama. I wanted to show how beautiful these flowers are when viewed up close. F9 at 1/8, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm