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I have played many different sports throughout my life and I believe swimming is the most demanding sport I have experienced. Swimming a few hundred meters in a pool is a ton of work. Now imagine swimming 50 miles in Lake Michigan without touching a boat or the bottom the entire time! My cousins, Jeff and Sara Tow, are going to attempt that amazing feat in August. F4.5 at 1/1600, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 17mm

It is a blue morning along Lake Michigan and I am a blue person. By that I mean I love the color blue; don't ask me why, but I always have. Some might say I wear blue clothing way too often. They probably don't notice as much my penchant for blue pictures. Now they know. F4.0 at 1/320, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

About the size and weight of a ping pong ball, a newborn piping plover scurries along the Lake Michigan shoreline on its spindly legs. Naturalists helped the rare bird get its life started by erecting a protective cage over the nest its parents made on a highly trafficked area of West Michigan beach. F4.5 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

While Betsy and I were chatting with some of our new neighbors in our side yard, I noticed a tree full of fungus. I excused myself from the conversation to make this photograph before the light changed. F22.0 at 15.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 46 mm

With or without all the "bling" it is wearing, an adult piping plover is simply a beautiful creature. The bands help researchers keep track of the endangered bird, enabling them to know exactly which bird this is no matter where it travels. This plover and its mate are among less than 60 mating pairs currently identified along the Great Lakes. F4.5 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

I love watching thunderstorms sweep toward my home from across Lake Michigan. I have seen a lot bigger storms and bigger lightning bolts, but I still find the bolts of this storm exciting and alluring. Why is it that so many of us are drawn to storms? F5.6 at 30.0, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Daisies are one flower that always seems to make everyone smile. My aunt, Sheryl Reed, has several beautiful gardens at her home, but this daisy garden is by far my favorite. F7.1 at 1/320, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Tonight was our last 20/20 Vision Workshop of the summer. The light was not very good so we all had to look harder and deeper for our photographs. The waves in the channel were a little bigger than usual and were making some interesting pattern images along the shore. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Just recently I was loaned a 10-17millimeter fisheye lens and I am loving it. Of course the lens distorts the natural world, but we teach our workshop students that distortion is not always a bad thing. In fact, done well, it can really make a scene go from good to great. F3.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

I live for days like this when Lake Michigan displays its awesome power and beauty. The feeling of 40-knot wind gusts in my face, sound of waves rushing and sight of water flying over the Ludington lighthouse overwhelm my senses. Before making this shot, I warned several swimmers about a recent drowning in the same location.

One of my fellow CrossFit friends, Patrick Mousel, was out for a sunset run along the Lake Michigan shoreline at the Ludington State Park tonight. As he quickly approached, I got into position and made this "Pure Ludington" image. F22 at 0.4, ISO 100, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Just recently, we had a first time visitor to our gallery telling us that she had never been to Michigan before. She went on to tell us that the night before was her first time experiencing a sunset over Lake Michigan and that when she saw with her own eyes that the beach and sand really do turn neon pink during sunset, she started to cry. I was thinking of her when I made this image a few days later. F4.5 at 1/40, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Magic light graced my wife Debbie's birthday party at our family cabin along the Pere Marquette River. My brother Budde and I planted these red pine trees 10 years ago. Now they have become a beautiful presence on our land. Tonight they complement the sky. F4.5 at 1/400, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

I never tire of the adrenaline rush I get when I see a great sunset forming, especially when I am not in position to shoot it yet. When I first realized that I needed to get to the shoreline of Lake Michigan tonight to shoot the sunset, I was standing on the tarmac at the Mason County Airport. I knew I only had about 15 minutes to get into position. I rushed off to the second curve at Ludington State Park and this was my reward. F13 at 1/15, ISO 100, 10-17mm lens at 16mm

Our 365 Project would not be possible if it were not for our general manager at the gallery, Sarah Genson. Today she came to visit us at our family cabin on the Pere Marquette River. If you look closely you can see her yellow sweater against the red siding. F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

People willing to walk a mile for a sunset get the best front row seats possible for watching another Lake Michigan light show. With every sunset episode being different, many of us never tire of heading to the Lake Michigan waterfront to watch the sun dip into the lake or the clouds. F4 at 1/320, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

Family times around a bonfire are one of the best Michigan summertime traditions. Residents of Crosswinds at Ludington relax around the fire after taking in a Lake Michigan sunset. F4 at 1/30, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

I am not a big fan of scary movies, but it occurs to me as the moon rises past an ominous-looking cloud that this would be a perfect shot of the moon to use in a horror show. F4 at 1/160, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

Displaying their pride in Indian traditions and in being Americans and Michiganders, Indians take part in the Native American Pow Wow at the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan. The public pow wow was presented by the local Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. F8 at 1/500, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

While taking a shower tonight, I noticed tiny water droplets on our new shower curtain. About an hour later, I came back with my camera and tripod and looked for some cool patterns and then made this photograph. F9.0 at 5.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 44 mm