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Ludington North Pier Light

Scouting Mission

Cotton Candy - Panoramic

Just as I was getting ready to photograph this pair of swans, they both decided to feed at the same exact time. Luckily the camera was ready to capture this funny moment.

A local farm field is often a popular spot for Bald Eagles. The snowflakes on this particular day were thick and heavy. Several eagles were flying around, but this one sitting in the tree struck me. Even with all the snow, the white head and tail stood out beautifully.

Big Sable in April Light - Black and white

Batten down the hatches! Storm clouds tumbling mixer-style steamroll threateningly ashore along the Lake Michigan shoreline on a June afternoon. This scene and the "Hot Pink" scene are among the hundreds of spectacular big sky views I have witnessed from my home near the Lake Michigan shoreline south of Ludington. They reflect the similar amazing scenes that unfold frequently all along the shores of Lake Michigan.

The bold paint job on Big Point Sable Light distinguishes it from other lighthouses along the Lake Michigan coast by day. By night its "fixed white light" shines continuously to enable mariners to distinguish it from other lighthouses in the region whose lights flash at various intervals.

My wife and I watched from a high dune vantage point. We waited, for over two hours, for the sunlight to come into line with the water that was winding its way to Lake Michigan from the Bass Lake Outlet. I liked the resulting picture but looked forward to photographing that S-curve with a sky filled with storm clouds. I returned on such a day only to find winds and waves had swept away the S-curve and left a straighter stream behind.

After spotting and making an image of a dozen yellow iris flowers blooming in a marshy area on the Island Trail, I followed one of our main teaching concepts and moved "twice as close" and "twice as close again" and began looking for a stronger, simpler image that would reveal the true beauty and detail of the yellow iris. I liked this image better than the first shot, which failed to make the final edit of my images to be considered for this book.

My great-grandma, Martha Delite Benson, was originally a Shoup and was born and raised near the farm where I took this photograph. It is still in the Shoup family. I love how life on this farm, and many other farms in Mason County, seems to move at a slower, more peaceful pace. F8.0 at 1/400, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

In the last couple years, I have started noticing rocks shaped like hearts on Michigan beaches. Tonight, I am photographing this one in front of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse on Lake Superior. A workshop student once asked me how I find so many heart-shaped rocks. I thought about it for a while and decided that somehow they must find me.

My dad and I showed up at Crystal Mountain hoping to make our first ski runs of the season only to find out they were closed for three days to make snow. We decided to explore the mountain on foot with our cameras instead. I loved the howl of the wind and the blowing snow in my face. I have not had that much fun with a camera in a really long time.

This seagull has to be in its glory, bathing in sunshine and near 50-degree temperatures as it soars along the Lake Michigan shoreline on one of the warmest January 31sts in Ludington's history. The sun is lifting my spirits too.

After nearly 14 hours of driving, boating, and photographing, I decide I have earned my favorite Northern Michigan dinner, planked whitefish. Miraculously, I somehow get an outdoor table at Stafford's Pier House, 10 feet from the water and right in front of one of the most beautiful classic yachts I have ever seen. Fantastic summer evening, fantastic meal, and world-class Michigan view. It doesn't get any better than this. F4.5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Spotted Redone

Ion Blasts Ludington

Taken at Gerlach Workshop in Munising

The Start of a Legend

Tahquamenon Falls River Reflection