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Welcoming Winter

For weeks I have wanted to make a photograph of seagulls sitting on the dock posts at the Loomis Street Boat Ramp, but every time I got close enough they flew away. Today I took a different approach. I did the "run and gun" and it worked. I manually set my exposure ahead of time and ran as fast as I could up to the docks. F9.0 at 1/1600, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

The forests of Michigan ebb and flow in response to the forces of nature and man. I am increasingly aware of the life cycle of trees and how dead trees can still be attractive, especially with just the right complement of living things around them. I found this dead tree in a tiny lake near Glen Arbor to be strangely beautiful.

Reflecting on Life

Shadow Waves

Betsie River near Crystal Mountain

Waves rush ashore at Point Betsie Light Station on a late winter afternoon. Point Betsie is one of Michigan's most distinctive and beautiful lighthouses.

My son, Brad and I climbed for half an hour to arrive at this dune vantage point on Hamlin Lake. Our family made several summer trips to the dunes and was always rewarded with good pictures and great experiences.

Talk about a traffic stopper. Responding to a tip about some cool looking cows pastured along 72nd Avenue north of Hart, I had no idea they would be this impressive. As I slow to a stop on the side of the road, I attract their attention. I am far more excited and impressed than they are. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Marshall, Michigan appears to me to be one of those small American towns where time stood still in the best way. While Greenfield Village near Detroit recreates the beauty and charm of the American small towns of the past, Marshall is a real town whose residents have made it a community mission to preserve and restore the past look and luster of its downtown as well as its neighborhoods.

When I made this image of Northern Lights on October 24, 2011, I was the lone photographer on the Ludington South Breakwater. In recent years, since the advent of Facebook and cell phone apps to alert photographers to the presence of Aurora Borealis, or the potential for them to appear, I am seldom alone whenever I travel to the Lake Michigan shoreline to attempt to catch a light show.

Sight Seeing

We always tell our workshop students, before we arrive at Point Betsie Lighthouse, that they won’t believe their eyes when they see the tropical color of Lake Michigan water. Once we get on location and start shooting photos at Point Betsie, I love seeing the student’s reaction to the color of the water. Then, we teach them how to capture that color with their cameras. It never gets old.

For the blue heron

To the human eye, it was very dark outside at 6:29 A.M. when I made this photograph of the Pere Marquette River. However, with my digital camera and a 30 second time exposure, I could make it appear much brighter than it actually was. We teach our workshop students that you need to see how your camera sees. F4.5 at 30.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Just this year I discovered the Muskegon State Park. It is beautiful and the few times I have been there shooting photographs for our new book, it has never been busy. As I stood on a small dune with my camera and tripod shooting the sunset, I once again realized how lucky I am to be a full time outdoor photographer in Michigan. My dad and I get to help tell Michigan's story and share it with the world.

Squeezing in for a better view and perhaps looking for a handout, curious calves check out a couple visitors on the other side of their fence line at the Walter Farm north of Marshall. I can drive rural Michigan roads "till the cows come home" searching for views and experiences like this.

With the snow, ice, sunshine, and haze, this aerial photograph of Ludington looks like the old painting of the Ludington harbor that has hung in the local restaurant, The Grand, on Rath Avenue for decades. I have always loved that painting and now I have created my own modern version with a camera.