Search

With antlers like these, this massive bull elk is unlikely to find challengers. His appearance leaves no doubt he is the dominant elk of the herd at Amber Elk Ranch between Scottville and Ludington. Visitors to the ranch go on wagon rides during which they can literally touch elk. Michigan boasts dozens of game ranches and domestic animal petting farms.

Ansel Adams believed in having at least one small area in each of his prints that was pure white or without tone and at least one small area of pure black. I love the range of tones in this image of the sandstone shoreline near Munising, Michigan. F9 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Ludington North Pier Light

Fall in Mason County

Our new 600 mm telephoto lens has been fun to experiment with. Large telephoto lenses have a very shallow depth of focus and only show a narrow degree of the horizon. This allows the photographer to isolate specific parts of a scene. In this photo, the big lens allowed me to capture the seagull as it flew over the prettiest section of the light show. F5.6 at 1/1250, ISO 500, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

So many of Michigan's beach trees are dying because of disease. This giant one just off Nurnberg Road in the Manistee National Forest may not have many years left, but today it looks like the king of the forest.

After checking out and photographing a beautiful winter view from one side of a bridge over the Platte River south of Honor, I shift to the opposite side and am greeted by this even more splendid view of one of Michigan's most beautiful streams.

The shoreline near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior is diverse and varied in height, textures, and color. As I was walking along the shoreline the little rock that was trapped in this s-shaped cavern caught my eye. With the bright mid-day sunlight and the range of tones from very dark to bright, I knew this photo would look best in black and white. F9 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 38mm

Grandiose

I have loved this barn in Hart since the days I first saw it as a young boy riding along with my dad on his truck as he delivered Budweiser, Drewrys and Pfeiffer's beer to the nearby Walker's tavern. Today the barn looks picture perfect. F16.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

Summer has not yet come to Silver Lake Sand Dunes but the world-class views have never left. This evening I am appreciating, by my lucky self, a dunetop view of untracked rows of wind-driven sand stretching toward Lake Michigan. I feel this is one of the best views in Michigan and the world.

The 80-degree weather today along the shoreline of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior was good for my soul. With the low angle of the March sun, I was able to capture all the shadows of each beautiful rock and the majestic looking piece of driftwood. The shadows and the warm quality of light are my favorite parts of this photograph. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

Bass Lake Splendor

365 Week 12

October 25 2013

Hamlin Exploration

Mild Winter

I have been forcing myself to get better at using an external flash unit with my camera. The ultimate goal for most landscape photographers that use flash is to create art that looks and feels naturally lit. This photo is not perfect in terms of the flash, but I am getting better and growing as an artist. F9.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

My son Brad is in position to photograph dawn's early light on Isle Royale. We are on the 45-mile-long main island of the Isle Royale archipelago. Another action-packed day of exploring and photographing Michigan's only National Park lies ahead of us. The large waves we encountered a day ago on our ship voyage from Houghton to Isle Royale have now disappeared. Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world, has turned into a mirror overnight.

Growing up we had a beautiful yellow Labrador Retriever named Sundance. She loved to spend time along the shores of Lake Michigan. Like many labs, she had an amazing ability to retrieve sticks. Sundance however, had a unique ability to retrieve rocks thrown into Lake Michigan. Somehow she could find the exact rock you had thrown on the lake bottom. These rocks on Lake Superior reminded me of Sundance and made me miss her. F8 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm