Search

Gerlach Workshop in Munising

Tulip time! My Grandpa Benson, who lived with our family when my brother and I were young, planted a lot of tulips in our yard with help from my mom. Spotting these brilliant red tulips makes me think of how much my grandpa and my mom enjoyed watching those tulips come up every spring. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

The repetitive pattern in this photograph intrigues me. I like how the sunlight is shining through the petals at different angles, making the tulips look somewhat transparent. I also like the subtle s-curve going through the photograph starting with the first tulip in the lower right corner. F8 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens 34mm

Gull Morning

Rest Stop

Today was my first time at Windmill Island Gardens in Holland, Michigan. The historic village near downtown replicates what life was like in the Netherlands a few hundred years ago. Each year, hundreds of volunteers help plant thousands of tulips in Holland for their annual Tulip Time festival. This year, the tulips have bloomed a month early because of the unseasonably warm weather in March. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 35mm

While photographing geese on a small pond near my home, I suddenly hear the familiar jackhammer sound that can be made by only one living thing: a pileated woodpecker. I swing my 500 mm lens around and there he is atop a power pole. Fortunately for the power company, the woodpecker soon moved on to find a better place to peck. F4.5 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I truly appreciate those Michigan entrepreneurs who make the Michigan countryside more beautiful in the process of luring customers. The Iris Farm on M72 west of Traverse City is a stunning example of such a business. I am delighted to drive a hundred miles to take in this sight.

Holland, Michigan has dozens of different varieties of tulips that bloom every spring throughout the downtown. Today we saw hundreds of thousands of tulips in bloom and this variety, called "Aleppo" was one of my favorites. F8 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Hallelujah Sky

On my daily drive through Stearns Park, I noticed the mix of sunlight and a snow fence creating a graphic shadow on the pavement. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and made this photo. The entire process took less than one minute. I love when everything comes together that quickly. F10.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Seeing Upper Tahquamenon Falls took away what breath I had left on this below-zero January morning in Michigan’s fabulous Upper Peninsula. Winter had already partially frozen the more than 200-foot-wide falls.

A 600-millimeter lens and camera appear to be floating in a sea of tulips. Actually, it is such a gorgeous, warm April afternoon that my son Brad (whose head is barely visible) could not resist catching a catnap between rows of flowers after finishing a shot. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 200, 500mm lens at 500mm

Hallelujah Sky - panoramic

We are driving to Calvin College in Grand Rapids to see an exhibit of famous National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry's work and hopefully to hear him speak. Heading south on Pere Marquette Highway I sight my first dandelions of the year in an apple orchard. This one looks perfect; it brightens my day. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Horses, horse ranches, and equestrian clubs appear left and right as Brad and I travel one of the country lanes through the rolling hills of Metamora horse country. This is definitely some of the most beautiful Michigan countryside we have seen. During a lunch break in Metamora, we are told there are more horses in Metamora Township than there are people.

Shooting at ground level is one of Brad's favorite techniques for getting close to his subjects. Using a big lens to magnify his subject and make it become the only thing sharply focused is another of his favorite techniques for photographing small objects like these tulips in Holland. F5.6 at 1/640, ISO 200, 500mm lens at 500mm

Earlier today I got to meet one of my greatest idols in the photography world, Mr. Steve McCurry. Steve came to speak at Calvin College for the Festival of Faith & Writing and we went down to meet him. After one of his talks, Steve noticed a tattoo of one of his famous photographs on the leg of our friend, Shelby Dusseau, and he photographed it. F2.8 at 1/100, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Winter had transformed Munising Falls from a rushing torrent of water to a motionless ice sculpture. The quietness on this windless January morning put me at peace and added to my enjoyment of one of my favorite Michigan waterfalls