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What a day to be a turtle. The sun is shining and a downed tree provides a perfect sunbathing spot on the Sable River at Ludington State Park. F6.3 at 1/100, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

What a great evening to be a seagull. As I make this picture, I think of all the times I have watched seagulls enduring the worst fall windstorms and winter blizzards. I am certain they are finding this second day of summer more enjoyable. F4.5 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

One of the timeless pastimes of hiking the Lake Michigan shorelines is trying to skip rocks across the surface of the water. I enjoy seeing people taking part in the simple, pleasurable Michigan outdoor pastimes of life. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 155mm

As I was opening the door to a Port-a-Jon in Cartier Park, I saw three baby raccoons near me. I decided I could hold it a while longer and ran back to my truck to get my biggest lens and tripod. I found the babies snuggled together on a tree branch, but my lens was so large, I could not fit all three raccoons in the frame, so I picked the cutest two. F4.0 at 1/80, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens at 600 mm

The outlet to Lake Michigan at Summit Park between Ludington and Pentwater turns to gold before my eyes. I have made the composition I want of the rippling water flowing; all that I need now is for the light to line up with the composition. Jackpot! F22 at 1/6400, ISO 100, 200mm lens at 200mm

This wild tiger lily is one of dozens of these colorful roadside attractions lining Meyers Road between Ludington and Scottville. It is a bit breezy so I will have to shoot at a fast shutter speed and bump up the ISO to make a sharp image, but I like the way the picture looks in the viewfinder. F3.2 at 1/250, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

The wild colors, textures, and shapes on this massive stump caught my eye as I was exploring the small creek at Summit Park this evening. Luckily for me, we had magic golden light that made the colors, textures, and shapes hyper-defined. F22 at 0.8, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

The creek at Summit Park tonight was rippling with light and water. I got in the creek and put my camera and tripod close to a few of the more defined ripples and waited for the sunlight make the correct angle with the water. I love how the water acts like a magnifying glass and accentuates the creek bottom. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

I round the bend of the Ludington North Breakwater with a photography workshop student and am surprised to see a bride and groom strolling toward me. With no time to get the camera on the tripod, I draw on skills honed in my newspaper days and quickly compose a hand-held shot of the newlyweds, Ashli and Jon Solitro. F5.0 at 1/200, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

I spent over 10 minutes standing above the creek at Summit Park tonight just studying the shapes and contrast in the sand and creek bottom. My eye kept coming back to the two swirls that were separated by a dark rock. Once the sun was low enough in the sky, I quickly moved in for my shot. I suggest to shoot less, see more, and know exactly what is exciting you before you pull the trigger on your camera. F5 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Just after photographing the Badger leaving the pier heads, I noticed a beautiful bride and groom walking around the top of the Ludington North Breakwater Light. Luckily for me, Ashli and Jon Solitro were eager to be models for my photo of the day. Oftentimes, found moments like this make the best photographs. F8.0 at 1/400, ISO 400, 70-200 mm lens at 190 mm

Summit Park south of Ludington is one of my favorite West Michigan places to rock hunt along the Lake Michigan shoreline. After enjoying a fabulous fish dinner at the famous Bortell's Fisheries just across the road on South Lakeshore Drive, I find some rock treasure on the park beach. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

After taking some shots of Brad and a student of ours photographing a mature bald eagle at Ludington State Park, I switch to my big lens just in time to watch the eagle take off after an immature eagle swooped down at it. The mature bird flies over my head so close that I have to shoot without looking through the viewfinder to track with it. Awesome! F4.0 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

This is the fourth photo of the evening that I have gotten at the creek at Summit Park. For over an hour, I lay in the creek exploring the rocks, stumps, and creek bottom for different patterns and compositions. The entire creek is less than 30 yards long before it makes its way into Lake Michigan. By lying in the creek and putting my camera a few inches above the water, I was able to eliminate size perspective and sense of scale in this photograph. F22 at 1/10, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Today we had a customer who wanted to take a private lesson with us and wanted to go shooting out in the field. The weather was great so we decided to take Billy York to Ludington State Park to try photographing the bald eagles. We succeeded on our first attempt. We had a blast and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. F5.6 at 1/320, ISO 100, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

By now you have probably read or heard my dad and me say several times that we believe good photography is all about feeling. We work hard at building our compositions so that the viewers of our work feel like they are really experiencing the scene and not just looking at a two-dimensional photograph. By getting close to our subject, we build in a sense of immediacy and that helps viewers become more emotionally involved with our photographs. F22 at 1/4, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The Lister family is always so gracious to Brad and me when we ask to photograph their farmland. Based upon their recommendation, I headed to Blundell Road this evening to photograph tart cherries. Wow do these cherries look great to me in the viewfinder. I could almost eat the picture! F3.2 at 1/25, ISO 200, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

The beach near my Crosswinds home in Ludington often provides me a quiet, peaceful retreat from the often fast pace of life. Tonight I will make this picture and then savor the view for another half-hour while waiting for the moon to descend toward the lighthouse. F11 at 10 seconds, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 105mm

I have always been drawn to abstract art and have been inspired to try becoming more abstract with my own photography. This photograph is of Lake Michigan at sunset. I zoomed my lens while exposing. F22.0 at 1/13, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 80 mm