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This is the first good photograph of a Petoskey stone I have ever made in the Ludington area. This was in front of my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, which is just north of Stearns Beach. I lay on my stomach in a puddle to make this image. I wanted the clouds and sky reflected in the thin layer of water that was on the sand.

It is beginning to look at lot like Christmas at the Polcin farm. This scene looked like Christmas in the country when I chose to photograph it earlier today. But now I am back because the sun came out and I knew I could make a cheerier Christmas picture. F22.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

The golden light of the setting sun is showcasing the zigzag pattern Porter Creek is taking this evening. I love the way this outlet changes shape and course as the water finds the path of least resistance to Lake Michigan. It is one of countless magical natural places in the Nordhouse Dunes Federal Wilderness. F8 at 1/640, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

I kept an eye out for a Christmas scene on my drive to Manistee, Michigan tonight. I passed by this nativity scene, and thought with the right exposure and angle, I could hide the house from the background, and it could make a very emotional image. I stopped on my way back home and worked the scene until I achieved that goal.

Enjoying the End of Summer

Snowflakes have been flying in downtown Ludington and it is beautiful. In a couple weeks there will hopefully be over 10,000 people near this spot at the clock tower to witness the largest New Year's Eve ball drop in Michigan. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Calm and beautiful is the best way to describe the Pere Marquette River Flats. My favorite time of the day on the river is sunrise. This morning, the sunrise is gold and blue. This is heaven on earth to me. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Ron and Donna Sanders are Betsy and Sean’s next-door neighbors on Riverview Drive in Ludington. After having dinner with Betsy, Sean, and the kids, I was getting ready to drive home when I noticed this family of snowmen in Ron and Donna’s front yard. With my tripod, I was able to capture this festive image.

For years I have loved this simple yet unique wooden fence along North Lakeshore Drive at the Warrick property in Ludington. Today, with snow adding its own patterns, I find the fence especially interesting. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

It has been a while since I had my toes in the water. That didn’t quite happen tonight either, but I did have my boots in the water! With no snow, it doesn’t feel very much like winter here, more like a long fall.

Today feels like a Colorado day to me: cold and crisp, tons of sunshine, a brilliant blue sky, and white puffy clouds. Days like these make me want to sharpen my downhill skis and hit the slopes. F8.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The high winds coming off Lake Michigan this afternoon mixed with the bright sunshine made the green dune grass dance. It looked like giant green waves of water flowing back and forth. My job was to wait until the clouds in the background mimicked the trees. After an enjoyable five minute wait, the clouds were just where I wanted them to be. F11 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

My dad and I used to photograph the black and white “Oreo Cookie Cows” in this field on South Lakeshore Drive near the hydro-electric plant. Now the family that owns this farm has beautiful brown and white cows. The huge old maple trees have always made this farm extra beautiful as well.

I knew steam would be rising from icy Lake Michigan when the sun came up on this 10-degree morning. I got out early to photograph Ludington harbor from near the Ludington South Breakwater Light. I am pleasantly surprised to see this outbound tug and barge come into view to complete my picture. F4.5 at 1/320, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

Life is good in Ludington. Bring your family and friends here year round and you will find some of the most beautiful lakeshore in the entire country. On this mid-September day, I had the entire Ludington State Park to myself. Priceless! F11 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 35mm

We tend to shoot water ripples that are vibrant with color or cloud reflections. This photograph leans towards a darker feel, but I liked the patterns in the water.

Little did I know that as I was photographing this tree during an extraordinary sunset at my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, Rachel was also photographing trees miles away at her family’s farm.

Spray from waves pouring over Ludington North Breakwater turned a bush near shore into an ice sculpture earlier in the week. Today, finally, sunshine has shown up to complete the picture I had discovered. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 16 mm

While I was making a sunrise photograph this morning along the Pere Marquette River, my uncle, Rod Marble, called to tell me he was looking at the largest double rainbow he had ever seen. I stood up, turned around, and almost fainted. I instantly knew where I needed to head. My destination was Cherry Hill Farm on Conrad Road. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm