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Simple and poetic photographs are fun to make, but often hard to pull off. They can become boring pretty easily. The wetlands on the campus of Western Michigan University have a lot of cattails and beautiful grasses surrounding them. Using my largest telephoto lens on a tripod, I slowly panned the camera while looking through the viewfinder until I found a simple composition that felt right. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

Beauty is all around us; we just have to be open to seeing it. After getting frustrated that I could not make a strong image of the campus of Western Michigan University like I had hoped, I turned to go back to my truck and found these flowers 10 feet behind the spot I had been standing for 20 minutes. Anxiety and frustration kill an artist's vision. Relaxing is the key to seeing. F11 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

Finding flowers in bloom on a cold December day is always a treat for an outdoor photographer. With the largest telephoto lens that we own, I made this image on the campus of Western Michigan University. Both of my brothers went to Western for parts of their college education and I grew up going to an annual soccer camp put on by Western's soccer team. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

This Christmas wreath provides the perfect holiday complement for the plaza archway it graces in downtown Kalamazoo. The two tasteful designs fit together perfectly. F11 at 1/60, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Looking like a supersized Walmart greeter, a statuesque Santa Claus waves to passersby in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The Super Santa definitely makes me chuckle as I work to make a portrait of him. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 92mm

My wife's cousins live in Middleville, Michigan, which is about 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. I had never been to the beautiful little farming community so today my dad and I ventured to that part of the state. After driving through downtown we stumbled upon the Middleville United Methodist Church and were captivated by the beautiful stained glass windows we saw from the parking lot. This is a view of the main window that I made from outside the historic church. F9 at 1/80, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

After photographing these incredible stained glass windows from outside of the Middleville United Methodist Church, we were let into the historic church so we could make photographs of the light shining through the windows onto the altar. I used my external flash to light up the Bible and the cross. It would be worth a drive to Middleville just to see these massive windows in person. F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 38mm

For several years I have wanted to make a nighttime shot of downtown Grand Rapids from one of the upper floors of the Bridgewater Place building. The skyscraper sits on the west side of the Grand River and is the perfect vantage point for the photo I had previsualized. It feels great to have finally made this image. F18 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

Grand Rapids is a spectacular city to behold any time but I especially love the view from Bridgewater Place at dusk as rush hour traffic becomes ribbons of light. I had seen the view from the 11th floor office of UBS Financial Services Senior Vice President B. J. Palmore in the daytime so I knew it would be good at night. I got a far better return on my investment of time at UBS than I expected. Thanks, Bill. F10 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The exquisitely decorated Christmas tree outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum drew my attention earlier as I looked down from one of the Grand Rapids skyscrapers in the background. Now, standing in front of the museum, I get to see the tree and its reflection in the museum's mirrored windows and reflecting pond. F25 at 20 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

My good friend, Amy Seng, recently moved from Ludington to take a job in downtown Grand Rapids. Her new office sits across the street from Rosa Parks Circle. Amy suggested that we should photograph the ice skaters and Christmas lights here at nighttime. I wish every town in Michigan had a lighted ice rink in the middle of downtown. I am going to work on making that happen in Ludington! F2.8 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 32mm

I don't have to drive far from my Ludington home to make the first of three photographs I have planned to take on Christmas Day. The Father Marquette Memorial cross on Pere Marquette Lake silently heralds Jesus as the "reason for the season" for Christians around the world. F22 at 6 seconds, ISO 200, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

I have driven by this star of evergreen trees along the US31 freeway near Shelby, Michigan dozens of times during our "Tuesdays" project but there either was not enough snow to make the pattern stand out or the American Flag was not flying. I decided to give the patriotic star maker a new American Flag for Christmas. After placing the flag, I have taken up position high atop a hill on the opposite side of the freeway to wait for an opportune moment. F7.1 at 1/250, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

I enjoy looking at the Norwalk Lutheran Church every time I pass by it on US31 between Manistee and Bear Lake, Michigan. Today a fresh coat of snow on the steeple and roof has decorated the classic country church for Christmas. F9 at 1/400, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 165mm

I have long admired the simple, beautiful style and upkeep of this whitewashed barn near Bear Lake, Michigan. Today the roof of the barn and surrounding trees are whitewashed with snow. I envision the scene as a sketch of winter in the Michigan countryside. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

The branches of two giant spruce trees are so laden with snow on Christmas Day that the trees appear symmetrically interwoven. Of the hundreds of snow-covered evergreens I have to pick from today, this pair near Benzonia, Michigan looks the most uniquely photogenic. F8 at 1/200, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

After spending Christmas morning at home with my mom, wife, and kids, I headed out around 1:00 p.m. to finish shooting the last Tuesday of our year-long project. My first stop was my in-laws' backyard on Lavinia Street in Ludington. Don and Shari feed the birds all year long and I knew several cardinals were frequenting their yard. F4 at 1/640, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

As is true for many other bird species, the female cardinal is much more muted in her coloring. They are harder to spot in the wild compared to the flaming red male cardinals, yet they are equally as beautiful. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

This blue jay certainly thought he was the king of the hill while keeping a close eye on my in-laws' bird feeder. Every time another bird would land on the feeder or the ground below, this blue jay would get very loud and swoop over to scare the other birds away. Blue jays might be bossy, but they sure are pretty. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm