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For many of the months my dad and I were shooting at Ludington State Park for this book, my older brother Tad was busy fighting the war in Iraq. The park became a safe haven for my dad and me, a place to clear our heads and our hearts. The park allowed us to somehow feel closer to Tad. This tree on the north edge of the Ridge Trail became a special place for me and I named the spot "Tad's Tree."

My stepmom's mother, Marjorie Brye Vyse, attended this old school house in her youth. The school sits vacant today on the corner of Hawley Road and Old US 31. I find it fascinating how Mother Earth is slowly reclaiming this building. F8.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The Hartwick Pines State Park is one of Michigan's best-kept secrets. Located near Grayling, the park is full of pine trees that are several hundred years old. The park also has a log cabin style chapel that is open year round. With no electricity or heat, the chapel is often fairly dark inside and also cold in the winter. With my camera on a tripod, I overexposed this image to blow out the highlights so the cross would appear to be glowing. I also used my external flash to light up the Nature's Prayer below the cross.

I had already seen a dramatic storm front image Brad made less than two weeks earlier at Duck Lake Outlet. Not a person was in sight when Brad took that picture. Here I am on an August afternoon less than two weeks later with the opportunity to show an entirely different Michigan mood at the same popular spot. Today the outlet is packed with swimmers and sunbathers.

Butterflies have fascinated my six-year-old daughter Julia since she was about a year old. She often tells my wife, Betsy, and me that if she only had one wish in life it would be to grow a pair of butterfly wings and be able to fly. When I spotted this butterfly shape on some tree bark, I immediately thought of Julia.

Fast Sunrise

A Hidden Treasure

The Ludington North Breakwater Light looked wonderful this morning! I made a pit stop before heading to work to capture the ice, clouds, and magic light.

 

A mother watches over her newborn calf. Conrad Road, between Ludington and Scottville, is an area rich with pastoral scenes.

My son Tad and I have teamed up to scramble across some rocks with my camera gear to get up close and personal with this waterfall at Flat Rock Park in Columbus, Georgia. The light is quickly fading but my trusty tripod enables us to make a sharp time exposure that captures the beauty and speed of the falling water. F8.0 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

Did you know Michigan has a jungle within its borders? This frozen jungle is located on a window of the logging museum in the Hartwick Pines State Park. My daughter Julia came up with the name for this image of the frosty window.

Last week my daughter Julia and I discovered a new road we had not ever driven on. We took Scenic Drive from Whitehall all the way to the Muskegon State Park. Along the way we passed over the Duck Lake Outlet. The light was not good that night, but I knew that I would be back to that spot soon when the conditions were better. Last night I left Ludington about 5:15pm and drove back down to the Duck Lake Outlet. I had no cell signal, but I could see a shelf cloud coming toward me over Lake Michigan. Just before 8pm the storm was on top of me and it started to pour. This was my last shot of the night, and then I ran for cover.

An outdoor photographer is dwarfed by the large Northern Michigan bog he is exploring on a winter morning. The bog lies along US131 north of Manton, Michigan.

Father and Son Time

Grand Traverse Light

Almost Summer

My dad found this photograph for me. He called and said he had the perfect shot for our 366 Project, we just needed magic light. I drove straight to his location on M-116 inside of the Ludington State Park. Just as I was grabbing my tripod and camera, the sunlight broke through the clouds. Thanks for the tip, Dad!