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The tugboat John Henry circles the Badger to help the 410-foot carferry battle its way out of Ludington harbor against wind-driven ice packed tight from surface to lake bottom. This dramatic scene unfolded in front of my camera during the winter of 1989 as the big ship was battling the ice to ferry another load of railroad cars from Ludington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. I climbed a high stone pile near the edge of icy Ludington harbor to get a better view. It was freezing cold, but I didn’t notice. As a photojournalist and artist, I lived for the opportunity to make images that I considered good news shots and good art. I was more than willing to pay a price and wait for a peak moment to capture. I still consider this one of the best maritime images I have ever made.

A hand-crafted wooden dinghy drifted lazily upon the still waters of Pentwater Lake on a summer evening. Its tending line kept the little craft from drifting too far away from a classic wooden sailboat.

In the last few years Ludington has had several different tall ships visit our port. As the Peacemaker rounded the Ludington North Breakwater Light and headed for the dock in Ludington, I was certain she was the most beautiful tall ship to visit this busy port. I was so impressed she came through the channel with all of her sails up.

PM 41 Barge

Ludington State Park Workshop

Tahquamenon Falls and White Fish Point

The original Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinaw busts a path into Ludington harbor for the carferry City of Midland on February 18, 1977, after the Midland became mired in ice just outside the harbor entrance during one of the coldest winters in decades. I scrambled over huge ice mounds in making my way all the way out the breakwater to the Ludington lighthouse to have a close-up vantage from which to make this image. The Mackinaw helped keep Great Lakes shipping lanes open for 62 years before being decommissioned in 2006 when the replacement Mackinaw went into service.

Calm, windless nights on Lake Michigan may not make for great sailing, but they sure do make for sensational photographs.

Stopped temporarily in its track by ice pushed by westerly winds across Lake Michigan into Ludington Harbor, the carferry Badger was framed by an ice-coated railing along the Ludington harbor channel. This scene and the “Red Tug” scene unfolded during the 1980s when the sturdy ship still carried railroad cars and operated year-around. This image still stands as my favorite carferry photograph from among the thousands I have taken.

I am following the Great Lakes freighter Saginaw into Ludington harbor, simultaneously concentrating on steering my 13-foot Boston Whaler and photographing the classic ship.

A rowboat rests at its dock on Bass Lake near Pentwater, Michigan. The peacefulness and timelessness of the scene captured my eye on an early morning photo hunt. I am quite sure I photographed the same little boat at its dock a couple years ago but today the direction and angle of the light is far better. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

As a retired Coast Guard boatswain's mate, I am very impressed by the squared-away, ready-for-operations condition of this restored 26-foot motor surfboat at Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven. If only the small but sturdy rescue boat could talk. I cannot imagine the stories it could tell of search and rescue missions on Lake Michigan out of Pentwater during the early 1900s. The wooden vessel's four-cylinder engine propelled it at eight to eight and a half knots. Tin sheathing helped protect it. F22 at 1/5, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 20mm

May Workshop at LSP

The Great Lakes freighter Algorail appeared about to strike the Ludington North Breakwall during an autumn Northwester, but its veteran captain used the powerful north wind and waves on her stern to his advantage. Moments after I recorded this scene, the ship’s bow reached the pierheads, the wheelsman wheeled the ship hard to port, and she advanced ahead while her stern transferred swiftly to the south. The big ship was guided into the harbor as though she were on a curved roller coaster track. It was a masterful piece of sailing.

On the Western shores of Bass Lake, near Pentwater, three large tree-covered hills grace the horizon. I have heard many names for these hills, but the local favorite is The Three Sisters.

The Hollyhock, a 225-foot Coast Guard buoy tender, made a surprise visit to Ludington Harbor this week. Tonight, we loaded our family into my dad's little Boston Whaler in order to get a closer look at the beautiful Coast Guard ship. Once we got close, we noticed that the Hollyhock was reflected on the surface of the water. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The Great Lakes freighter Calumet sits in Manistee harbor, protected from high waves left over from a Lake Michigan storm. Meanwhile seagulls flock to the open water around the ship to forage for fish.

While standing on the deck at my dad and Debbie’s Harbor Terrace Condo, I made this image of the Badger coming down the channel into Ludington. It was so foggy that we couldn’t see the 410-foot ship until she was about to start her famous docking spin maneuver.

Bass Lake mirrors its famous landmarks, the Three Sisters hills that separate this lake from Lake Michigan north of Pentwater. A pontoon boat lies motionless at its offshore mooring.