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This chipping sparrow came to say hello to my dad and me today and it sang us the most beautiful little song. The warm sunshine made all three of us feel joyous and in the mood to sing. Unfortunately, nobody wants to ever listen to my dad and me sing. F7.1 at 1/3200, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm

Until tonight, I had never seen purple sand at the Ludington State Park. Not far south of the first curve at the park, I was walking the shoreline when I spotted purple, magenta, and black sand all mixed together. When I went in for a closer look, I found this heart shaped rock sitting in the uniquely colored sand.

Today was our first full day on the island of Maui. We took our rented Mustang convertible for a nice drive to the Iao Valley State Park. The peak on the left hand side of this photograph is the Iao Needle. The famous Hawaiian landmark is covered by dense rain forest and measures 2,250 feet above sea level. F7.1 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

The natural and manmade beauty of downtown Grand Rapids is reflected in the mirrored windows of the Gerald R. Ford Museum. I think Grand Rapids boasts one of the most beautiful downtowns anywhere. Walking through the downtown is, for me, always a visual treat. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

Some clouds just feel good. These popcorn clouds make my day brighter than anything else I have seen to photograph today. Brad and I say: "Clouds are your friends." Some are friendlier than others. F3.5 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

This might be my favorite photograph so far of the entire Tuesdays Project. Flies in general kind of freak me out and they are gross, but when this one landed on the giant glass window of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids today, I was glad that my wide-angle lens is also a macro lens. The macro lens allowed me to show all the detail of the fly and its shadow. F11 at 1/125, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

Betsy and I went snorkeling today for the first time at Kapalua Beach on the upper west edge of Maui. Kapalua Beach is often rated as one of the best beaches in the world. This is also the place where I lost my wedding ring while snorkeling, so a piece of me will always be in the coral reef off this beach! F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The newer portion of the beautiful Amway Grand Plaza Hotel was casting a cool shadow on the Grand River today and Sarah Genson and I spotted it at the same exact time. We fought over who actually discovered it first. Honestly, she probably saw the photo opportunity a second before me, but I pulled the trigger first. I never had a sister until she came to work for us and now we have our own unique version of sibling rivalry. F14 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 23mm

This huge tree in my Aunt Mary’s yard is always so stunning. The green buds were alive with magic light today.

Hiking with my West Shore Community College advanced photography students, I spot trilliums in the woodland along the Pere Marquette River. Trilliums are simple in color and design, yet their simplicity is what makes them beautiful. F10.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Always looking for a unique angle or perspective for my art, I hung over the edge of the waterfall at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum fountain. I used my external flash to illuminate the underside of the waterfall and the cement wall. The bright blue sky added a lot of pop to this image by making colorful streaks in the waterfall as I aimed my camera upwards at a 45-degree angle to create this image. F22 at 1/250, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Today we took the winding road trip to Hana. Along the way we stopped at the Honokalani Black Sand Beach. The incredible beach is made up of varying sizes of black rock. I saw a large wave deposit the red plant or piece of coral onto the black rocks and had a split second before the next wave came and took the spot of color back to sea. F5.0 at 1/125, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The delicate, curved, repetitive patterns of newly formed spring leaves contrast and complement the bold, linear patterns of a downtown Grand Rapids modern skyscraper a couple blocks away. I choose to shoot with a telephoto lens to draw the two subjects together and crop out unwanted distractions. F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 100mm

The pond at Bespop’s is filled with wildlife. Growing up we would take the rowboat out for rides quite often, making sure to bang the upside-down boat first to scare away the snakes! Today, I didn’t see any snakes, thankfully, but I did find these turtles sunning themselves.

No lifeguards are on duty; the ice-cold water is still keeping all but the hardiest swimmers away. On this evening the shapes of the lifeguard tower on the Ludington beach look interesting to me empty, framed against sand, lake and sky. F8.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm

I love how the light and shadow is playing today on the La Grand Vitesse sculpture and the Calder Plaza. I am especially impressed with how beautifully Alexander Calder's famous red sculpture stands out amongst and yet complements the neighboring buildings in downtown Grand Rapids. F9 at 1/125, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 22mm

About two hours before shooting this photo I heard that one of my greatest role models died unexpectedly back home in Ludington. Tex Smith was my childhood soccer coach, he was the father of my best friend and college roommate Chris Smith, and he was our business consultant for our photography business. Most of all Tex was my friend. F14.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

La Grande Vitesse, created by Alexander Calder for the City of Grand Rapids in the 1960s, has become the iconic symbol of this West Michigan city. Today is my first time photographing the 42-ton stabile. I love making art out of other people's art. F11 at 1/320, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 46mm