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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

It is the first day of my wife Debbie's vacation from nursing school and also my birthday. As we drive north to see what we can see and just get away together, these lambs playing on a farm along US 31 near Charlevoix cause us to make a U-turn for a closer look. What a nice present! F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

On our way to make photographs of the "Calder" in downtown Grand Rapids today, I noticed the awesome reflections in the windows of this building. Each pane of glass was making its own unique version of window art. F13 at 1/80, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Standing above the clouds at the peak of the Haleakala Crater on the island of Maui this afternoon was awesome. The crater has changed shape greatly over the last hundred thousand years, but I am certain it has always been breathtaking. F14.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Tonight is the first time I have ever seen the Muskegon Lighthouse. I have played hundreds of soccer games in the Muskegon area since I was probably eight years old and my dad operated Coast Guard boats at most ports between Holland and Charlevoix. It is shocking to me that I have never seen the beautiful lighthouse at the entrance to Muskegon's harbor. F22 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

March often comes in like a lion, but during the month Michiganders can almost be assured that the sticky snow which comes with warmer temperatures will create some fairy tale worlds on Michigan country roads.

My parents have several birdhouses around their yard. I particularly love this one. This bird was busy making a nest, and it took a while to capture a sharp photograph of it, but my stubbornness won out.

Holy cow! This must be Michigan. I can't believe my eyes as my wife and I drive inland from Petoskey to find the source of all that snow we have been seeing on some cars. Soon we are in the midst of the biggest, wettest snowflakes I have ever seen. I spot this red barn high atop a hill. It is a better background than I could have dreamed for. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Tonight I took Betsy to dinner at I'O Restaurant in Lahaina. The restaurant is right on the ocean and the food is locally grown or caught. I took this photo from our dinner table. Now I know why this is one of the highest-rated restaurants in all of Hawaii! F3.2 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The western skies over Lake Michigan started glowing different shades of pink and yellow as the setting sun said goodbye to us tonight in Muskegon. The Muskegon waterfront was aglow and so were my spirits. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm