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Lisa Cooper called and informed me that she and Paul had some baby barred owls in their backyard near the Lincoln River in Victory Township. It took me several minutes to spot this baby, even though Paul and Lisa were pointing right at it. The little owl blended in perfectly to its surroundings.

It is good to be home. Maui was beautiful, but I still don't think the beaches there hold a candle to our beaches in West Michigan. Our flowers are just as beautiful too. I realized that I take our natural beauty for granted. This tulip in my front yard helps remind me of how blessed I am to live in Ludington. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I lay on my stomach, trying to get the composition I was searching for. Tulips are one of my favorite spring flowers. The lady who owned our home prior to us, planted many around the yard. I love watching them bloom.

Lilacs send me back in time to the backyards of my grandparents and parents. I wanted to make this picture look like a nostalgic dream of times past so I placed the camera on a tripod and zoomed the lens during the exposure. F20.0 at 1.6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

This is the first spring in my new house and yard. Every few days it is a new surprise what kind of plants and flowers will bloom. Today these beautiful little flowers appeared at the base of one of the huge oak trees next to my house.

I wanted to try something new with my camera so I went down in my basement late at night and turned off all the lights. With the camera on a tripod, I took a 30-second exposure and then turned on a flashlight that had two red lights on it. I slowly moved the flashlight around as the camera exposed. After several attempts, this was my favorite. F11.0 at 30.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

After being up most of the night with my son, Brad, photographing Northern Lights and editing the images, I grabbed a peaceful catnap at our family cabin along the Pere Marquette River. Now I am ready for a little exploring. Light dances on the Pere Marquette River as leaves shimmer in the light of a beautiful spring afternoon. The water is high and running fast today. I take up position to make this image and then linger to drink in the scene for a while longer before moving on to see what else I can find along the river. F3.5 at 1/800, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

The red blossoms on this tree stood out among the blue, cloudy sky and really brightened my day.

I start out shooting the young spring leaves on this birch tree along Lincoln Lake but then I notice the patterns on the bark of the tree. I am drawn to the bold, dynamic shapes. F20.0 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

I cannot hike the river bottom on our land without visiting the "Cedar Island" a half-mile upstream from our cabin. The magic I discover there today is spring grasses growing in a shimmering creek. The scene looks like an oriental painting to me. I choose a fast shutter speed to freeze the faceted patterns on the water's surface. F4 at 1/320, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

The Badger looked like a ghost ship this afternoon in the fog. Our biggest tip with shooting photographs in the fog is to make sure to shoot at least a stop and a half, if not two stops, to the plus side of your meter. If you shoot fog photos on any auto mode, your photo will be underexposed.

I love living near Oriole Field in Ludington and hearing Dennis Genson announce soccer games from my front yard. It takes me down memory lane. Tonight, I heard that familiar voice and headed to Oriole Field with my camera. This photo is of Megan Kokx, who is a sophomore on the Ludington High School varsity soccer team. F5.6 at 1/400, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Often making one picture leads to another. As I finish photographing some grasses in a creek along the Pere Marquette River, a fly that looks to me like a mayfly lands in the water just a few feet away. What catches my eye is the large concentric rings the fly and another that landed moments earlier are making on the water. How can such a small creature make such a big impression? F4 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

We had a family dinner at my brother and sister-in-law’s for the first time in a long time because of COVID-19. Paul and Sue’s back deck is surrounded by many trees – you truly feel as if you are having a picnic in the woods! Tonight, we were visited by many different varieties of birds as we enjoyed each other’s company.

Brad and I are both scurrying to find a picture of the day before speaking to the Alpha Graduates of Ludington High School. We have been frantically busy all day at the gallery so have little time to shoot today. I make a couple images on the Lincoln Hills Golf Club grounds I don't especially like. Then this robin appears just in time! F4.0 at 1/200, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

These are by far the biggest living maple leaves I have discovered in Michigan so far this April. Perhaps the abundance of water being supplied to the shoot they are growing from in this creek is causing the leaves to flourish. I marvel at the symmetry of their arrangement on the surface of the water. I photograph them exactly as I discovered them. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

The fruit trees in Mason County are starting to blossom. I love this newer sculpture in Waterfront Park that is dedicated to the hard-working fruit farmers past and present in our area.

I love the return of spring and all of the pretty flowers and blossoms, but what I love the most is the singing birds. This robin was hard at work finding food near the public boat ramp off of Lakeshore Drive on Lincoln Lake. F5.6 at 1/1600, ISO 1000, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Within minutes of starting to hike along the Pere Marquette River, I spot a beautiful sight

The blossoms are blooming! I drove the backroads home from Hart tonight and enjoyed the sight of each and every one! I decided to do something a little different for my photo of the day. I used a slightly longer shutter speed to allow for some movement in the wind instead of the typical fully sharp blossom shot I normally would shoot.