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Donkeys come to greet you on a spring day at a Mason County farm. The clouds in the sky show that rain may not be far away.

In order to help protect this beautiful piebald deer, my dad and I have sworn not to tell people where we found it. We had received a tip from a family friend, and after almost two hours of searching for this elusive animal, we were getting ready to give up. Suddenly, I spotted it about 75 yards away in the woods. It wasn't until I downloaded this image and saw it on my 30-inch monitor that I noticed the other two deer in the scene. Our perseverance and teamwork paid off.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

Small items in nature can have a large impact on the surrounding area, both physically and visually. These leaves were the only spot of color on a vast dune at the Ludington State Park.

I don't know who was more determined, the fish trying to jump up the dam on the Betsie River, or me trying to capture a flying fish with my camera. After a 30 minute battle, I finally got my photo. Unfortunately for the fish, it never made it high enough to get over the dam.

After a quick drive in the dark to Little Sable Point Lighthouse, my dad and I were as excited (and loud) as middle-schoolers riding a school bus. We had both just made some fantastic shots of the Northern Lights over Ludington. Our goal now was to get a photograph of the Northern Lights over Little Sable Point Lighthouse. Neither of us have ever had any luck in making that shot before. We have both tried several times, but the Northern Lights either never showed up, or they disappeared before we could make the 35-minute drive. Our luck was about to change. The Northern Lights were much dimmer now and almost invisible to the naked eye. However, like Galen Rowell taught all nature photographers, you have to learn to see like your camera sees. I tried to line up the North Star right above Little Sable Point Lighthouse. I made a few test exposures and then set my camera to F8 at ISO 200. I used my cable release and my iPhone as a timer and took a 32-minute exposure. The stars in the night sky made a perfect circle around the North Star and my camera could easily pick up the color from the Northern Lights. What a magic morning along the shores of Lake Michigan. I made this image at 4:54 a.m. on our 17th Tuesday of 2012. F8 at 32 minutes, ISO 200, 14mm lens at 14mm

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

First Street Beach in Manistee is always a great place to photograph a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset. After a long, hard day of shooting, it warmed my soul to see the sun pop through the clouds just before sunset. D800, F8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 130mm

First Street Beach in Manistee is always a great place to photograph a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset. After a long, hard day of shooting, it warmed my soul to see the sun pop through the clouds just before sunset.

Lilacs at Point Betsie

Benzie Dam

I have been known to moo out loud at cows to get their attention. Usually, it doesn't work, and they just look at me like I am an idiot; but today it enticed this little one to come closer to me and my camera. My dad has taught me a lot of tricks of the trade over the years.

A Great Lakes freighter appears to be transporting the setting sun as it heads northward on Lake Michigan on this beautiful spring evening. After their winter tie-up, it is good to see these proud ships back plying the Great Lakes. Making this shot caps off an exciting and diverse Week 17 shooting day that began more than 18 hours earlier when Brad woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me the Northern Lights were beckoning. F4 at 1/100, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

After taking a long hike on the Pentwater Pathways Trailhead with Betsy, Sean, and the kids, we decided we wanted to have a change of scenery. We drove into Pentwater and hiked the channel down to the lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The big lake was rougher than I expected, which was a great surprise.

Clyde Butcher continues to teach people all over the world that swamps are beautiful. He photographs the Everglades in Florida and has done more to save the Everglades than any politician. His photographs move people emotionally and that emotion is what is spurring the action to save the Everglades. Today I am photographing a swamp near the Eastmanville Bayou along the Grand River.

The Inland Seas sailed the inland sea on Grand Traverse Bay between Traverse City and Suttons Bay on a spring morning. The 77-foot Great Lakes schooner provides inland sea science and sailing adventures regularly from Suttons Bay.

You have probably read or heard my dad and me say a hundred times that "clouds are your friends" when you are out making photographs. Well, today the proof is in the pudding. This scene of the Lost Lake Island at Ludington State Park is a beautiful sight every day of the year, but the spectacular clouds today took the view from good to great. F5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The 1004-foot-long Edwin H. Gott steams past Round Island Light in the Straits of Mackinac. The 105-foot wide Great Lakes freighter is capable of carrying a 74,100-ton cargo of taconite or other materials. F4 at 1/3200, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm