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Ludington State Park Workshop

Nikon D850. F8 at 1/6400. 60-600mm lens at 600mm. June 7, 2020 at 5:28pm.

The view of Lake Michigan from the Pere Marquette Township campground is among the most panoramic from point to point. Rough water and storm clouds can add drama, but exceptional quality of natural light I like to call "magic light" or storm light is essential to making the view the most spectacular.

It's comical to watch geese trying to walk on land, especially when they are only a few days old. This particular group of goslings seemed to be quite fond of the game leapfrog. As they passed by my camera, they clumsily hopped over each other while trying to keep up with the rest of the family.

I have always enjoyed this vantage of Pentwater harbor channel and tonight the view looks and feels like summer. A sailboat provides an important added ingredient. F9.0 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

As a Coast Guardsman who was privileged to serve as the coxswain (captain) of one of these 47-foot Coast Guard motor lifeboats, I may be prejudiced when I say that I think they are one of the most impressive vessels on the water. The self-righting rescue boat reminds me of the movie "Back to the Future." I think the design looks like it is simultaneously from both the past and the future. This 47 is on patrol on the Grand River in Grand Haven, Michigan during the annual Coast Guard Festival. F9 at 1/500, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 20mm

Blue Fog Light

Two Towers

Carferry

Ludington North Pier and Sailboat

 

Hallelujah Moment

 

Given the choice between the Yellow Brick Road and this path to the beach along Lake Michigan in Buttersville, I would choose this path. I felt like I struck gold when I spotted it after rushing to get to the shoreline before sunset. I knew from the golden light painting the countryside along the US31 freeway south of Ludington that if I could just get to the beach in time I would have the opportunity to make an image that would look and feel far more like summer than winter. My instincts were well rewarded.

The magic light accompanying a rainbow turns dune grass to gold on an October morning along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I have seen this dune on a thousand different days, but none more beautiful.

Just before dusk at the Sauble River Outlet, magic light broke out from beneath a cloud layer, highlighting the water's edge. The afterglow made the wait along the Lake Michigan shoreline worthwhile. My son Brad, my nephew Ryan, and I each took our approach to photographing the light.

Standing on top of Desperation Point looking over Hamlin Lake, I was awestruck by the calm that surrounded me on this warm summer morning. The water was a mirror of tiny ripples, the wind was gently blowing, and the birds were just starting to sing. Just after making this photograph, I watched a bald eagle fly below me and dip into Hamlin Lake to catch a fish in its mighty talons. This is a morning I will never forget.

After a long day at the Pentwater Art Fair, I am exhausted but decide to stay in Pentwater to shoot a shelf cloud moving toward shore. That done, my instincts tell me to stay for the sunset. Now my decision to stay for the afterglow is rewarding me with a great view of the most colorful sky I have ever seen in Pentwater. F4.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

Water Colors

Ludington Sculpture Park and Badger