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Wreckage of Scanlon's Barge, which sank in Lake Huron near Alpena in a 1929 storm, looms below me through the glass bottom of the Alpena Shipwreck Tours boat Lady Michigan. Captain Paul Labrecque expertly maneuvers the vessel over the wreck to give several dozen passengers aboard the tour boat a close-up underwater view without getting wet. This protected shipwreck is part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. F4 at 1/800, ISO 1600, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

My dad and I are lucky to be married to very understanding women. Countless times on family outings at the Ludington State Park my dad and I have had to run off and chase the light. On this June evening, I was on a walk with my wife and her parents. Our destination was Big Point Sable. Just after we started out I noticed the light getting good. Betsy noticed my growing agitation, and gave me the go ahead to set off with my camera. Like a dog chasing a tennis ball, I ran as fast as I could from the Beach House to Big Point Sable with my 20-pound camera bag and tripod on my back. The reward was so sweet. Thank you, Betsy (and Debbie), for your patience.

Stearns Beach Days

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Stearns Beach Days - Panoramic

 

Some of my best photographs happen by accident. Before I took this photograph, I was struggling to compose a photograph of an abstract ice pattern below my feet. The shot was not working, so out of frustration I stood up and looked away. The tops of sailboat masts inside Snug Harbor Marina caught my eye. I casually snapped off one exposure and then went back to shooting the ice. Upon returning home to edit my work, I instantly knew that none of my ice photographs would go any farther than the editing table, but the sailboat masts were a sure winner.

Like a lightning bolt, the Lake Michigan shoreline looks electric as the setting sun hits the wave-washed sand.

While searching for piping plovers that abandoned their protected nesting site in the sand dunes north of Big Sable Point, I observe this delicate Halloween pennant dragonfly land near a pond tucked between dunes. I stealth closer, then photograph it with a telephoto lens. Thus I avoid scaring the dragonfly away and keep the background out of focus to simplify the picture and make the small insect stand out.

Fresh Lake Michigan air blowing in my face. Magic light hitting the dune grass in front of me. Roiling waves. Huge clouds. I feel alive and at home at this moment. F11.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

The light is blazing along the Lake Michigan shoreline tonight. I quickly line up some dune grass and the sun in a way that gives me the feeling that the sun is a big ball rolling down hill. F4.0 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I started this morning trying to shoot the sunrise over Bear Lake in Manistee County, but the clouds were blocking the sun. I decided to take roads I had never driven westward toward Lake Michigan. Eventually I came upon a glorious horse farm built on rolling hills less than a mile from the Lake Michigan shoreline. The farm is on a road lined with huge maple trees. Fortunately for me, the sun finally came out while I was setting up this shot.

A Sailor's Morning - Panoramic

Displaying more lights than a Christmas tree, the carferry Badger stays very alive even while docked in Ludington Harbor between Lake Michigan crossings. The coal-fired steamship carries passengers and automobiles between Michigan and Wisconsin.

All is quiet along the Lake Michigan shoreline on a spring evening before this historic summer resort comes to life for another season.

I love macro photography because it allows me to journey into new worlds where the details of subjects create a completely new visual experience. Living near Lake Michigan, I had seen thousands of these sometimes pesky Asian lady beetles. I had no idea they wore such a determined look on their faces until I got down in their world with my macro lens.

The family that owns the Sun Mountain cottage at Epworth Heights near Ludington allowed me to photograph the sunset tonight from their porch. Many of the cottages inside this summer resort are over 100 years old. Visiting Epworth is like taking a journey back in time.

For over a hundred years, these particular dunes on Hamlin Lake have been a popular picnic area for boaters. As a kid, my parents took my brothers and me here often. Now I enjoy taking my kids to the "Hamlin Dunes." F6.3 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

The lighthouse keepers at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse near Alpena, Michigan were gracious enough to stay open late to allow my dad and me to climb to the top of the 113-foot tower overlooking Lake Huron. Michigan has 149 lighthouses lining its shorelines and the view from the top of the New Presque Isle Lighthouse has to be one of the most unique. The point of land that the lighthouse sits on is almost completely surrounded by water. F16 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm