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Several customers came in the gallery earlier today telling us how unbelievably warm the water was in Lake Michigan. Tonight after work, I went to the second curve at Ludington State Park. I stood waist-deep in the warm water with my camera on a tripod and used my flash to help freeze the motion of the rushing waves. F4.5 at 1/25, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I must be dreaming. A massive buck, its antlers in velvet, pauses in the perfect spot on a Ludington Pumped Storage Plant hillside covered with sweet pea. This looks too good to be true, especially when an old family friend, Dr. John Ramsey, who practiced medicine in Ludington many years ago, sounds out a doe bleat and the deer turns to look our way. F4.0 at 1/400, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I have only had an opportunity to photograph loons a handful of times and have never been satisfied with my results until today. While visiting a fellow photographer and her family at their cabin on Gifford Lake near Baldwin, Michigan, I photographed a pair of loons that were enjoying the sunshine and calm water. F5.6 at 1/1600, ISO 640, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

My cousin Ben married his best friend Sam today and Rachel and I were fortunate to be included in their special day. Ben and Sam are always the life of the party, and we all had a great time celebrating their beautiful love story. Their wedding was at a gorgeous venue near St. Louis, Missouri.

The asparagus-picking season is over in this field along South Scottville Road. The plants are left for now to grow wild. This is the time of year when I start to find these fields very photogenic. I find the bright color, soft look and repetitive patterns of the overgrown plants eye-catching. F3.2 at 1/400, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

I never get tired of photographing the Badger as she makes her way in or out of port. The carferry may be converting from a coal-fired steam system to a diesel-powered system soon. I hope for my sake as a photographer and for the sake of all the Ludington area that the Badger continues to set sail on Lake Michigan for another 50 years! F9.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

It is another uncharacteristically hot day in Northern Michigan and once again the eastern sky is filled with beautiful cumulus clouds this afternoon as I head to Pentwater to set up for the annual art fair on the Village Green. The Monton farm along the US 31 Freeway at the Mason-Oceana county line looks picture perfect. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

My dad has made several great photographs of this World War I memorial in Lakeview Cemetery, but I have never tried until today. The quality of light was great and luckily for me the American flags that were placed by local veterans were still on display. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Alarm clock goes off at 5:45 A.M. and I roll out of bed. Get dressed, grab a quick bite to eat and fire up the truck. Heading to Pentwater for the Junior Women's Club Annual Art Fair. The sunrise is amazing. Stop on Old US 31 near the Pere Marquette River Flats and am finally awake enough to make this photograph. F9.0 at 1/500, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Neighbors on the Buttersville Peninsula have left a pleasing arrangement of beach chairs in front of their home. The soft blues of the evening sky and Lake Michigan complements the chairs. I am getting that tropical feeling that makes me want to relax in one of the chairs with a Shock Top beer. Instead I savor the view while making the picture. F22.0 at 2.5, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm

Frank Banko was drawing a crowd of strangers and passers-by tonight along the Ludington waterfront as he played his electronic Roland accordion. I asked the group if they minded if I documented their fun with my camera. They told me it wasn't a problem as long as I sang and danced along. It was a great moment! F8.0 at 1/100, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

It wasn’t until the day after shooting this photograph of the Badger and Ludington North Breakwater Light from the Loomis Street Boat Ramp, did I learn that Rachel had been shooting the same scene from the other side of the channel. She was on the south side at Crosswinds. As usual, I like her image more than mine.

I am eye to eye with a rare Karner Blue butterfly. The imperiled butterfly lives for only about two weeks and is about the size of a quarter. The U.S. Forest Service Baldwin office has allowed me to assist seasonal biological technician Justin Bragg as a Karner Blue counting volunteer today. F10.0 at 1/200, ISO 800, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

Today my dad and I were invited by Dr. Heather Keough of the Federal Forest Service to help count the Karner Blue Butterflies that live in the Manistee National Forest. The Karner Blue Butterflies are an endangered species. Dr. Keough and her team are trying to re-grow the Michigan savannah so that the rare creatures can reproduce naturally. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Tonight, I took Julia with me to one of my dad's and my photo workshops at Big Sable Point Lighthouse and told her if she was well behaved during the seminar then I would take her to the top afterwards. Julia made sand angels while my dad and I talked to the workshop attendees. Julia loved her first view from the top of "Poppy's Lighthouse!" F16.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm