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It is past midnight and still I am not seeing any Northern Lights tonight. This is the third night in a row I have stayed up late hoping to see and photograph the Northern Lights. I decide to make a several-minute time exposure of the stars, including the Big Dipper, and "paint" the Ludington South Breakwater Light with flashlight light. F4.0 at 220 seconds, ISO 800, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

While Brad is photographing some of the reddest light we have ever seen hit the carferry Badger, I am shooting the same colorful light reflecting off the black iron base of another Ludington icon

Gary Lange, a volunteer Ludington firefighter for 40 years, stands out in a crowd of local professional rescuers being honored during Friday Night Live. I witnessed up close the heroism and devotion to duty and community of Gary and hundreds of other rescuers during the 23 years I photographed them in action for the Ludington Daily News. F4.5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Dave McClellan enjoys a conversation with his son while relaxing at his B15 gas station north of Silver Lake. Dave doesn't sell any gas. The restored service station is a hangout for family and friends and a visual trip back in time for motorists passing by. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Lake Michigan looks beautiful and inviting for swimmers on yet another hot, humid summer 2010 day. I am tempted to put down the camera and jump in but I need to make a good picture first. F8.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

If "clouds are your friends," as Brad and I teach our photography workshop students, then this one is one of my best friends of 2010. I am enjoying my evening watching this cloud at the Ludington city beach, one of the best beaches in the world for watching sunsets and clouds. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 112 mm

These apples in an orchard along Meisenheimer Road south of Ludington may not be ready to pick yet but they sure look good enough to eat as I look through my viewfinder after a brief rain shower. F4.0 at 1/13, ISO 160, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

On the second foggy morning in a row I am on my way to photograph a barn on Amber Road in this soft, diffused light. I am almost there when a bunch of dew-covered spider webs along the roadside catch my eye. On closer inspection, this spider web and its creator demand my attention. F9.0 at 1/160, ISO 640, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

A brisk wind snaps the POW-MIA Flag and American Flag to the attention of a passer-by this evening at Coast Guard Station Ludington. The POW-MIA flag salutes all present and past American POW-MIAs and reminds us of the price they and their families paid and are paying to help keep America free. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 120 mm

The Gold Coast Festival, a Ludington art fair Brad and I have shown our artwork at for years, is today at City Park. Nearby I spot some of the most stunning maple leaves I have ever seen in the yard of our former neighbor, Stephanie Thomsen. A silver coating on the crimson leaves looks almost like chrome plating. F7.1 at 1/60, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

It is a spectacular summer afternoon to be at Epworth Heights. Brian and Leah Roche of Columbus, Ohio walk along the North Beach sidewalk en route to meet some friends on the beach. F8.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 16 mm

Dick and Patti Hale have seen thousands of sunsets from their Lake Michigan home at Little Sable point. "This is the best one I've ever seen, spectacular because of the variety of the color, depth of the color, variation of the cloud cover," Dick says. I too am overwhelmed by the intense color and amazing patterns as I shoot near the lighthouse. F4.0 at 1/13, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

Once in a blue moon a picture like this comes along. I am on my way home from teaching a photo workshop with Brad and am feeling like I have not yet made an image I want to select as my 365 picture of the day. Then I remember the Blu Moon restaurant and how interesting its one-of-a-kind neon sign looks at night. F2.8 at 1/40, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Red-hot lava appears to be flowing through the parking lot of the Ludington Meijer store during a deluge of rain. Actually, the Meijer sign is being reflected in the water flowing across the asphalt. I set up the tripod under cover of the raised rear hatch of my Suburban but my camera and I are still getting moderately wet while composing this image. F2.8 at 1/10, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 92 mm

I love passing by the Bentz farm on Conrad Road between Ludington and Scottville and viewing the beautifully manicured garden in front of their well-maintained old barns. Today a sunflower rises above others to stand out in front of one of the barns. F4.0 at 1/640, ISO 400, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

It is fun and a challenge to try to capture what world-famous photographer Cartier-Bresson described as the "decisive moment." My goal on this shot is to capture Erica Karmeisool and her fan club at just the right moment as she finishes her first triathlon in Ludington. F4.0 at 1/640, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

My wife Debbie and I have arrived in Charlevoix just in time to catch the afterglow light along the rocky Lake Michigan shoreline at Fisherman's Island State Park. These two rocks quickly stand out to me because of their size, shape, texture and the way the light and shadow define them. F16.0 at 13.0, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

One of my photography heroes, the late great Galen Rowell, made some stunning photographs of campsites during climbing expeditions. I thought of his poetic camp images while envisioning this shot at Fisherman's Island State Park. I am combining and balancing the light still remaining in the sky with lantern and bonfire light. F4.0 at 30.0, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The clouds have been stunning all day. I have already made several good Lake Michigan shoreline photographs. Yet I knew that if the clouds stuck around, the evening light would make the clouds more colorful. Sure enough; with the luck of the Irish, the Emerald Isle ferry returns to Charlevoix from Beaver Island at the peak of magic light. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

During a hike from our campsite to Fisherman's Island, my wife Debbie and I are mesmerized by the beauty of the rocky, shallow lake bottom as Lake Michigan waves undulate above the rocks. I shoot as some of the rocks are nearly uncovered between waves. I want to convey the beauty of the rocks and the clarity and liquidity of the water. F3.5 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm