Search

Thistledown on a milk thistle plant looks especially soft and delicate this afternoon. The thistledown will soon catch the wind and spread the plant's seeds across our land along the Pere Marquette River. F4.2 at 1/250, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

The Fredericks family farm is one of the most uniquely attractive farms in Mason County. Slowing down or stopping when driving by the South Amber Road property provides more time to appreciate all the handmade folk art on the barn and elsewhere in the yard. F22.0 at 1/6, ISO 400, 24-70 mm lens at 29 mm

I am impressed by the affection a pair of mute swans display for each other while basking in the sunshine on Pere Marquette Lake with their offspring. It is clear to me they are mates for life. F4.5 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

I have been watching leaves float by for 20 minutes on Hamlin Lake just above the dam at Ludington State Park. Finally, here is a fresh, colorful view that stands out immediately from all the others I have seen. F2.8 at 1/80, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Lake Michigan is angry this morning. It looked rough from my house. But now, up close to the waves at the base of the Ludington South Breakwater, I can really sense the power of this Great Lake. F3.2 at 1/1600, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

September 25, 2010” “Glorious,” I was thinking as I saw this scene through my viewfinder. While chasing the light at Ludington State Park with weekend photo workshop students, I remembered this nearby interdunal pond just in time. These less traveled spots in Ludington State Park have provided me with some of my favorite landscape views. The sands, water and plant growth are ever-changing. The always-changing light and clouds magnify the difference. Sometimes, all of nature’s parts come together; this was one of those times.

It is a quieter time of year on the waterfront. And while I miss watching a lot of boats plying in and out of the harbor, there is something to be said for the stillness and the simplicity of the view. F4.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

Using trees for cover, I have stealthily made my way to within 15 yards of this great blue heron. Fortunately for me, the heron's attention is primarily focused on the water and his quest for dinner. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Hay bales turn to gold in the early morning autumn light in one of Laverne Soberalski's farm fields along South Victory Drive. The Hansens' neighboring Cherry Hill Farm stands out in the distance. F22.0 at 0.25, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

I have never seen so many milkweeds. In this amazing growing season, some Michigan fields have so much milkweed silk catching the sunlight that they look like cotton fields. The autumn winds scatter the seed-laden milkweed silk near and far. F3.2 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Waves, clouds and trees turning color give Epworth Heights an autumn look. It is a quieter but beautiful time of year at the historic resort. North Point Cottage stands out on the Lake Michigan shoreline just south of the Lincoln River outlet. F13.0 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 105 mm

I am watching the last Badger show of the year. I am one of many Ludington residents watching as the Lake Michigan Carferry sails into the Ludington harbor at the end of its final voyage of the 2010 sailing season. F2.8 at 1/2000, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

I spot a bald eagle on a favorite morning fishing perch overlooking Lake Michigan along South Lakeshore Drive. I set up nearby and wait about 20 minutes to capture its takeoff. F4 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

The colorful, atmospheric sunrise this morning stops me in my tracks. The sun is coming up through waves of fog rising over Pere Marquette Lake. I am glad I got out early to catch this one. F4.0 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Who's watching over Bass Lake this morning? A manmade owl looms large as it faithfully performs its duty of trying to keep birds off a dock. I can't resist featuring the owl in one of my shots of the dock, lake and Three Sisters hills. F11.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

I have been trying to make an image of this tunnel of trees near the Conrad family farm at the east end of Conrad Road for several years. This evening, on my way home from a United Way fundraising event, I round the corner from Gordon Road and there it is, the picture I had envisioned for so long. F11.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Kevin and Nancy Hansen's farm on Victory Drive was one of several farms on this year's Mason County Barn Tour. I am attracted to one of many farm implements on display that were used for several decades by Kevin's grandfather. F10.0 at 1/160, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 22 m

I love the sense of adventure and scale of this image as I compose it in my viewfinder. Brad and I call this kind of shot "the little person in the big world." Lake Michigan is definitely a big world. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 155 mm

A Sunday ride on an autumn afternoon is one of the best things about Michigan. I stop to take a picture of my favorite tunnel of trees at the Polcin farm on Conrad Road. Cheryl Swinehart and Boyd Stark crest a hill on a bicycle ride as I am shooting. F10.0 at 1/40, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 135 mm

I love the rolling hills between Hart and New Era along the US 31 Freeway. Today as my nephew Ryan and I head to Grand Rapids for ArtPrize, I have to stop to photograph this farm surrounded by fall color. F8.0 at 1/320, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm