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After being loaned an underwater housing for my camera this summer, I lay in bed one night trying to previsualize several different compositions that I could make with the new system. One of the photos that kept popping back into my mind was a half underwater shot of a water lily at the Ludington State Park. Knowing that lilies love still, warm water, I was certain I would be able to make my photo on Lost Lake. It turned out way better than I ever imagined it would! F8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

On a few days during the 365 Project, it has been very difficult to pick which photo to use for the photo of the day. Facebook has been helpful because we can have our fans vote for their favorite. This butterfly I photographed at Big Sable Lighthouse after our photo talk was the winner. Thanks for all the great comments and your votes! F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I never get bored trying to photograph sunflowers. I look forward to that challenge every year. I was really drawn to the dynamic light hitting this sunflower tonight on Jebavy Drive.

I had Rose of Sharon bushes at my old house. I wished that I could have taken them with me. Much to my surprise, when I moved into our current home, a Rose of Sharon bloomed in our front yard!

Sometimes as photographers, we like to challenge ourselves to find a photograph with only one specific lens. Today I chose my 85mm prime F1.4 lens. I put that on my camera body, grabbed my tripod, and an extra battery, and left all the other equipment in my truck and then I took a hike at our hunting property along the Pere Marquette River. I found these wildflowers and went to work.

You know summer has arrived in northern Michigan when you start seeing sweet pea along the roadsides. I singled out this flower to photograph from amongst hundreds of sweet peas along the shoreline road south of Onekama. I wanted to show how beautiful these flowers are when viewed up close. F9 at 1/8, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

When I was a little girl, I would pick huge bouquets of flowers from my mom’s garden. I would take them into our playhouse, and using wax paper, I would make them into bouquets that I assumed one would buy from a flower shop. I made handmade cards that customers could include with the flowers. It was a vision of mine to put a sign at the end of our road, and have people come visit us and our garden, and buy bouquets from me.

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

My in-laws, Don and Shari Verduin, moved to Ludington in 2009 and bought a house in town. They are both really into gardening and the house they purchased already had an amazing flower garden, but they have made it even better. Tonight, their zinnias caught my attention. F2.8 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I hadn’t made a photo yet today when I pulled into Brad’s yard. We were all going to watch a movie on the deck with the projector. This white flowering tree with the red blossoms in the background stood out to me.

Daisies are one flower that always seems to make everyone smile. My aunt, Sheryl Reed, has several beautiful gardens at her home, but this daisy garden is by far my favorite. F7.1 at 1/320, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Just recently I was loaned a 10-17millimeter fisheye lens and I am loving it. Of course the lens distorts the natural world, but we teach our workshop students that distortion is not always a bad thing. In fact, done well, it can really make a scene go from good to great. F3.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

I grabbed a single sunflower that had been sitting in a mason jar on my kitchen table and took it outside on my deck so I could make this image. I knew I needed a clean, simple background for the image I had built in my head while eating dinner with Julia and Ethan. The photo turned out better than I had imagined. The details in the clouds disappeared nicely when I exposed for the flower.

Rachel’s daughter, Kasey, is on the middle school cross country team at Mason County Eastern in Custer. We were watching one of her home meets when I noticed these sweet peas in a mix of mustard grass. Trying to not crush any of the flowers or mustard grass, I got close to the prettiest one I could find. With my macro lens, I knew I could make the busy background look soft and less chaotic.

Betsy, Ethan, and I all have the flu today. It has not been a fun day to say the least, but making a photo of the day in our backyard does take my mind off of being sick for a little while. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I hope all of these different varieties of flowers continue to grow in my yard year after year because I do not have a green thumb and I am not great at yard work. I rarely know the names of the flowers until I download my photographs of them and ask Rachel or Betsy what they are.

The bees obviously know the cold weather months are ahead because they sure are busy this evening in a flower garden near Lake Michigan. Bees have fascinated me since childhood so I particularly enjoy photographing them. F4.5 at 1/500, ISO 100, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

I have made the picture I set out to make at Epworth Heights this afternoon

Ah, the plants of summer. I love it when the various roadside plants of Michigan begin blooming. I have already spotted many colors and varieties of these plants while traveling the byways between Ludington and Traverse City. But the hundreds of tiny flowers of this big Queen Anne's Lace have caused me to stop my vehicle to appreciate their beauty close up. F7.1 at 1/800, ISO 200, 105mm lens at 105mm

Simplicity.