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I drove to the land our family owns in hopes of finding some flowers in bloom that were planted years ago by the Betka family. Sure enough, I found them along Conrad Road and moved in for a closer look with a macro lens. F13.0 at 1/25, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

The front yards of Jeannie Krieger's house and Terry Murphy and Deb Dila's house on Rath Avenue in Ludington are covered with these gorgeous glory of the snow flowers. Using my wide-angle macro lens and carefully getting as close to the flowers as I could; I made this photo in the bright sunlight. F5.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

My wife Betsy and my in-laws, Don and Shari Verduin, sang in the Good Friday community service today. This year the community service was held at Cornerstone Baptist Church. When I found this beautiful cross on the wall I thought it would make a fitting photo for Good Friday. F2.8 at 1/80, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 34 mm

Sweet cherry blossoms form a perfect circle that makes them look picture perfect to me. The fruit farmer is not as happy about this picture as I am. It is March and the sweet cherries south of Ludington are blossoming three weeks ahead of schedule, putting them at great risk of frost damage. F9 at 1/200, ISO 400, 105mm lens at 105mm

Finally, a little rain to go with all that sunshine and warmth that has been good for the soul and for growing. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Spring has come early this year and caused an early-blooming Eastern Redbud ornamental tree to bloom in March. The early arrival brightens my day as I head home on Iris Road south of Ludington. F6.3 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

I always know spring is near when I see these little blue flowers bloom every year in Nick and Kate Krieger’s yard. I photographed them in 2010 for our 365 Project and was honored to be able to photograph them again for the 366 Project ten years later.

My mom has always loved her flowers. Over the years, her flower gardens have gotten smaller but no less beautiful. Her daffodils in front of their large porch glowed in the light this evening.

There are more monarch butterflies than people enjoying Dow Gardens in Midland today. Brad and I are delighted to be among only a handful of people appreciating one of Michigan's most beautiful gardens this morning.

I know photographers who set up feeding stations and sophisticated lighting systems to increase their odds of making fabulous photographs of hummingbirds. I appreciate the thought and work that goes into that style of shooting as well as the outcome. As for me, my unplanned, unexpected encounter with this hummingbird at Dow Gardens in Midland is the kind of hunting in the wild approach I prefer. My adrenaline is flying off the charts but I have to work fast and smart to capture the hummingbird image I have always dreamed of making.

My friends, Mike and Kerrie Cooper, live on a small farm south of Ludington that is surrounded by fruit trees. I used their dark red barn as a backdrop in order to make the blossoms on this tree stand out. F4 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 600mm lens at 600mm

As I behold the beauty of just a portion of one branch of a sweet cherry tree on Lister Road south of Ludington, I cannot imagine a more beautiful work of art than what nature and the growers at Hackert Orchards have created. F8 at 1/250, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

Using my wide-angle macro lens, I was able to get underneath this beautiful sweet cherry blossom and shoot straight up in the air. This allowed me to have a clean simple background with the clouds, blue sky, and just the tips of a few other blossoms in the distance. I set my exposure manually for the sky and then used my fill flash to brighten the blossoms. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Glowing Blossoms

Tulips and the 250-year-old DeZwaan Windmill are longstanding symbols of Holland's Dutch heritage and the famous Holland Tulip Festival. I placed my wide-angle lens amidst the tulips to make them stand out. The historic windmill, undergoing renovations for this year's festival, becomes a secondary yet highly visible subject. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

With my Wimberley tripod head on my Gitzo tripod, I slowly panned my 600mm lens as I looked at an endless field of tulips in Holland, Michigan. I didn't push the shutter until the scene inside my viewfinder felt great. As I panned over this lone tulip I knew I had found my winning composition. F4 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 600mm lens at 600mm

An Easter lily seems a fitting image for Easter Sunday. It was not the same Easter gathering that we typically have, but we tried to make the best of it.

As it rises above other tulips and opens to receive more sunshine, this tulip stands out among hundreds the same color in one of the public parks in Holland, Michigan. The tulips have bloomed weeks early this year due to record warm weather in March. F8 at 1/1000, ISO 200, 500mm lens at 500mm

My dad and I always shoot a lot of pictures of each other while out photographing. I got up on a hill and used my 600mm lens to get this shot of my dad with a field of tulips behind him. Holland, Michigan this time of year is a must-see. I promise it will bring a smile to your face! F4 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 600mm lens at 600mm