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After a brisk 30-minute hike to the north end of the Island Trail at the Ludington State Park, I was very relieved to take a rest inside this old warming shelter. My camera bag weighs over 30 pounds and it traps a lot of heat as I walk. The 10-minute rest I took lying on my back almost turned into an hour-long nap. Once the magic light of the golden sunrise appeared though, I was instantly rejuvenated and quickly made this photograph. F8 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Eagles in Muskegon

This winter was brutal on the wildlife in Michigan. A friendly, hungry deer walked right up to me looking for a handout of food at Ludington State Park today. If I'd had food, I know it would have eaten right out of my hand.

It would appear that a huff and a puff might blow down this old barn southeast of Walkerville, Michigan. And yet I wonder how many years the wooden structure has leaned eastward without collapsing.

Kinney Road Tree in Fog

Legend of Kitch-Iti-Kipi

Ludington State Park Workshop

Floating Into Fall

Kinney Road Tree in Fog

My dad taught me as a young boy that if you see an excellent sunrise to the east in Michigan to make sure to turn around and look at the sky in the west. I was blessed with a great teacher! The Ludington North Breakwater Light was glowing this morning with a pink and blue backdrop.

The tops of these trees inside of Stearns Park have been intriguing me for weeks. I finally made an image of them today that I am happy with. The lines and patterns make me happy.

 

I can’t imagine how many shots of songbirds I have taken in 50 years, but I can unequivocally say this is by far my favorite and most artistic. The moment this male cardinal, in all its glory, landed in this spot, I realized this was the perfect bird in the perfect position in the perfect place at the perfect time. The bright red bird rocketed out of the monochromatic background of the rocks and fresh snow. I couldn’t have designed or painted a better background. Click. Mission accomplished, not because making that image was my objective; it wasn’t. I got out early that morning because of the gorgeous blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. I drove to Ludington State Park and hiked across the foot bridge to the far side of the Sable River and found a spot to hide myself, my tripod, my Nikon camera and 500-millimeter telephoto lens amidst some young pine in hopes of catching some shots of a mink or two coming out of an opening in the rocks as I had observed on a previous hike. Just as I had anticipated, a mink soon emerged. I was all set to capture the moment the mink’s splendid coat would be framed against the snow. Photographers dream of what wildlife might do. As in this case, sometimes you can even visualize the finished picture on the wall. But of course it is up to the wildlife to decide for themselves where and how they present themselves and the course they will travel. We can’t pose them. For more than two hours I watched mink occasionally come out and go back in. Never did one of them set foot in the snow. I was getting more frustrated and colder by the minute. Suddenly a cardinal flew in. Fortunately, my camera was already trained and focused on the spot because cardinals almost never stay still for more than a few seconds. Because I chose to get off the couch, because I got out early to take advantage of the fresh snow, because I had paid my dues spending a lot of time at the park, because I had previously seen the mink along the river in that location, and because I overcame the great disappointment of the lack of cooperation from the mink, because I stayed, I made a completely unexpected but better image that will be most pleasing to me for the rest of my life. Many of my favorite images did not come easy. That makes them especially rewarding.

The Hamlin Lake Dam at Ludington State Park is so cool. I especially love photographing the dam in the winter months and seeing the different ice formations. The mix of straight lines and curved lines in this scene is what caught my attention today. F6.3 at 1/320, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Standing inside this 50-foot-tall ice cave on Grand Island, I had the strangest feeling I had been there before. With the warm sun and an occasional water droplet hitting my face, I felt like I was at a new beginning in my life. It was a spiritual moment for me.

Is this one horse or two? I usually make certain to avoid mergers when I am making a photographic image, but this one is irresistible. While scouting for pictures in Hamlin Township, I spot a horse with incredibly beautiful eyes. As I am preparing to make this shot, a second horse ambles into the frame. I am laughing as I trip the shutter.

A water drop is about to fall from a small branch and my macro lens made an ordinary scene look extraordinary.

 

Victim of an eroding Lake Michigan shoreline, a tree uprooted years earlier is transformed into a snow sculpture on a dune at Epworth Heights north of Ludington. Finding scenes like this along the Lake Michigan shoreline confirms for me why I am a winter person. Winter is a photographer's friend.

I have photographed this tree on Kinney Road just east of Old US31 several times. Today, the clouds, fog, and radiant sunlight are all working together to make this scene look extraordinary. Photography is wonderful therapy and is good for my soul.