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Was Superman born here? That is what I kept asking myself as I stood in wonder looking at the glorious ice caves on Grand Island near Munising, Michigan. The colors and formations were like nothing I had ever seen. They did not look real and it is hard to get a sense of scale from this photograph of how large these caves actually are.

One of the highest dunes in Ludington State Park offers a bird's eye view of one of the forests tucked between dune ridges at the park. Lake Michigan lies beyond as I look west.

Emerging from the White Birch Forest in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore after searching for images of the birch trees and maple leaves in autumn color, I was about to put my camera equipment back in my trusty Suburban when I took in this view less than 50 yards away. It looked and felt like a melody of color, pattern, and texture.

Driving towards Ludington this morning, I knew that I had missed the color that the sunrise brought, but the clouds in the sky were superb! With the calm morning, they would reflect in the water. I headed towards the Pere Marquette River Flats to quickly compose my shot. I didn’t know that Brad had shot near here almost an hour earlier. Such beauty in God’s work!

 

Sometimes it seems like we wait forever for the leaves to turn along the shores of the inland lakes tied to Lake Michigan. Then, seemingly overnight, a glorious change greets us on a morning like this one on Hamlin Lake. My son Brad and I encountered this fleeting scene at Victory Park on Upper Hamlin Lake in mid-October. Brad was still running with tripod and camera for a different vantage point while I made this picture along the park waterfront. Fortunately, I got off one shot before a cloud dropped the curtain on the fall color light show.

I love taking giant scale photos that show vast scenes, but I have also disciplined myself more to see details, to move closer, then (as I tell my photography students) twice as close again. This shows less of a scene, but reveals more detail, allowing me to see and show what is often overlooked. One winter morning, going to a grand vista at Epworth Heights to view Lake Michigan, the window of an old garage caught my eye. It is an unanticipated detail that often makes the best picture.

One of my favorite parts of winter is looking for patterns in the ice along Lake Michigan. I found this ice formation at the Loomis Street Boat Launch around 5:45 this evening, just as the sun was setting. F14.0 at 1/500, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I love viewing wildlife through natural vignettes. It gives me the feeling of looking through a peep sight and provides framing and layers to my pictures. I have to be careful not to crowd the deer with the framing as I "shoot" her with my camera at the Sable River Outlet at the Ludington State Park.

I am at first overwhelmed by all the color and patterns bombarding my senses amidst the birch trees and maple leaves in the famous White Birch Forest. I know not to hurry. Finally, I find my prize. The patterns of these maple leaves and birch bark are music to my eyes. I have probably spent an hour looking for strong compositions in this magical forest in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Every minute has been a joy. F11 at 1/250, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

Clouds are your friends! This is a great example of a sunset that would have been super boring and unphotogenic if it wasn’t for the beautiful clouds.

It is amazing to me how often mirages or double images of the shoreline will appear throughout a given year. As I stood on the docks at the Sable Resort overlooking frozen Hamlin Lake, I noticed that the Hamlin Dunes were being reflected onto themselves near the waterline. As I was photographing, the sun appeared and turned the sky a brilliant gold color and the mirage looked even more mysterious.

 

Oh, to experience another winter morning as stunning as this. I love below-zero mornings; the sky is usually crystal-clear and the morning light brilliant. But I never imagined the beauty that would await me at the Sable River Outlet this February morning. Steam coming off the water at sunrise had turned the grass to shimmering white shafts on the dune south of the outlet.

I am drawn to the Pere Marquette Lake side of the sculpture "Reflections" where the side and back lighting provided by its floodlights play beautifully upon the metal sail of the sculpture. I love studying this simple yet amazing sculpture donated by Lee and Joan Schoenherr to the city's waterfront sculpture park. F10.0 at 30.0, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm

The Muskegon River was under a flood warning today because of all the melting snow. When my dad and I heard the news, we explored new roads and came upon this spot northeast of Muskegon on Duck Lake Road. Luckily, we didn't get our truck stuck, but we did forget a camera bag that a DNR officer recovered for us later that day. Thankfully, everything was still inside and not soaking wet. We got a good chuckle out of our crazy day.

A doe pauses between licks while drinking water from the Sable River at Ludington State Park.

One of Santa's reindeer appears to be on the loose this morning along Hawley Road south of Ludington. I captured this moment as she flew through the snow during a short-lived blizzard that hit Mason County. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

 

Give me a windy day at the beach anytime, especially an autumn day when the light is sharp. On this afternoon, I wanted to capture the feeling of a windy day along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I set up the tripod and used a slow shutter speed to record the movement of the dune.