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The Ludington North Breakwater Light had an eerie glow surrounding it tonight as the western skies erupted with brilliant orange and pink colors during sunset. My dad and I ventured out into the wind and bitter cold to make our sunset photos and we were rewarded with very unique photographs of the iconic Ludington lighthouse. F4 at 1/250, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

This large mute swan swam into the only area of the Goldsworth Valley Pond being hit by sunlight and proceeded to groom and bathe himself for several minutes. He banged his powerful wings onto the surface of the water creating a huge mist the air and then quickly swam into the cloud of water. F4 at 1/2500, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

Looking regal as he rushes through the water, a swan graces a pond at Western Michigan University. The mute swan and its mate looked splendid to me but plenty intimidating to the ducks and geese attempting to swim toward their side of the pond. F11 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Most of the students at Western Michigan University have headed home for the holidays but this pair of mallard ducks is among the many waterfowl sticking around for the holidays in Goldsworth Valley Pond. F8 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Barrows Golden Eye Duck

This goose was in a feisty mood this morning as he swam around strutting his stuff on the Goldsworth Valley Pond on the campus of Western Michigan University. He was even brave enough to tangle with a male swan. The swan won, but you wouldn't have known it a few minutes later because this guy acted like he was the king of the pond. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

Simple and poetic photographs are fun to make, but often hard to pull off. They can become boring pretty easily. The wetlands on the campus of Western Michigan University have a lot of cattails and beautiful grasses surrounding them. Using my largest telephoto lens on a tripod, I slowly panned the camera while looking through the viewfinder until I found a simple composition that felt right. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

Beauty is all around us; we just have to be open to seeing it. After getting frustrated that I could not make a strong image of the campus of Western Michigan University like I had hoped, I turned to go back to my truck and found these flowers 10 feet behind the spot I had been standing for 20 minutes. Anxiety and frustration kill an artist's vision. Relaxing is the key to seeing. F11 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

Finding flowers in bloom on a cold December day is always a treat for an outdoor photographer. With the largest telephoto lens that we own, I made this image on the campus of Western Michigan University. Both of my brothers went to Western for parts of their college education and I grew up going to an annual soccer camp put on by Western's soccer team. F4 at 1/4000, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

This Christmas wreath provides the perfect holiday complement for the plaza archway it graces in downtown Kalamazoo. The two tasteful designs fit together perfectly. F11 at 1/60, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Looking like a supersized Walmart greeter, a statuesque Santa Claus waves to passersby in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The Super Santa definitely makes me chuckle as I work to make a portrait of him. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 92mm

My wife's cousins live in Middleville, Michigan, which is about 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. I had never been to the beautiful little farming community so today my dad and I ventured to that part of the state. After driving through downtown we stumbled upon the Middleville United Methodist Church and were captivated by the beautiful stained glass windows we saw from the parking lot. This is a view of the main window that I made from outside the historic church. F9 at 1/80, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

After photographing these incredible stained glass windows from outside of the Middleville United Methodist Church, we were let into the historic church so we could make photographs of the light shining through the windows onto the altar. I used my external flash to light up the Bible and the cross. It would be worth a drive to Middleville just to see these massive windows in person. F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 38mm

For several years I have wanted to make a nighttime shot of downtown Grand Rapids from one of the upper floors of the Bridgewater Place building. The skyscraper sits on the west side of the Grand River and is the perfect vantage point for the photo I had previsualized. It feels great to have finally made this image. F18 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

Grand Rapids is a spectacular city to behold any time but I especially love the view from Bridgewater Place at dusk as rush hour traffic becomes ribbons of light. I had seen the view from the 11th floor office of UBS Financial Services Senior Vice President B. J. Palmore in the daytime so I knew it would be good at night. I got a far better return on my investment of time at UBS than I expected. Thanks, Bill. F10 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The exquisitely decorated Christmas tree outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum drew my attention earlier as I looked down from one of the Grand Rapids skyscrapers in the background. Now, standing in front of the museum, I get to see the tree and its reflection in the museum's mirrored windows and reflecting pond. F25 at 20 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

My good friend, Amy Seng, recently moved from Ludington to take a job in downtown Grand Rapids. Her new office sits across the street from Rosa Parks Circle. Amy suggested that we should photograph the ice skaters and Christmas lights here at nighttime. I wish every town in Michigan had a lighted ice rink in the middle of downtown. I am going to work on making that happen in Ludington! F2.8 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 32mm

I don't have to drive far from my Ludington home to make the first of three photographs I have planned to take on Christmas Day. The Father Marquette Memorial cross on Pere Marquette Lake silently heralds Jesus as the "reason for the season" for Christians around the world. F22 at 6 seconds, ISO 200, 24-70mm lens at 70mm