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Sadly, Betsy’s parents both died a few years apart from sudden illnesses. Betsy and her brothers picked out a nice headstone for their parents with a cardinal on it. The headstone is in Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington. I decided to honor Don and Shari Verduin today by making this image at their gravesite.

Setting your camera to the "bulb" setting allows you to take very long time exposures. I used my glow-in-the-dark watch to count 90 seconds for this exposure because the sun had set 45 minutes earlier. I also used a rear-sync flash to help brighten the foreground. The end result was a surreal looking shoreline. F22.0 at 90 seconds, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

I checked out the new splash pad in Copeyon Park. It isn’t running now, but I think my kids will enjoy it next summer! The geese were active on the lake while I was there. I caught this one in magic light.

The old cemetery at the west end of Hawley Road takes on an eerie appearance on Halloween night. During a 30-second time exposure, I am using my vehicle headlights to sidelight the gate and an off-camera flash to light gravestones in order to make them emerge from the darkness. F11.0 at 30.0, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm

I have had my eye on this old caboose since we started the 365 Project back in January, but the lighting and clouds were never ideal. Tonight on the way to my Grandpa and Grandma Reed's house on M-116 near Ludington State Park for trick-or-treating, we stopped to make this photo. F18.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

In amongst the chaos of life, there are some mornings that can calm your soul. Even if only for a second. This was one of those mornings. After the kids got on the bus, I drove to the far back of the property on the farm. I wanted a different view of the Pere Marquette River and knew the moss here would make for a great foreground.

Morning glory! Frost-coated swamp grasses turn to gold as the sun rises over the Pere Marquette River. What a way to wake up to the first day of November. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

I wish I knew the story behind this abandoned home on First Street in Scottville, Michigan. Tonight, the light was hitting the tops of the surrounding trees and the upper story of the old homestead. Normally, when I see this house, it looks haunted and a bit scary. On this night it looked beautiful and gave me a sense of hope..

Morning glory! Frost-coated swamp grasses turn to gold as the sun rises over the Pere Marquette River. What a way to wake up to the first day of November. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The American Flag at a local bank caught my eye as I drove past it this evening. I shot several test shots in order to capture the movement of the flag, but to keep the stars and flagpole sharp. In this shot, I loved how you could see the entire flag, yet it just showed movement at the right edge of the flag.

My dad and I drove to Manistee today to visit a friend in the hospital. The visit was sad and I needed to grab my camera quickly to help ease the pain. Not far from the hospital, we found this row of trees lining Eastlake Road. Photography for my dad and me is very therapeutic. F16.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Normally by this time in November, Lake Michigan has become too rough for sunset strolls out onto the Ludington North Breakwater. But tonight, it felt more like a warm August night in downtown Ludington.

With their leaves stripped away, the beautiful shape of these trees along the Lake Michigan shoreline stands out to me. I spotted them last night but the light was not good, so I am back today along South Lakeshore Drive to shoot them in sweet light. F3.2 at 15.0, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

It is fun to experiment with different styles of photography. I knew I wanted to use the flowers more as shapes and designs than as a typical subject. I exposed to blow out the background, which would allow the stems to appear darker.

Every year I look forward to seeing this view of Lincoln Lake. I love when you can see the limbs and trunks of the trees on the northern edge of the lake while still seeing some of the color in the remaining leaves. F10.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 34 mm

The end of Ferry Street has always proven to be a productive photography spot for my dad, Rachel, and me. This morning we had great light and clouds to the southeast. Sitting at the gallery downtown, I was pretty sure if I drove to the end of Ferry Street a few blocks away, I would find a powerful sky over the top of the Badger. My hunch was correct.

These cows along Countyline Road are a bright spot in a sad day for me. I am on my way home from Manistee, where one of my best Coast Guard friends, Tom Rau, died today. I taught Tom how to take better pictures for his boating safety articles. Hopefully, he would approve of this shot. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 135 mm

Patterns and photographs can be found anywhere. Even if it takes more looking. This design on Kasey’s bag has always intrigued me.

My step-grandpa was the late Dwight "Scotty" Scott. He was married to my mom's mom, Linda Scott. Together they ran Wren's Roost on the Middle Bayou of Hamlin Lake. After Wren's burned down, they opened Scotty's Restaurant in Ludington. I shot this photo near where Wren's Roost stood. F5.6 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

If you are ever driving on Old US-31 south of Ludington, check out the giant tree near the corner of Conrad Road and Old US-31. I have always enjoyed looking at this tree and tonight I am finally making an image of it that I am proud of. With great clouds, it sure is a lot easier to make strong images.