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The ice on Pere Marquette Lake is breaking up with the January thaw. While I would prefer a more severe winter to photograph, I can't complain about the view in front of me this morning.

Some of you may recognize this house as the original location of the Todd Reed Gallery. My dad and stepmom lived in this house from 1990 through 2000 and the gallery was in the living room for most of that time period. We had a lot of great times as a family in this house and enjoyed great neighbors, too. F8.0 at 1/80, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 26 mm

Pointe aux Barques Light is a long, slow drive across the state of Michigan from Ludington, but it is so worth the journey. The lighthouse is located at the very top of Michigan's thumb. If you haven't been there, go soon and bring your camera!

Like pairs dancers, these gulls fly over Lake Michigan in perfect symmetry. I love watching their precision and control. They are amongst nature's most naturally graceful performers.

I was in complete awe as I stood on the viewing platform overlooking Miners Falls inside the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The height of the waterfall, the amount of water flowing, and the ruggedness of the terrain made me question if I was still actually in Michigan. This was my first time to Miners Falls, but it won't be my last.

Using my new macro lens and three stacked extension tubes, I was able to make the ice on a blue plastic chair behind the gallery look unique today.

The foot of Ferry Street has long been one of my favorite vantage points to look over Ludington harbor. Winter sunrises provide some of the best views. The carferry Badger is at left and the carferry City of Midland (since converted to a barge) at right.

Brad and I like to say, "Clouds are your friends." I certainly like the clouds and God beams this evening along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The wind-chill is below zero so I concentrate on the ever-changing beauty of the clouds, looking for the peak moment. This moment feels best; click. F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

My great grandma, Martha Delite Shoup Benson, grew up in this house on Hansen Road in eastern Mason County. The house is still in pretty good shape, but the barn has seen better days. I wish I could travel back in time and have my great-grandma and her siblings give me a tour of the homestead in all of its glory.

I am intrigued by this spot high atop the tallest dune on the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington. For me, the patterns of the grasses, dead trees and sand are uniquely interesting in themselves. The view of Lake Michigan from a couple hundred feet up makes it one of my favorite area vantage points.

The coldest, clear mornings are among my favorites for viewing and photographing the Ludington waterfront. I found this frosty scene with carferries as a backdrop early one winter morning along the shore of Pere Marquette Lake in Buttersville.

Brad and I like to say, "Clouds are your friends." I certainly like the clouds and God beams this evening along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The wind-chill is below zero so I concentrate on the ever-changing beauty of the clouds, looking for the peak moment. This moment feels best; click. F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

More and more often I find myself lying on my stomach to make my photographs. Getting extremely low to the ground or water gives me a fresh perspective on the world and it ensures that my photographs have immediacy which adds emotional impact and drama to a photograph.

Just as I was getting ready to photograph this pair of swans, they both decided to feed at the same exact time. Luckily the camera was ready to capture this funny moment.

A local farm field is often a popular spot for Bald Eagles. The snowflakes on this particular day were thick and heavy. Several eagles were flying around, but this one sitting in the tree struck me. Even with all the snow, the white head and tail stood out beautifully.

My great-grandma, Martha Delite Benson, was originally a Shoup and was born and raised near the farm where I took this photograph. It is still in the Shoup family. I love how life on this farm, and many other farms in Mason County, seems to move at a slower, more peaceful pace. F8.0 at 1/400, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

My dad and I showed up at Crystal Mountain hoping to make our first ski runs of the season only to find out they were closed for three days to make snow. We decided to explore the mountain on foot with our cameras instead. I loved the howl of the wind and the blowing snow in my face. I have not had that much fun with a camera in a really long time.

This seagull has to be in its glory, bathing in sunshine and near 50-degree temperatures as it soars along the Lake Michigan shoreline on one of the warmest January 31sts in Ludington's history. The sun is lifting my spirits too.

Ion Blasts Ludington

The moon setting over the Ludington North Breakwater Light is a view that I never get tired of trying to capture. At first glance you would think this was another sunset photograph until you look at the amount of light hitting the front of the lighthouse. As the sun is coming up, the moon is setting in the distance.