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Two Canada geese flew in tandem next to me this morning as I stood on the side of Long Bridge Road near the Pentwater River flats. I love the graphic nature of this image and it shows the power and beauty of these giant birds. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 2200, 600mm lens at 600mm

An ice fisherman is oblivious to cold because good fishing luck could arrive at any time. I eagerly waited, on a bone-chilling winter morning, for the sun to rise over the Pere Marquette River. My perseverance netted a good catch. A day like this helps me understand ice fishermen better.

A windmill near Stony Lake catches the afternoon sunlight on its beautifully rusted blades and wind vane. I love discovering old windmills still functioning and still in place in their original farm settings. I find this one especially beautiful. F6.3 at 1/800, ISO 140, 300mm lens at 300mm

Looking westward in the Pere Marquette River Flats, on the same morning I photographed the preceding scene looking eastward, revealed a similar view but one with the Dow Chemical Plant in the background.

Today the weather was spectacular in Ludington. Betsy and I dug out the double stroller and loaded up Ethan and Julia and we all went for a nice walk down to the beach. Just down the road from our house, I made this photo of a freshly cut tree stump. F9.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

After putting on a slide show in Fremont yesterday as part of a United Way fundraiser, my dad, my daughter Julia, and I drove to the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Muskegon. We got our permits and then drove around the property looking for snowy owls. My dad's keen eye spotted this one out in a large field near a utility road. We pulled over and I got my cold weather gear on and my giant lens and tripod, and slowly walked towards the beautiful bird. This was the first snowy owl that Julia has ever seen.

Miles of rolling dunes await visitors to Silver Lake State Park. This hiking path at the Ruckel's Bridge Day Use Area near the south end of the state park leads visitors to what I like to call a "big sky country" view of thousands of acres of dunes and Lake Michigan. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

PM River

PM River

I love studying clumps of dune grass looking for pleasing arrangements of patterns and shapes. Sometimes I see an arrangement I love but the background is too cluttered. Today, a fresh coat of snow along the Lake Michigan shoreline near Pentwater creates a clean, simple background for an arrangement I find simply splendid.

I think it is so cool how the dune in the foreground of this photograph looks like a porcupine. This is a new vantage point my dad and I discovered today at the Silver Lake State Park. I am certain we will be back here many times in the future with our cameras and I can't wait. F8 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

The Lincoln River Outlet, which bustles with small watercraft in the summer, lies still on an icy January morning. My son, Tad, and I each found several good photographs that frigid morning when good light and fresh snow coincided.

Brad and I are winter persons. We love being outside in the snow, photographing, hiking, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing; you name it. But on a winter day as magical as this, we'd better be shooting pictures. We were, and I am glad we were. Following a deer trail through the pines south of the dam at Ludington State Park led me into a winter world of white.

The Mason County Courthouse is an impressive structure that has intrigued me since I was a young boy. Our courthouse was finished in 1894 and is still in use today. Grand Rapids architect Sidney J. Osgood designed the Richardsonian Romanesque building. The sandstone used to build the courthouse came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. F5.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 23 mm

Views like this remind me how blessed I am to live along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I am standing atop a high dune near the south end of Silver Lake State Park only a half-hour from home looking north over thousands of acres of dune lands in the park. F22 at 1/4, ISO 140, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

I had hiked through heavy snow for several hours on a January morning, occasionally finding a picture worth taking. On my way back from making the image I had pre-visualized on Lost Lake, I got an added bonus when these deer peered out from their snow shelter. The bonus shot was an example of what we preach to our workshop students: look for what you expect or plan to shoot, but be alert and ready for the unexpected shot.

It is shocking to me that my dad and I have never been to this spot at the Silver Lake State Park before. We have driven our trucks within 100 yards of here, but we have never taken the time to get out of the vehicles and explore the other side of the creek at Ruckel's Bridge. Finding hidden treasures like this is a photographer's version of winning the lotto. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

Winter Has Arrived - panoramic

My dad and I often tell our workshop students to try to shoot reflections or water on bright sunny days. The water will render very chromatic and brilliant compared to the sky or other surroundings that are being washed out by the sunlight. F5.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 23 mm