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It is a dark, rainy September day but I keep reminding myself we are always preaching to our photography workshop students that bad weather is good weather for photographers. I just have to find the good. From my truck, the apples trees in a Mason County orchard do not look attractive. But when I move 20 times closer and throw in a little light from my truck headlights, these apples look better than candy apples at a country fair.

The Orchard at my parent’s farm may not be what people typically think of when they hear the word “orchard”. A lot of them assume we have several acres of trees, and although it might be small compared to many, it’s ours. The lilac bushes that surround the orchard might not be world class, but they’re ours. The tire swing hanging in the middle of these might seem ordinary to others, but not to us. My family has made many memories while playing baseball in the orchard, hide and seek in the lilacs, and of course being pushed on that tire swing. They’re one of the first things you see when turning into the driveway after a long day of traveling, and once your headlights hit them, you can breathe a sigh of relief because you’re “home”. Now, as my siblings and I have our own children, they too know that feeling, and are busy making their own memories in the orchard, lilacs, and Papa’s tire swing (as my two kids call it). These memories will last forever, and will continue to grow for generations to come. 

The Grounds at Legends Deer Ranch

Nikon D810. F3.5 at 1/250, ISO 400. 85mm lens at 85mm. May 22, 2020 at 7:05pm.

These apples in an orchard along Meisenheimer Road south of Ludington may not be ready to pick yet but they sure look good enough to eat as I look through my viewfinder after a brief rain shower. F4.0 at 1/13, ISO 160, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Nikon D810. F10.0 at 1/320, ISO 6400. 60-600mm lens at 500mm. August 23, 2020 at 8:00pm.

Knowing that Michigan's apple crop was nearly wiped out by frost this year, I am delighted to see these healthy looking apples growing in a Mason County orchard. I hope the grower is able to get a handsome price for the relatively few apples that survived the premature arrival of spring weather this year. F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm