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I think it must be the photojournalist in me that has always rebelled against setting up props for the fine art photographs I make. I greatly admire fine art photographers who employ props in a way that moves me and tells a story. One of the Michigan Upper Peninsula photographic artists I most admire, Paul Arno Rose, is a master at employing canoes, classic small boats, old chairs and even a Thermos as props to tell beautiful visual stories. After having spent a third of my life as a newspaper photographer, I tend toward the “found” picture. By that I mean finding what is already there in the world and documenting it. I have driven through Stearns Park in Ludington tens of thousands of times, rarely finding a picture. On this summer day in 2019, I found very picturesque these beach umbrellas set up by beachgoers

Couples of all ages love to take leisurely strolls along the winding shores of Lake Michigan. The sound of the undulating waves, the smell of the beach grass, and the feeling of sand between your toes is so inviting that you can't resist the temptations of our West Michigan shorelines.

Generations of families have enjoyed decades of fun and quality time together while camping at one of the three amazing campgrounds in Ludington State Park. Most families have a favorite spot that they try to reserve in January for the coming year. Good food, laughter, and fun stories are often shared around the campfire and great memories are made for all.

Often times while I am photographing an extraordinary light show, I ponder what our human ancestors must have felt when they witnessed similar sights thousands of years ago. On December 14, 2006, as I stood on a dune inside the Ludington State Park and photographed the Aurora Borealis and an incredible meteor shower, I was overcome by a rush of emotions. The light show was so intense that it evoked a sense of fear in me. I knew nothing horrible was actually happening, but the sky was so turbulent that it still made me feel a bit uneasy. I imagine that our ancestors might have felt true fear because they didn't have the knowledge of modern science to explain what they were seeing.

Since the 1930s, the Beach House at Ludington State Park has served many functions. My favorite memories of the Beach House are the massive family reunions my mom's family would have there when I was young. While the adults were busy catching up on the past year's events, we kids were busy exploring the mysterious castle on the beach.

Once in a great while, a sign in the outdoor world appeals to me. This one on the hull of a weathered rental boat beached on Hamlin Lake was one of those rare exceptions.

The moon is an extremely difficult subject to photograph. If you set your exposure according to the camera meter, then you get some detail in the night sky and foreground, but the moon is a solid white circle with no detail. If you underexpose by three or four stops, then you get the "cheese" of the moon, but no detail in the sky or foreground. The moon also moves so quickly that it requires a relatively fast shutter speed. When it's dark outside, the only way to get a fast shutter speed is to raise your ISO or film speed. However, high film speeds are grainy or noisy. The choice is yours.

Every summer, thousands of visitors frequent the Beach House, inside Ludington State Park. Weddings, family reunions, and eating ice cream are just a few of the uses for this grand structure.

I have watched this solitary soldier appear to stand guard over the graves of veterans in Lakeview Cemetery, north of Ludington, for years. I find it fascinating to see the scenes change around the stone soldier as the seasons come and go.

I have always been fascinated by pointillism and how colors can be blended to make something larger and more fantastic. While photographing the rocks in front of Big Point Sable Lighthouse at Ludington State Park, I was impressed by the small "points" of color on the water, rocks, and ice and how the colors blended to create a wonderful image.

It is exhilarating to watch the white canvas of snow being painted by the bright colors of a Lake Michigan sunset. A snow-covered, wind-blown sand dune along the west edge of M-116 was my canvas of choice on this January evening.

The skill and determination of the anglers who surf fish along the Lake Michigan shoreline is inspiring. Wind, waves, rain, and even lightning do not appear to deter the fishing desire of the most aggressive anglers.

In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Beach House at the Ludington State Park. The CCC also built many of the current park roads and twelve warming shelters on the trail system. Unfortunately, many of the original shelters were destroyed by vandalism and severe weather. Luckily though, the Beach House remains and is a beautiful piece of history.

Over thousands of years, wind driven sand has polished smooth millions of stones along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The flat-sided stones are called ventifacts. I made this photograph near the Big Point Sable Lighthouse while on a hike to the northern boundary of the Ludington State Park.

One of my ultimate dreams in photography has been to capture the Northern Lights with my camera. On Dec. 14, 2006, my dream was realized. Around 8:30 pm I trekked to the top of a large dune within Ludington State Park. Five minutes later, the entire evening sky over Lake Michigan erupted into a bright red and green palette of color. As I was exposing this photograph, two large meteors blazed through the sky. The rush of emotions I felt that night were overwhelming.

Golfing with Papa Bill is a favorite pastime of mine. Last year I was his golf partner on a league at Hemlock Golf Course, not far from his house in Ludington. Today we hit some balls for fun, and as usual, he beat me by 10 strokes.

For my dad’s 71st birthday today, the kids and I stood outside his condo on Rath Avenue and waved up to him and my stepmom, Debbie, on their deck. We sang happy birthday to him from a distance. This is one of the super-sucky parts of COVID-19 and social distancing.

The Mason County Courthouse looked stately as ever today with the beautiful clouds and crisp blue skies above it. The red sandstone was shining bright and the details really were popping in the magic light.

Ethan has wanted a dirt bike for years and today was finally the day his dreams came true. As he was doing a few laps in the front yard, I made photos of him using a slow shutter speed and panning by hand. Ethan and his new motorcycle look fairly sharp, and the background behind him looks blurry. This effect gives the image a sense of speed and motion.

The fruit trees in Mason County are starting to blossom. I love this newer sculpture in Waterfront Park that is dedicated to the hard-working fruit farmers past and present in our area.