Search

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 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.

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.

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.

Nikon D850. F8 at 1/1600, ISO 800. 24-70mm lens at 35mm. May 6, 2020 at 1:33pm.

Nikon D850. F11 at 1/500, ISO 400. 24-70mm lens at 55mm. May 7, 2020 at 6:44pm.

Nikon D850. F22 at 1/160, ISO 400. 14-24mm lens at 19mm. May 8, 2020 at 2:03pm.

Nikon D850. F16 at 1/5, ISO 31. 85mm lens at 85mm. May 10, 2020 at 4:46pm.

Nikon D850. F22 at 1/30, ISO 100. 14-24mm lens at 23mm. May 15, 2020 at 2:16pm.