Search

Only cormorants live on Gray's Reef Light anymore. The unmanned lighthouse marks one of the most treacherous shoals in Northern Lake Michigan. I like the understated yet carefully detailed design of the 1936 structure. F6.3 at 1/800, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

 My family and I had just finished a nice dinner with my mom and dad, and my brother Paul’s family at his house. On our drive home my eyes were on the sky. I knew that I wanted to get to the lakeshore and shoot the sunset. We hurried home to get my tripod, and had plans to head in, as a family, to enjoy what I hoped would be a nice evening with great light. My two and a half year old son David Benjamin had other ideas! He actually begged to stay home. Daddy and David Benjamin stayed and held down the fort at home while I headed towards the beach with my five and a half year old daughter Kasey Mae. She loves to help mommy shoot, and I thought for sure I’d have to fight her for my camera. However, within seconds of seeing the water she was asking if she could go in and play. Upon hearing my approval, she ran into the water, with her shoes and socks still on! It was a fun night of shooting for me, and playing in the water for her. I named this photo “Mae’s Rays”. It was shot the last day of May 2014; Mae is Kasey’s middle name as well as my mom’s middle name. My mom and Kasey Mae play a very important role in my life, and I’m happy to have made this image for them.

My wife and I watched from a high dune vantage point. We waited, for over two hours, for the sunlight to come into line with the water that was winding its way to Lake Michigan from the Bass Lake Outlet. I liked the resulting picture but looked forward to photographing that S-curve with a sky filled with storm clouds. I returned on such a day only to find winds and waves had swept away the S-curve and left a straighter stream behind.

This little masked bandit stole a granola bar out of the open camera bag I left unattended on the ground about 10 feet from me. When I heard a crunching noise, I turned around to find him with his mouth filled with my granola bar. He quickly made his way up into a nearby tree to escape the hustle and bustle of the small campground in downtown Bear Lake, Michigan. As I switched lenses and got into position, the setting sun broke through the thick cloud layer and lit the thief's guilty face.

Rays of Hope

 We all wear many hats in our lives. Some have a greater priority over others, and it’s easy to forget about the ones that mean the most to you and your heart. I’ve decided it’s time to dust off my Photographer hat, and put it back on. I’m excited to focus and set aside some time for my personal work and projects that I’ve been dreaming about for years. My children all love to get their cameras and tripods out (well Joshua likes to pretend anyway). I’m looking forward to helping them learn the way of photography. I’m excited to continue to share my work with family and friends!

Sea-Rays

After stopping in Walkerville to get some breakfast, I continued east on my journey to Legends Ranch in Bitely, Michigan. A few minutes outside of Walkerville, I drove into heavy fog. The fog got so thick that I had to slow down and drive less than 10 miles per hour. When I rounded a bend, I was awe struck to see the sun shining through the top of a huge tree. The intense sunlight and dense fog was a photographer's dream!

Lake Michigan