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Composing photographs can be like assembling a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. You have to look very closely at every piece to see how they fit together. One missing piece can ruin the entire experience. This winter puzzle I made off the bridge on M37 fit together perfectly. F5.6 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 82mm

I can't help but imagine myself aboard the snowmobile that made this track. It appears to fade out of sight due to the "blizzard" being created by several dozen snowmaking machines in operation at Caberfae Peaks. The Northern Michigan ski area near Cadillac, Michigan opened for its first season in 1938. F22 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

The canal connecting Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell is frozen over on this November morning. The new ice is shiny and frosted. As I walk along the canal at William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac searching for pictures to make, the reflection of a nearby yield sign comes into view. The reflection looks to me like a beautiful glass Christmas ornament. F22 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

Mother Nature is getting a little help today decorating this spruce tree. The beautiful tree stands in front of one of the ski lodges at Caberfae Peaks. Today this tree is being coated by a snowmaking machine creating manmade snow for downhill skiing at Caberfae. F22 at 1/1600, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

At the base of Caberfae Peaks near Cadillac, Michigan, you will find this old sign. With my camera on full manual metering, I set my exposure for the clouds and the sky in the background. Then I lit up the sign with my attached Nikon flash using through-the-lens metering at minus 3. Without the flash, the sign would have been a dark silhouette. F11 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

This photograph of Caberfae Peaks gets me really excited about the upcoming Michigan ski season. The combination of bright sunshine, blue skies with white billowy clouds and snow makes me smile. F14 at 1/800, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

As we enter the village of Boon, Michigan, my eye is drawn to an old barn on a nearby hill. An overnight snowfall dresses up the once grand structure that is fading away like so many of Michigan's old barns. F22 at 1/125, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 112mm

Our friends, the Wright family, own and operate Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. Their ring-necked pheasants naturally reproduce and fly as well as any wild pheasant. The Wrights entice the birds to stay on their property by creating a natural habit and by growing sorghum and other crops that the pheasants love to eat all year long. I made this photograph on the edge of one of their fields. F4 at 1/640, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

This year on Tuesdays I have photographed over a dozen different bald eagles. My dad and I spot eagles now all the time around Michigan. Of all my eagle photos, this one has the best light. This immature bald eagle was flying directly into the sunlight about 30 minutes before sunset. The young bird was flying over Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan looking for its dinner. F4 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

The male ring-necked pheasant is, from my perspective, the most beautiful game bird in Michigan. This colorful ring-neck tries to hide in the grass at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. With the cornfield behind him plowed under and snow-covered; the colorful bird stands out despite staying motionless. F4.5 at 1/1000, ISO 1600, 500mm lens at 500mm

All I can think of is the Roadrunner cartoon character as this ring-necked pheasant speeds across a Northern Michigan cornfield. The colorful ring-neck is one of the many planted and naturally reproducing pheasants at the 800-acre Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick. Thundering Aspens has created one of the best habitats for pheasants in Michigan. F7.1 at 1/100, ISO 1600, 500mm lens at 500mm

Ring-necked pheasants are one of the most beautiful birds in the world. I was excited tonight to finally get a nice environmental portrait of these elusive birds. This guy was heading into a recently disked cornfield to eat some dinner. I photographed him at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. F4 at 1/800, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

The sweet little songs of chickadees and other small songbirds always brighten my day. By using my 600mm lens, I am able to bring the birds closer to me visually. This beautiful chickadee was singing in the sunlight this evening at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. F4 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

Success while hunting for pheasants with our cameras on a winter afternoon near Mesick brings a smile to my son Brad's face. The wiley birds at Thundering Aspens often outfoxed or outraced us, but perseverance is paying off. F3.2 at 1/2500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

My dad started out the day early this morning photographing the moon setting into Lake Michigan. It was fitting that I would end Week 48 of the Tuesdays Project by photographing the moon rising over some pine trees at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. F4 at 1/500, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 600mm

The South Branch of the Lincoln River looks like a dream this morning. I have passed this spot many times, knowing that on the right day there would be a picture to be made here. Today is the day. F6.3 at 30 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 48mm

Pentwater has to be one of the most picturesque villages in Michigan. With a long exposure this morning, I photographed Pentwater coming to life on a cold December morning. F5.6 at 30 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

The sunrise in the east was casting a turquoise light to the west over Lake Michigan this morning. Luckily, I was ready with my camera and found a strong foreground of dune grass to build my photograph. F4.5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The sunrise in the east was casting a turquoise light to the west over Lake Michigan this morning. Luckily, I was ready with my camera and found a strong foreground of dune grass to build my photograph. F4.5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

This lone tree at Charles Mears State Park in Pentwater looked extraordinary this morning with the colorful sky above Lake Michigan as the backdrop. I had to stand on top of my pickup truck to make this photograph because I wanted the split in the trunk to be right at the horizon line. F8 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm