Ludington City Beach/Stearns

If you look closely, you will see a Lake Michigan surfer riding a wave off of Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I had fun watching the few daring surfers today as they worked hard to get into position to catch the perfect wave.

Today all is beautifully still on the Lake Michigan waterfront at Crosswinds but the snow fence lining the beach foretells of the windy, wintry weather to come. I am looking forward to snow. F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

I am struck by the "mountains" rising above Lake Michigan and the color reflecting off the massive clouds. It is too windy on my deck, so I move the camera and tripod indoors and open a window to sharply capture the moment. F4.0 at 0.5, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

With 150 feet of heavy-duty line tying my life jacket to a secure object on land, I was ready to do battle with the six-to-eight-foot Lake Michigan breakers that pounded the Ludington city beach. With my camera safely within waterproof housing, I spent 45 minutes bouncing around and chasing the waves. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

I wish you could have seen the giant grin on my face as this six-foot-tall Lake Michigan roller was about to body slam me and knock me off my feet. Luckily, I was shooting with my Nikon D7000 inside a specially made underwater housing that kept my camera dry and safe. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Some day I would love to go back to Hawaii. If I did I would certainly take some surfing lessons. For now, I will continue body surfing in Lake Michigan with my camera. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

The dramatic storm clouds in the distance and the brilliant sunlight combined to create an incredible light show for me today as I stood in Lake Michigan and photographed these monster breaking waves. This wave looked like a fine crystal sculpture, but had the power of a freight train. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

The dramatic storm clouds in the distance and the brilliant sunlight combined to create an incredible light show for me today as I stood in Lake Michigan and photographed these monster breaking waves. This wave looked like a fine crystal sculpture, but had the power of a freight train. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Enjoying the End of Summer

Little did I know that as I was photographing this tree during an extraordinary sunset at my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, Rachel was also photographing trees miles away at her family’s farm.