Ludington State Park Queen of the North

My high school math teacher, Mr. Bud, told his students many funny stories of his days working as a park ranger at the Ludington State Park. Mr. Bud also taught us to KISS: Keep It Simple, Silly! I often try to apply KISS to my photographic compositions. Simple compositions can become great art.

When I first came upon this scene I quickly noticed an orange leaf stuck in the tired-looking snow fence. I frantically tried to make a good close up photograph of the leaf while the magic light was still hitting it. After getting frustrated and stepping back from the scene, I noticed the repetitive patterns and leading lines that the sand and snowfence made together. I recomposed the photograph and made the leaf an added ingredient. Little did I know that a few hours later I would be back out at the park photographing the Northern Lights.

Lake Michigan waves colored with sunset afterglow wash ashore near the Second Curve at Ludington State Park, creating ever-changing watercolor artwork. Just as quickly as one of these "wave paintings" appears, it starts to disappear as the wave energy is spent and gravity carries the water back lake-ward. Seeing and capturing these interesting but fleeting patterns of light and shadow is challenging and a good exercise in seeing. Nature does the painting; the photographer's role is to watch, recognize a picture and shoot before the "painting" erases itself.

Big Sable Lighthouse looks its 140th birthday party best during an anniversary celebration held by the light's amazing crew of volunteer caretakers. The Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers work tirelessly year after year to maintain and restore the lighthouse and attached keepers' quarters. Thousands of visitors each year get to enjoy the fruits of the keepers' labors.

My sister-in-law Misty Reed likes to imagine that the little feather in this photograph represents her and the big feather represents her husband, my older brother, Tad. I am not sure how the feathers got stuck upright in the sand, but I love the dreamy mood of this photograph.

Generally, to make a powerful grand scenic photograph, you need a strong foreground, middle ground, and background. The trick is to get the three separate layers of the photograph to overlap in a way that the viewer's mind will not get bored and "leave" the photograph. You want to encourage the viewer's eye to move all around the photograph. The viewer will also tend to have a greater emotional interest in the piece of art.

One of the concepts my son Brad and I emphasize to our photography students is framing. Using something in the foreground to frame or partially frame an image provides immediacy, depth and added interest elements. I framed this shot shortly after sunrise at the beginning of November along the Lost Lake Trail.

I photographed Ludington State Park for several hours on a glorious January morning after the biggest snowfall of the winter. Then it occurred to me that a spot where I had taken a photograph of fall color might also look spectacular in winter. A half-hour of hiking later, I was making this picture. The two shots show how places that are beautiful in one season may well be beautiful in another.

A great wildlife photographer friend of my dad's and mine told us several years ago: "If you don't get off the couch, you will never be able to make good photographs." Our friend was right; the more time you spend outdoors shooting, the better your odds of capturing a great moment in nature. On a warm October afternoon in 2007, I was tired of looking at the computer all day and drove out to the Ludington State Park for a mental health break. Twenty minutes into the shoot, a curious fox crept very close to the tree I was resting against. The fox held still long enough for me to make two photographs. I was never so glad in my life that I had gotten off the couch.

A great horned owl eyes visitors to Ludington State Park. The owl was a star attraction during one of the many wildlife education programs put on at the park's Great Lakes Visitors Center. Wildlife Recovery Association had brought the beautiful bird and several other injured birds of prey to the nature center. Attending the park's interpretive programs helps thousands of visitors better understand, appreciate and respect the park and all its living things.

Venturing deeper into wildlife photography has been a wonderful challenge. We invested a lot of money into a 500-millimeter Nikon F4 lens and a new carbon fiber tripod designed for heavy telephoto lenses. We quickly learned that even with the best equipment, great wildlife photographs depend most of all on the light and capturing the defining moment. After a year of searching for the bald eagle shot I had always pre-visualized at the Ludington State Park, my luck changed on July 25, 2007.

I can’t imagine how many shots of songbirds I have taken in 50 years, but I can unequivocally say this is by far my favorite and most artistic. The moment this male cardinal, in all its glory, landed in this spot, I realized this was the perfect bird in the perfect position in the perfect place at the perfect time. The bright red bird rocketed out of the monochromatic background of the rocks and fresh snow. I couldn’t have designed or painted a better background. Click. Mission accomplished, not because making that image was my objective; it wasn’t. I got out early that morning because of the gorgeous blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. I drove to Ludington State Park and hiked across the foot bridge to the far side of the Sable River and found a spot to hide myself, my tripod, my Nikon camera and 500-millimeter telephoto lens amidst some young pine in hopes of catching some shots of a mink or two coming out of an opening in the rocks as I had observed on a previous hike. Just as I had anticipated, a mink soon emerged. I was all set to capture the moment the mink’s splendid coat would be framed against the snow. Photographers dream of what wildlife might do. As in this case, sometimes you can even visualize the finished picture on the wall. But of course it is up to the wildlife to decide for themselves where and how they present themselves and the course they will travel. We can’t pose them. For more than two hours I watched mink occasionally come out and go back in. Never did one of them set foot in the snow. I was getting more frustrated and colder by the minute. Suddenly a cardinal flew in. Fortunately, my camera was already trained and focused on the spot because cardinals almost never stay still for more than a few seconds. Because I chose to get off the couch, because I got out early to take advantage of the fresh snow, because I had paid my dues spending a lot of time at the park, because I had previously seen the mink along the river in that location, and because I overcame the great disappointment of the lack of cooperation from the mink, because I stayed, I made a completely unexpected but better image that will be most pleasing to me for the rest of my life. Many of my favorite images did not come easy. That makes them especially rewarding.

Large telephoto lenses are great for photographing wildlife because they allow you to keep your distance from the subject. Many times the subject doesn't even know it is being photographed and its behavior will continue in its natural state. This great blue heron was focused on finding fish in Hamlin Lake and was not bothered by me while I photographed it with a 1050-millimeter telephoto lens.

A rough-legged hawk stands out against a backdrop of pine trees outside the Great Lakes Visitors Center at Ludington State Park. The rehabilitating bird was being held by Joe Rogers of Wildlife Recovery Association for park visitors to see and learn about. Wildlife Recovery cares for injured and orphaned wildlife and sets free those that are ready to re-enter the wild.

Seeing one bald eagle on a perch from 30 yards away is a rush; seeing a pair of eagles from that distance is breathtaking. It is no wonder why the founding fathers of this great nation chose the bald eagle to represent the pride of America. Eagles are majestic and powerful looking creatures, and when you see how large their talons are, you quickly respect them as well.

Appearing to be huddling together against the cold, or perhaps just having a conversation about the "just ducky" weather, two male Mallards endure some fowl weather on the Sable River.

Mute swans use their wings as sails to cruise the Sable River in perfect symmetry on a winter afternoon. Though not as rare as the trumpeter swans that are occasionally spotted at the park, the mute swans with their telltale orange bills are equally beautiful and awe park visitors wherever they appear.

Whoever thinks swamps are ugly has never really seen one. Look past preconceived notions or connotations. Spend time getting acquainted with the swampy areas of Ludington State Park. The result: seeing and savoring scenes like this one I discovered while hiking the Island Trail.

Brad maneuvered our shallow draft photo shooting boat to help me compose this image of one of the most beautiful coves on Hamlin Lake. The shelter building near where the Island Trail meets the Ridge Trail is in the background. On windy days, the cove provides welcome shelter from the waves that often quickly kick up. Thankfully, Hamlin Lake was in a tranquil mood this summer morning.

A spider bridges the gap between clusters of blue vervain growing in the sand dunes south of the Sable River. I discovered the delicate flowers on one of many summer hikes I have made on these southern park trails that are far less traveled than most of the other trails in the State Park. I love the fresh views these trails provide as they weave through the sand, jack pines and wetlands tucked in the valleys between the dunes.