Maple Trees

One of my favorite views is from this spot on First Street. You can see the huge base of the basswood tree at the end of my parents’ drive in the distance. You know you are “home” when you spot the tree. Tonight was particularly memorable.

Ethan and I went picture hunting tonight along Conrad Road. We photographed one of my favorite trees in Mason County tonight. The brilliant orange leaves on the tree along with the corn and asparagus below, made a picture-perfect scene.

In September of 2019, our assistant manager, Hannah Olson, married her best friend, Dan Ruhlig. They got married at the Little Point Sable Church in Mears, Michigan. I drove there today in order to capture this image in honor of Hannah and Dan.

Most of the big trees in my yard are oak trees. I much prefer maple trees. This maple tree is in my side yard right on the property border between my house and my neighbor’s house. It has finally turned colors and looks beautiful this morning.

If you are ever driving on Old US-31 south of Ludington, check out the giant tree near the corner of Conrad Road and Old US-31. I have always enjoyed looking at this tree and tonight I am finally making an image of it that I am proud of. With great clouds, it sure is a lot easier to make strong images.

After a chilly and windy opening day of rifle season, David and I were headed in for a warm dinner. The foggy atmosphere surrounding the field was a perfect black-and-white setting.

I switched deer hunting towers for the second night of the season. Tonight, I sat in my brother’s blind and the rain turned to a beautiful, sticky snow. Within a half hour, I watched this scene turn from brown and kind of ugly, to a winter wonderland. The deer loved the snow too because they finally started moving after the snow fell.

The combination of fog and rising sun makes this huge tree stand out even more than usual in a farm field west of Chase, Michigan. My son Brad spotted the rolling field and tree as we were driving across the state to photograph Lake Huron. We try to be always ready and willing to stop to photograph magic moments that appear anywhere we travel in Michigan. F16 at 1/13, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

How many trees look as spectacular without leaves as this giant maple along Conrad Road? I photographed it on Day 209 with green leaves and on Day 290 when the leaves turned golden. Today the size and symmetry of its branches stand out. F4.5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

This photograph represents the circle of life for trees. Healthy living trees that are starting to show their fall colors surround the dead tree in the middle. If you look closely you will also see a few tiny trees that are just starting their lives along the Lake Michigan shoreline at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. F22 at 13 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

P.J. Hoffmaster State Park is located on Lake Michigan at the south end of Muskegon, Michigan. Like many of the state parks in Michigan, Hoffmaster is extremely varied in its terrain and vegetation. One of my favorite spots at Hoffmaster is the tall wooded dune area just above the Little Black Creek Outlet near Lake Michigan. F8 at 0.8, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Although Nordhouse Lake has dried up and is covered with grasses and flowers this summer, I still find the view from this high spot along the south shore of the wilderness lake to be splendid. Best of all, Brad and I find this shady natural overlook to be the perfect spot to rest while savoring the view. We pause for a while to watch and listen to sandhill cranes on the far side of the lake bed. F18 at 1/60, ISO 200, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

While many of the trees further upstream along the Pere Marquette River had already begun turning color, this green giant and another nearby still wore their summer colors. I liked the way they stood out on this late September Michigan morning.

The moss-lined Ridge Trail in the Nordhouse Dunes Federal Wilderness beckons me forward to see what is around the next bend and over the next hill. This is one of the most pristine trails in the only federal wilderness area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. F16 at 1 second, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

After a quick trip to Muskegon to say hi and give Kasey a 12th Birthday hug, Brad and I headed north. Finally, Michigan was being graced with a winter wonderland! We had been waiting weeks for a snowfall that clings to the trees. I love when the foliage of the forest bends from the weight of the fallen snow. It makes me want to make a snow angel and look up at the big flakes as they cascade down towards me.

This swampy spot was near Hart, Michigan. I drove up and down this road, choosing the best spot to pull over and shoot. The framing around this opening is what helped me decide this was the place to shoot.

I took a detour on my way home tonight. I stayed off US-10 and drove mostly backroads. Color started to fill the sky. The only thing I needed was a subject. This tree was placed perfectly in the roll of the hill.

Nikon D810. F22.0 at 1/30, ISO 3200. 60-600mm lens at 66mm. December 23, 2020 at 4:57pm.

After a drizzly start to my hiking day at Kensington Metro Park, diffused sunlight creates a soft glow on leaves along one of the park's many miles of trails. I use a large telephoto lens and fast shutter speed to make only a cluster of maple leaves stand out sharply in the forest. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 3200, 300mm lens at 300mm

I have successfully captured “The Triple Trees” in three seasons so far, and I am running out of days in our project. Brad and I were up north shooting today when we could see that tonight was the night for the winter shot. We raced back to the farm to set up. My camera was acting up, and I had to grab Brad’s camera to make the image before the light faded. I was thankful he happened to be there!