Miscellaneous Images

West Shore Campus. 3/2025

Brad and I both got to witness and photograph the second "Blood Moon" of the year. The earth has eclipsed the full moon on this October morning, blocking direct sunlight. The scattering of the sunlight is causing the red color. I like learning the science behind the "Blood Moon" but it is the resulting art I love.

I made a family portrait of Sean, Betsy, and the kids today on our hike at the Ludington State Park. I used my external flash to light up their coats and faces. We don’t shoot portraits for hire at this point, but we might someday, and I enjoy practicing on my family.

Orvis fishing guide Frank Willetts looks on as customers fly fish for trout on the Pere Marquette River, one of many world-class trout streams in Michigan. Customers come from across the country to fish the Pere Marquette. Willetts co-owns the Pere Marquette River Lodge in Baldwin.

Stained glass windows have always been one of my photography muses. I found this beautiful window at the Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington.

One-year-old Caly Eisenlohr stands out beautifully in a sea of dandelions. I was making an image of an orchard and the dandelions in full bloom along Pere Marquette Highway when Caly's parents, Jerrod and Tara, decided this was the perfect setting for them to take pictures of Caly and her three-year-old brother Owen. F4 at 1/320, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

My wife Betsy and I left for Hawaii today. While we were flying over the mountains in California on our way to the Los Angles airport, I used my iPhone and took this photo out the window of the airplane. I loved the patterns on the Earth in the foreground of the photograph. The patterns helped create a very three-dimensional feel to this photograph. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 70, iPhone camera

Today was our first full day on the island of Maui. We took our rented Mustang convertible for a nice drive to the Iao Valley State Park. The peak on the left hand side of this photograph is the Iao Needle. The famous Hawaiian landmark is covered by dense rain forest and measures 2,250 feet above sea level. F7.1 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

Golfing with Papa Bill is a favorite pastime of mine. Last year I was his golf partner on a league at Hemlock Golf Course, not far from his house in Ludington. Today we hit some balls for fun, and as usual, he beat me by 10 strokes.

The newer portion of the beautiful Amway Grand Plaza Hotel was casting a cool shadow on the Grand River today and Sarah Genson and I spotted it at the same exact time. We fought over who actually discovered it first. Honestly, she probably saw the photo opportunity a second before me, but I pulled the trigger first. I never had a sister until she came to work for us and now we have our own unique version of sibling rivalry. F14 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 23mm

For my dad’s 71st birthday today, the kids and I stood outside his condo on Rath Avenue and waved up to him and my stepmom, Debbie, on their deck. We sang happy birthday to him from a distance. This is one of the super-sucky parts of COVID-19 and social distancing.

The delicate, curved, repetitive patterns of newly formed spring leaves contrast and complement the bold, linear patterns of a downtown Grand Rapids modern skyscraper a couple blocks away. I choose to shoot with a telephoto lens to draw the two subjects together and crop out unwanted distractions. F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 100mm

The Mason County Courthouse looked stately as ever today with the beautiful clouds and crisp blue skies above it. The red sandstone was shining bright and the details really were popping in the magic light.

About two hours before shooting this photo I heard that one of my greatest role models died unexpectedly back home in Ludington. Tex Smith was my childhood soccer coach, he was the father of my best friend and college roommate Chris Smith, and he was our business consultant for our photography business. Most of all Tex was my friend. F14.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Standing above the clouds at the peak of the Haleakala Crater on the island of Maui this afternoon was awesome. The crater has changed shape greatly over the last hundred thousand years, but I am certain it has always been breathtaking. F14.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Ethan has wanted a dirt bike for years and today was finally the day his dreams came true. As he was doing a few laps in the front yard, I made photos of him using a slow shutter speed and panning by hand. Ethan and his new motorcycle look fairly sharp, and the background behind him looks blurry. This effect gives the image a sense of speed and motion.

I wanted to try something new with my camera so I went down in my basement late at night and turned off all the lights. With the camera on a tripod, I took a 30-second exposure and then turned on a flashlight that had two red lights on it. I slowly moved the flashlight around as the camera exposed. After several attempts, this was my favorite. F11.0 at 30.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I love living near Oriole Field in Ludington and hearing Dennis Genson announce soccer games from my front yard. It takes me down memory lane. Tonight, I heard that familiar voice and headed to Oriole Field with my camera. This photo is of Megan Kokx, who is a sophomore on the Ludington High School varsity soccer team. F5.6 at 1/400, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

The fruit trees in Mason County are starting to blossom. I love this newer sculpture in Waterfront Park that is dedicated to the hard-working fruit farmers past and present in our area.