Miscellaneous Images

Julia made a nice putt tonight while she, Ethan, and I were playing mini golf at the Ludington Jaycees Mini Golf at Stearns Beach. The newly redone course is a Ludington treasure and I have always loved the Badger hole. I have great memories of playing this same course with my dad and my brother when I was little, so it is super fun for me to play it now with my kids..

This morning I met my dad for breakfast at Big Boy in Ludington. My dad was late because he found a picture to take on the way. I got bored and grabbed my camera and walked around the parking lot looking for a photo of my own. In a few short minutes, I found an S-curve in the pavement that was accentuated by the rainwater. F18.0 at 0.6, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 32 mm

We don’t usually shoot commission photographs for people, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph Lon Reader’s 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX convertible with a 426 Hemi and a 4-speed manual transmission. Lon was getting ready to sell this car that he had purchased in high school several decades ago. He wanted a picture to help him remember this classic American car.

Gary Lange, a volunteer Ludington firefighter for 40 years, stands out in a crowd of local professional rescuers being honored during Friday Night Live. I witnessed up close the heroism and devotion to duty and community of Gary and hundreds of other rescuers during the 23 years I photographed them in action for the Ludington Daily News. F4.5 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Mike Cooper of the Hamlin Township Fire Department turned on all the lights and gave me a tour of the new brush truck that the department purchased earlier in the year. I have been obsessed with off-road pickup trucks my whole life. This is the truck of trucks! F2.8 at 1/25, ISO 100, 18 mm-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Dave McClellan enjoys a conversation with his son while relaxing at his B15 gas station north of Silver Lake. Dave doesn't sell any gas. The restored service station is a hangout for family and friends and a visual trip back in time for motorists passing by. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Today was Julia’s very first day of golf practice ever. Julia has decided to try out for the Ludington High School girls golf team. She is new to the game of golf, but already loves it. As she was standing there at Lincoln Hills with her golf bag on her back and her awesome muscles showing, I couldn’t resist embarrassing her and making her pose for a cell phone shot to document this fun moment.

Lake Michigan looks beautiful and inviting for swimmers on yet another hot, humid summer 2010 day. I am tempted to put down the camera and jump in but I need to make a good picture first. F8.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

The look on my son Brad's face tells the story of his determination, intensity, and focus. I have seen that look for many years on the soccer field. That ability to focus and not be deterred is a trait that enables him as a photographer to achieve clear goals. F8 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

Taking one for the team, Brad hangs in there as he and his camera are engulfed by a breaking wave. This is one of Brad's first Great Lakes wave adventures with an underwater camera housing for his Nikon D7000 camera loaned to us for the Tuesdays Project. F8 at 1/2500, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

A brisk wind snaps the POW-MIA Flag and American Flag to the attention of a passer-by this evening at Coast Guard Station Ludington. The POW-MIA flag salutes all present and past American POW-MIAs and reminds us of the price they and their families paid and are paying to help keep America free. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 120 mm

One of my favorite things about my dad is that he likes to goof off and he enjoys making people laugh. This photograph proves my point! F9 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

This is possibly the worst self-portrait that I have ever seen. Fish-eye lenses do not do any favors for people's faces. I am glad Hamlin Lake is so clean because I drank a lot of water while trying not to laugh under water. F9 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 12mm

One of the concepts we teach in our workshops is to put triangles or pyramids in the base of your compositions. That is what I tried to do in this photograph. When you place a strong pyramid shape in the bottom of your image, the viewer is drawn into the photograph. F6.3 at 1/60, ISO 640, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The Marble family had a big gathering today out at my Uncle Rod’s house near Hamlin Lake. I have always loved his rebuilt 1958 Chevy pickup truck, so today I decided to try and make a nice photograph of it with my big camera. You should see the engine and the maple pickup bed!

Dwight “Scotty” Scott was my step-grandpa. As a little kid, I loved my Papa Scotty. I spent a lot of time at his restaurant Scotty’s in Ludington. Unfortunately, his original restaurant, Scotty’s Wren’s Roost, located on the middle bayou of Hamlin Lake, had burned to the ground a year before I was born. A family friend gave me an original coffee mug from there and I photographed it tonight.

Once in a blue moon a picture like this comes along. I am on my way home from teaching a photo workshop with Brad and am feeling like I have not yet made an image I want to select as my 365 picture of the day. Then I remember the Blu Moon restaurant and how interesting its one-of-a-kind neon sign looks at night. F2.8 at 1/40, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

J's Country Store on M-116 near Ludington State Park has a few large cement animals on display near their entrance. This pig with a wig is my favorite. I hope it makes you chuckle as much as my daughter Julia and I did. F5.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 110 mm

It is fun and a challenge to try to capture what world-famous photographer Cartier-Bresson described as the "decisive moment." My goal on this shot is to capture Erica Karmeisool and her fan club at just the right moment as she finishes her first triathlon in Ludington. F4.0 at 1/640, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

One of my friends from high school, Ali Smith Molnar, owns Smith Sports Training and she helps train other people and get them into shape. Today, Ali competed in the triathlon in Ludington. She beat most of the men in the Olympic distance race. It was awesome watching her and the rest of the participants. F2.8 at 1/5000, ISO 400, 70-200 mm lens at 110 mm