Miscellaneous Images

Who knew that death and decay could be so beautiful? The strive for life in a mature Michigan forest never ceases to amaze me. Ten years ago we harvested several large hardwood trees off of our property and the forest is already quickly regrowing. F9 at 1/80, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

At the base of Caberfae Peaks near Cadillac, Michigan, you will find this old sign. With my camera on full manual metering, I set my exposure for the clouds and the sky in the background. Then I lit up the sign with my attached Nikon flash using through-the-lens metering at minus 3. Without the flash, the sign would have been a dark silhouette. F11 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

This photograph of Caberfae Peaks gets me really excited about the upcoming Michigan ski season. The combination of bright sunshine, blue skies with white billowy clouds and snow makes me smile. F14 at 1/800, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

Success while hunting for pheasants with our cameras on a winter afternoon near Mesick brings a smile to my son Brad's face. The wiley birds at Thundering Aspens often outfoxed or outraced us, but perseverance is paying off. F3.2 at 1/2500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

For years people have viewed my 1975 portrait of the Ludington commercial fishing wharf and been very quick to identify the location as Fishtown in Leland. Most people never saw or don’t remember what the Pere Marquette Lake waterfront at what is now Ludington Municipal Marina looked like 45 years or more ago. I remember. I loved the fishing boats, the fish shanties and the commercial fishermen there. I made a lot of images before the fishermen were driven out of business, the fish markets closed, and the buildings torn down or moved. This is the best image I ever made of the entire wharf. I made it from the end of the Number One carferry slip, which also is gone now. The rugged old fish tugs pictured here are (from left) Jim and Ron Walters’ tug LaBlanche, Alex and Louis Cloutier’s tug Vanderberg Bros., and Leo Cloutier’s tug Flipper. The tiny building (far left) that looks like an ice fishing shanty was the “clubhouse” where I was told the fishermen used to meet to converse and play cards. The commercial fishing buildings include (right to left) Peterson’s Fish Market, last operated by Ed Stowe and Lindquist’s Fish Market. The buildings were also used to store and repair fishnets.

I cannot imagine these old downtown Manistee buildings looking more impressive when they were built more than a century ago than they look now. I look forward every Christmas season to seeing the phenomenal old-fashioned Victorian Sleighbell Parade pass by these buildings. F22 at 1/20, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 36mm

Manistee is famous for its grand lumbering era churches. I have photographed them all. Today, however, I am attracted to the beautifully designed cross-crowned bell tower of the much younger Trinity Lutheran Church. F8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

This beautiful dune grass seed head looks like a deer's tail as the golden light from the setting sun hits it. By getting above the grass and shooting down, I was able to control the background of the image. A clean, simple background means nothing competes for the viewer's attention. F9 at 1/200, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 23mm

Looking at a classic building like the original part of Ludington Public Library is like reading a classic book; neither ever goes out of style and both become more revered with time. I am so grateful for the preservation and restoration of the library built in 1905-06 with funding from a Carnegie Grant and from the City of Ludington. The Wilson family and many other friends of the library made the recent restoration and expansion possible. F22 at 8 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Simple and poetic photographs are fun to make, but often hard to pull off. They can become boring pretty easily. The wetlands on the campus of Western Michigan University have a lot of cattails and beautiful grasses surrounding them. Using my largest telephoto lens on a tripod, I slowly panned the camera while looking through the viewfinder until I found a simple composition that felt right. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 600mm

This Christmas wreath provides the perfect holiday complement for the plaza archway it graces in downtown Kalamazoo. The two tasteful designs fit together perfectly. F11 at 1/60, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Looking like a supersized Walmart greeter, a statuesque Santa Claus waves to passersby in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The Super Santa definitely makes me chuckle as I work to make a portrait of him. F7.1 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 92mm

For several years I have wanted to make a nighttime shot of downtown Grand Rapids from one of the upper floors of the Bridgewater Place building. The skyscraper sits on the west side of the Grand River and is the perfect vantage point for the photo I had previsualized. It feels great to have finally made this image. F18 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

Grand Rapids is a spectacular city to behold any time but I especially love the view from Bridgewater Place at dusk as rush hour traffic becomes ribbons of light. I had seen the view from the 11th floor office of UBS Financial Services Senior Vice President B. J. Palmore in the daytime so I knew it would be good at night. I got a far better return on my investment of time at UBS than I expected. Thanks, Bill. F10 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The exquisitely decorated Christmas tree outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum drew my attention earlier as I looked down from one of the Grand Rapids skyscrapers in the background. Now, standing in front of the museum, I get to see the tree and its reflection in the museum's mirrored windows and reflecting pond. F25 at 20 seconds, ISO 800, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

My good friend, Amy Seng, recently moved from Ludington to take a job in downtown Grand Rapids. Her new office sits across the street from Rosa Parks Circle. Amy suggested that we should photograph the ice skaters and Christmas lights here at nighttime. I wish every town in Michigan had a lighted ice rink in the middle of downtown. I am going to work on making that happen in Ludington! F2.8 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 32mm

I don't have to drive far from my Ludington home to make the first of three photographs I have planned to take on Christmas Day. The Father Marquette Memorial cross on Pere Marquette Lake silently heralds Jesus as the "reason for the season" for Christians around the world. F22 at 6 seconds, ISO 200, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

On this final Tuesday of 2012, I have chosen to come to a place I know will look magical on Christmas night. I am atop the Buck, a hill I have skied for more than a half-century, and below me lies Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa. A fresh snowfall helps Crystal look, from high above, like a real Christmas village this evening. F16 at 30 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

On this final Tuesday of 2012, I have chosen to come to a place I know will look magical on Christmas night. I am atop the Buck, a hill I have skied for more than a half-century, and below me lies Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa. A fresh snowfall helps Crystal look, from high above, like a real Christmas village this evening. F16 at 30 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm