Miscellaneous Images

Last night after I got done watching a movie at the theater, I drove out to the First Curve on M116 at the Ludington State Park to see if the Northern Lights were out. I knew they had been out the night before, but the clouds were so thick in our area, you couldn't get a good photo of them. The application, Aurora Forecast, that I use on my iPhone, was measuring a level 5 on the KP scale. Usually at a level 5, you can see a tiny bit of color with a trained eye and some of the white pillars if they are out, but your camera will pick up the color much better. Standing in the parking lot of the First Curve, I could see the white pillars, but no color. It took me a few minutes to get my boots, warm clothes, headlamp, and hat on and to get my camera pre-set at the truck. I hustled up the small dune to the north of where I parked with my camera and tripod and this was the first exposure I made. It turned out to be the best shot of the night because the light show was short lived. The red light in the foreground is from a car's headlights as it was approaching from behind me at the very end of the exposure. I was fired up to say the least.

The skill and determination of the anglers who surf fish along the Lake Michigan shoreline is inspiring. Wind, waves, rain, and even lightning do not appear to deter the fishing desire of the most aggressive anglers.

I have long wondered what the view was like from St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, which stands high atop a hill just north of Beulah, Michigan. On a cloudy winter day I find the distant view limited yet beautifully atmospheric.

Portrait photographers often use this old building near the corner of James and Melendy in Ludington as a backdrop for senior photos. The brickwork, windows, and varying textures lend themselves well to photography. F8.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 35 mm

Ludingtons Best Show

Today my cousins Casey, TJ, and Mason took the kids and me to an indoor trampoline park in Oxford, Michigan. I used my external flash to help freeze Ethan in mid-air as he was doing a flip.

I have long been fascinated by the big wooden reels used for storage and repair of large commercial fishing nets. This reel is mounted along the channel of Fishtown in Leland, Michigan, near Carlson's Fisheries. I wonder if it is still used today.

Time appears to have passed by this old fishing net marker buoy. It rests against one of the old buildings still standing at Fishtown in Leland, Michigan.

This stylish yet functional weathervane definitely grabs your attention as it "swims" into the wind in Fishtown at Leland harbor.

Nikon D850. F14 at 1/60, ISO 1600. 24-70mm lens at 45mm. Handheld without a flash. February 17, 2020 at 6:03pm.

With our minds on the new photography book that my dad and I are working on that will cover West Michigan, I decided to head north to Frankfort and my dad headed south to Muskegon to photograph the solar eclipse. In this area of Michigan, we witnessed about 75 percent coverage. We also had clouds to battle, but as we often say, clouds are your friend.

One of the most famous fish markets on the Great Lakes is in historic Fishtown in the tiny village of Leland, Michigan. For five generations, the Carlson family has been catching and selling fresh Lake Michigan fish to customers all over the Midwest. It is worth a visit to Leland just to experience this incredible Michigan business.

I have so much respect for the men and women who have served or are serving in the United States military. We will never forget!

People traveled for hundreds or even thousands of miles to experience the total lunar eclipse on August 21, 2017. I chose to travel 65 miles to the Muskegon South Breakwater Lighthouse so I could experience a partial version of the eclipse along Michigan's west shore. It remained relatively bright out but with a short exposure I was able to make the sliver of moon not eclipsed at the peak stand out.

The Rieth-Riley asphalt company in Ludington always has large piles of crushed up material behind their headquarters. I have always thought they would make an interesting photograph, but never took the time to do it. Today the giant pile of black asphalt looked strikingly beautiful against an all-white sky. F11.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Driving from Michigan to Georgia makes for a long haul, but the journey does have its benefits. Spectacular views

The Hartwick Pines State Park is one of Michigan's best-kept secrets. Located near Grayling, the park is full of pine trees that are several hundred years old. The park also has a log cabin style chapel that is open year round. With no electricity or heat, the chapel is often fairly dark inside and also cold in the winter. With my camera on a tripod, I overexposed this image to blow out the highlights so the cross would appear to be glowing. I also used my external flash to light up the Nature's Prayer below the cross.

My son Tad and I have teamed up to scramble across some rocks with my camera gear to get up close and personal with this waterfall at Flat Rock Park in Columbus, Georgia. The light is quickly fading but my trusty tripod enables us to make a sharp time exposure that captures the beauty and speed of the falling water. F8.0 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

My youngest, Joshua, has always loved playing with his Tonka trucks. This doesn’t stop just because the snow comes! He spends hours dozin’ around the farm.