Other Flowers

White camas flowers bask in the warm sunlight of a late June evening in the dunes at the south end of Ludington State Park. Summertime visitors seeking solace and new discoveries might want to consider a hike in this less-traveled region of the park.

Lady Slipper

Our workshop students were up to their waists in dewy grasses before sunrise and many of them were on their knees getting their cameras immediate to the wildflowers, grasses and weeds in a field near our Pere Marquette River property. I got down low beside them to immerse myself in the tapestry of spring growth. Six a.m. never looked better to me.

As vivid as it is harmful to the other growth along the banks of the Pere Marquette River, loosestrife stands out shortly after sunrise in the flats south of Ludington.

Our first visit to Dow Gardens was a photographic success. My dad and I were both impressed with the aesthetics of the famous gardens in Midland. All of the employees were exceptionally nice and helpful as well. Dow Gardens is another Michigan treasure that is perfect for an afternoon of family fun.

My yard is full of all different kinds of life. Not all of it has four legs. This cool fungus was growing on a tree right near my house. With my macro lens, I was able to get a super close focus on this interesting ecosystem.

Spring Meadow

May

When summer comes, I like to escape to my favorite getaway spot along the Pere Marquette River between Ludington and Scottville to see the wildflowers in what I consider to be my personal field of dreams.

There is something special about coming back day after day to check out the progression of growth of wildflowers on your own land. Today these wild daisies on family land along the Pere Marquette River look splendid. I linger to study them and try to build an image that honors how good they make me feel.

August Bloom

I hiked up and down a lot of sand dunes and through several swales before finding this picture in a cedar swamp area between dune ridges. It was a warm June evening and I was hot. As I tried to photograph this bluebell, my glasses kept steaming up. Finally, I gave up trying to repeatedly wipe the glasses and set them aside. I made the picture and happily set off back over the dunes and through the woods. I was almost back to my car on M-116 when I realized I was not wearing my glasses. It was not such a happy walk retracing my steps. I did find them, thanks to the flowers beside them. Had I not, I still think the shot

Viewing the world through a telephoto lens with a wide aperture creates an impressionistic view of dandelions and one sharp standout.

The nature trails at West Shore Community College abound with outdoor photography subjects. This orange hawkweed stood out along the shore of a pond on the picturesque campus.

It was a magic moment. While photographing a farm surrounded by mustard grass near Fountain, I heard a noise in the opposite direction. I spotted a collie heading my way. Wheeling about, I instantly framed the dog in the viewfinder, panned with him, focused, and shot as he passed by toward the picturesque old farm that may have been his home. It was an unexpected incredible photographic experience.

I saw so many bumblebees on knapweed when I was a boy that I logically named it bumblebee weed. A field of bumblebee weeds was a sure place to capture bumblebees and listen to them buzz in glass jars with holes in the metal lids. Now I become buzzed taking their photographs.

A Delicate Moment

It always amazes me how living things survive and even thrive in the toughest environments. I spotted this colorful lichen growing from a heart-shaped knot in a rotting log at Wilderness State Park north of Cross Village, Michigan, on a cold February day.

When my dad stumbled upon these tiny red flowers and fungi, it totally brightened my day. We had been photo hunting for over six hours without much success until we found this scene. Finally, our artistic souls were happy again. Never underestimate the power of flowers.

Looking like a corsage decorating a log, lichen abloom in February adds a burst of color to the winter landscape at Wilderness State Park.