Other Flowers

Betsy, Ethan, and I all have the flu today. It has not been a fun day to say the least, but making a photo of the day in our backyard does take my mind off of being sick for a little while. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I hope all of these different varieties of flowers continue to grow in my yard year after year because I do not have a green thumb and I am not great at yard work. I rarely know the names of the flowers until I download my photographs of them and ask Rachel or Betsy what they are.

The bees obviously know the cold weather months are ahead because they sure are busy this evening in a flower garden near Lake Michigan. Bees have fascinated me since childhood so I particularly enjoy photographing them. F4.5 at 1/500, ISO 100, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

Driving down Conrad Road my dad noticed some sumac that had started to change color. He already had his photo of the day so he called me. Twenty minutes later when I showed up with my camera, this beautiful butterfly greeted me. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Ah, the plants of summer. I love it when the various roadside plants of Michigan begin blooming. I have already spotted many colors and varieties of these plants while traveling the byways between Ludington and Traverse City. But the hundreds of tiny flowers of this big Queen Anne's Lace have caused me to stop my vehicle to appreciate their beauty close up. F7.1 at 1/800, ISO 200, 105mm lens at 105mm

Simplicity.

Thistledown on a milk thistle plant looks especially soft and delicate this afternoon. The thistledown will soon catch the wind and spread the plant's seeds across our land along the Pere Marquette River. F4.2 at 1/250, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

I have never seen so many milkweeds. In this amazing growing season, some Michigan fields have so much milkweed silk catching the sunlight that they look like cotton fields. The autumn winds scatter the seed-laden milkweed silk near and far. F3.2 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

I have a bright yard light on the top of my garage that comes on automatically every night. Tonight, I used that light to my advantage. It was turning one of my flowering trees in my backyard a bright neon green color. I could have fixed this color in Photoshop, but I liked the surreal look that my eyes were seeing.

My wife's aunt, Robin Mulder, took Betsy and me to Ludema's Floral and Garden store in Grand Rapids to pick out flowers for my mother-in-law Sharon Verduin who had surgery today. The moisture in the greenhouse made my lens fog up, but I feel that added to this photograph of chrysanthemums. F16.0 at 1/200, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Queen Anne's Lace and other wildflowers look like an impressionist painter's dream to my eye as I watch them sway in the morning breeze along a Michigan roadway. August is the best time to see and appreciate mile upon mile of wildflowers along Michigan's highways and byways. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

Getting out of the car for a "twice-as-close" view of Michigan's summer roadside flowers proves to be very rewarding this morning. I never cease to be amazed by the beauty I find when I actually go to the trouble of getting out of the car for a closer look. For outdoor photographers, getting out of the car is as important as getting off the couch. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

Robert Sergi, the manager of Legends Ranch, had a rose in my room when I arrived there. I have always loved the layers to a rose. I played with the depth of field to showcase parts of it.

Swamps are beautiful! One of my outdoor photography heroes, Clyde Butcher, has shown people through his photographs that the swamps of the Florida Everglades are filled with beauty. Today, I have set out to showcase some of the beauty of Michigan swamps and marshes. Shortly after sunrise I discover this wildflower scene that plays on my visual senses like notes of a musical score. F11 at 1/80, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

Purple loosestrife catches my eye in a marsh along old Pere Marquette Highway. Upon closer inspection, I discover evening primrose and decide to focus on the yellow flowers instead and use the purple loosestrife as a complementary backdrop. F4 at 1/100, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Flowering bull thistle grabs my attention before its sharp, prickly leaves and stems can tear into my legs as I walk through a swamp. I find it fascinating that something so beautiful in nature can so quickly cause harm to a person or animal. F5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

The word swamp does not have a good connotation for a lot of people. But those who venture into one of Michigan's many swamps and marshes have the opportunity to discover plenty of beauty. This swamp bling catches dew, sunlight, and my eye. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

It is fun to experiment with different styles of photography. I knew I wanted to use the flowers more as shapes and designs than as a typical subject. I exposed to blow out the background, which would allow the stems to appear darker.

It is hard to beat Michigan wildflowers and bright blue skies that are full of giant white billowy clouds. My job today as an outdoor photographer was to find the flowers and line up all of the beautiful elements together in one photograph. The old abandoned shale quarry near Alpena, Michigan was the perfect setting. F20 at 1/400, ISO 800, 14mm lens at 14mm

I am about to get back in the truck after taking a picture near Alpena, Michigan when a bumblebee flies past me and lands on a knapweed flower. Bumblebees have fascinated me since childhood. Their colorful, fuzzy bodies and buzzing sound make them my favorite Michigan insect. F9 at 1/500, ISO 400, 105mm lens at 105mm