Other Inland Lakes and Rivers

The Duck Lake Watershed along US31 near Interlochen has long been in my mental diary of views that could make a good picture on the right day. Today, with a fresh blanket of snow and light snow falling, it finally looks picture perfect.

I have long wanted to make a picture at this spot along the Betsie River near Crystal Mountain Resort. This is a perfect morning; nothing to it but to stop life's express train and do it. F11.0 at 1.0, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 22 mm

Clyde Butcher continues to teach people all over the world that swamps are beautiful. He photographs the Everglades in Florida and has done more to save the Everglades than any politician. His photographs move people emotionally and that emotion is what is spurring the action to save the Everglades. Today I am photographing a swamp near the Eastmanville Bayou along the Grand River.

Our assistant manager, Rachel Gaudette, lives very close to Ford Lake in the eastern part of Mason County. For several years, she has been telling my dad and me to shoot a sunrise over her lake. Today, I finally took her advice and was blown away by the gorgeous sunrise that erupted.

I am a total creature of habit. When I am out driving around looking for photographs, I have realized that I always drive to the same places and take the same roads. Today I forced myself to find a road I had never been down. This scene was a great surprise when I turned east on Jagger Road off of Jebavy Drive. F22.0 at 0.4, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 35 mm

Every summer, my mom and family rent a cabin near an inlet on Hamlin Lake named Indian Pete Bayou. All year I look forward to spending time with the family around the camp fire and photographing Hamlin Lake. My family and I have witnessed many great sunsets from this particular spot, but this was one of the best.

Sometimes the best way for me to describe a scene is that it is poetically perfect. That is what I was thinking and feeling as I made this image today on Portage Lake.

Sleeping Bear Area

Ordway Lake

 

First I am thinking how beautiful Lake Margrethe looks with those big clouds suspended above it. Then I spot a red kayak cruising along the north shore of the nearly 2,000-acre lake near Grayling, Michigan. Just the added ingredient I was looking for! F5.6 at 1/500, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

 As I was getting the kids on bus this morning I looked East towards Ford Lake, like I typically do, and saw the signs of a beautiful sunrise. I grabbed my keys and drove the short drive to the lake. I got my equipment set up in time to see this amazing view appear!

It strikes me while I am being stunned by a wintery view of Kinney Creek near Branch that the late great Fred Picker would have loved to have been able to photograph and make black and white prints of this winter scene. Fred was one of the world's grand masters of black and white printing. As much as I love black and white photography, I have chosen to render the scene in color because I think the golden water and green lichen and other hints of green complement the otherwise monochromatic scene and emphasize the stream.

My favorite part of this photo is the tiny bit of green in the bottom of the composition. The snow was so thick and sticky that in less than two hours it completely transformed a dark, dreary forest and creek into a winter paradise.

Triangles and s-curves make for strong compositions in art and this photograph has both. Because of those elements, this photograph looks much more three dimensional than a lot of my other photographs. I also like how the reddish-brown oak leaves show up despite the sticky snow.

Wednesday Sunrise at Victory Park

In the last few years my dad and I have gotten pretty good at doing a snow dance in order to help entice Mother Earth to give us some snow to photograph. Earlier this morning when it was gray and raining my dad and I both did snow dances. I guess they finally worked!

Wednesday Oceana County

This is the view in front of the home my family is renting for the week on Portage Lake near Onekama, Michigan. I have been building this photo in my head since the moment we arrived. Now that it is Wednesday, I have my camera and tripod ready to shoot the sunrise. The hardest part of making this photograph was figuring out how to turn off the automatic sprinklers.