Other Lake Michigan

The sunset tonight at the Little Black Creek Outlet at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan was a great way to end Week 36 of the Tuesdays Project. I waded into the water to get in front of the c-shaped sand bar. This also helped put the reflection of the clouds in just the right spot. F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The summer of 2012 is coming to a close. It has been a great summer for photographing the beauty of Michigan. I am generally not a fan of really hot summers, but the warm weather definitely heated up Lake Michigan and made it much more enjoyable for swimming and family fun. F22 at 1/8, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

This is the first good photograph of a Petoskey stone I have ever made in the Ludington area. This was in front of my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, which is just north of Stearns Beach. I lay on my stomach in a puddle to make this image. I wanted the clouds and sky reflected in the thin layer of water that was on the sand.

Dynamic angles make photographs more exciting and interesting. They also often create triangles. I photographed this mostly frozen tree along the Lake Michigan shoreline tonight and purposely tried to compose it in a way to show off the dynamic angles and the large triangle at the base of the photograph.

In the summertime, hundreds of people would be having fun at Warren Dunes State Park. On this rainy October Tuesday afternoon I am the only person in sight. I enjoy making still-life photographs when everything is so still. F22 at 1/100, ISO 1600, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

I filled my boots with ice-cold water several times this morning in order to capture this image. Every 10 minutes or so the beach would flood on the north side of the channel in South Haven. This surge was significantly deeper and more powerful than any of the others I experienced in the morning hours. Rest assured Mom, Debbie, and Betsy, I was not actually in any danger shooting this photo, it just appears that way. Remember, cameras do lie! F9 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

I filled my boots with ice-cold water several times this morning in order to capture this image. Every 10 minutes or so the beach would flood on the north side of the channel in South Haven. This surge was significantly deeper and more powerful than any of the others I experienced in the morning hours. Rest assured Mom, Debbie, and Betsy, I was not actually in any danger shooting this photo, it just appears that way. Remember, cameras do lie! F9 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

The sun looks to me like it is falling out of the sky this evening. Adding to the illusion, a ship on the horizon appears in part to be floating above Lake Michigan like a mirage due to an atmospheric phenomenon. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

The sunrise in the east was casting a turquoise light to the west over Lake Michigan this morning. Luckily, I was ready with my camera and found a strong foreground of dune grass to build my photograph. F4.5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

This lone tree at Charles Mears State Park in Pentwater looked extraordinary this morning with the colorful sky above Lake Michigan as the backdrop. I had to stand on top of my pickup truck to make this photograph because I wanted the split in the trunk to be right at the horizon line. F8 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Even on a cold and windy night along the Lake Michigan shoreline, the light from the setting sun will warm your soul and make you look forward to its return the next day. F8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

One glance at the bright and dark tones and patterns of these snow-covered rocks along the Lake Michigan shoreline is all I need to know there is a picture to be made here on this sunny afternoon. I determine a strong composition and wait for just the right breaking wave. F13 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 112mm

The cold weather months tend to bring spectacular sunsets with them. This evening the clouds are catching the light as the sun sets over Lake Michigan, creating rich colors and God beams. The brightest spot in the clouds looks to me like an eye. I see an entire face now in the cloud patterns. Clouds are good for the imagination. F2.8 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm