Panoramic Images

Deep within the forest in the northern part of Ludington State Park lies a pond that my son Brad and I have discovered to be a delightful place. We watched this male wood duck and several others for more than an hour on a late September morning. We waited patiently for them to come closer and then looked for those magic moments when the splendid ducks fit in perfectly with their marshy home.

Attention on deck! A family of Canada geese appears at full alert along the north bank of the Sable River on a summer afternoon. Perhaps they are watching for the fox that lives just around the bend, or perhaps they have already spotted the sly predator.

A three-day-old piping plover is dwarfed by dune grass near a pond in the dunes north of Big Point Sable Lighthouse. The tiny bird has no idea it is a rare endangered species. Michigan Department of Natural Resources piping plover steward Katrina Hernandez and I have spent a couple hours this morning finding the plover and rest of its family after they fled from the cage and fencing designed to keep people and predators away, yet not to restrict the birds from leaving.

Tonight I took our college intern, Brett Whitehead, out on the Ludington North Breakwater so he could shoot video of me as I photographed the SS Badger carferry going by from one of my favorite "hot spots." The fog was an added bonus. D800, F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 3200, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Looking like giant Oreo cookies, these striking cattle graced Larry and Jo Sholtey’s Beef and Bees Farm along South Lakeshore Drive between Ludington and Pentwater. Commonly referred to as Oreo Cookie cows, they are more accurately named belted Galloways, a rare breed of Scottish beef cattle. Larry Sholtey had grown up on a farm. He and Jo raised and showed the distinctive, thick-coated cattle for many years after their retirement from Ludington High School, where Jo taught and Larry was principal. I always enjoyed seeing the “Cookie Cows,” occasionally stopping when I thought I saw the makings of a good photograph. I made several images over the years that pleased me but none that wowed me. Then one summer afternoon I spotted them grazing on some Queen Anne’s Lace in a corner of their pasture. I couldn’t stop fast enough. I had not visualized this picture, but I instantly recognized how extraordinary it was. Untold numbers of passersby enjoyed seeing Larry and Jo’s cattle until Larry became too ill to care for them. I will always be grateful to Jo and Larry, for happily and graciously sharing these beautiful creatures with me and countless other passersby

The night took my breath away, not from trying to breathe the below zero air but from viewing the icy splendor before me on Lake Michigan at Ludington.

This is the first photograph I have ever made of this part of Lake Leelanau. I didn't realize until today how large or how beautiful the lake is. Today is proving to be one of the best Wednesdays for photography so far in 2014. D800, F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 70mm

I love the view of Lake Michigan as you crest the hill leading to the Buttersville Peninsula. Today it is spectacular. As I compose this shot I am reminded of many Coast Guard boat rides on days like this. I can almost hear my former shipmate, Chief Doug Lee, smiling and declaring on the wildest of those rides: "Gotta love it, boys!" F3.2 at 1/200, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

We had been trying unsuccessfully all morning to make strong still and video imagery of an eagle while shooting in 2007 for an upcoming book, Ludington State Park: Queen of the North. Some days are a bust; this started out being one of those. The eagles were not cooperating, and we had gotten wet and cold bouncing around choppy Hamlin Lake. In the Coast Guard, I learned that if Plan A does not work, always have a Plan B already in mind. So, despite being disappointed, cold and hungry, we turned our attention to photographing salmon making their annual return to the Sable River from Lake Michigan. It was the last week of October, and the fall color reflecting off the wind-rippled surface of the water made this salmon appear to be under stained glass. It was not the image I had set out to make, but it turned out to be one of my favorite images from a year of intensely photographing Ludington State Park. In years past I had made lesser photographs of salmon in the same spot, just under water on a spawning bed with fall color reflected on the surface. But on this day, Mother Nature blessed me with an extraordinary added ingredient. A brisk west wind made all the difference, agitating the surface of the water just enough to create a shower glass effect on the river. This faceted surface reflected various colors in various directions, turning my photograph into abstract art. I don’t like setting up an image. I love “found” pictures that are real-time moments in the Michigan outdoors. I am especially proud of this image because, while many people surmise it is not “real” and is somehow an electronic after-the-fact manipulation, it is as real, as purely Michigan at its genuine best as I have ever made. I love a lot of abstract art, but I don’t find myself drawn to setting out to make a lot of abstract images. But I do know a good abstract photo moment when I see one.

When I was working up this aerial photograph of Hamlin Lake on the computer, I noticed how three-dimensional this image was. The shadow on the north edge of the lake makes the trees and homes off of Nurnberg Road appear to be coming off the page. D800, F8 at 1/100, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

Brad and I have learned that winter is one of the best times of the year to photograph sunsets. I am savoring this Lake Michigan sunset on a brisk evening on the Buttersville peninsula. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Lake Michigan went wild today. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly Lake Michigan can go from being flat and calm to rough and angry. The intense color in the sky, mixed with the wind and waves, set my spirits free tonight along Stearns Park Beach in Ludington. D800, F22 at 1/160, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

As I made my personal journey of photographing the Ludington State Park, I relished the opportunity to explore areas of the park that I had never seen before. It seemed that over every dune and behind every pine row there was a whole new world to discover and photograph. I knew when I found this section of dead trees that there was a great picture waiting to be made. I sat on the small sand mound for 10 minutes waiting for the light to hit the trees and give them life again.

I was recently chatting with a young man in the gallery who was a foreign exchange student at a high school in southern Michigan. When he first saw Lake Michigan, he could not believe how large and how beautiful it was. He proclaimed, "Lake Michigan is as good as it gets!" I made this image in front of Point Betsie Lighthouse and the color is real. Go check it out for yourself if you are in doubt. You won't be disappointed. D800, F2.8 at 1/1600, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Lake Louise Morning - Panoramic

Double Your Luck

I was excited to discover the colorful rocks on the bottom of Lake Superior at Twelve Mile Beach would reflect on the underside of the surface of the water. Once I made this discovery using my underwater camera housing, I quickly tried to build a composition in my mind that would be powerful and unique. After having the vision, it was just a matter of changing my location and waiting for a big enough wave. D7000, F8 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 10-17mm lens at 11mm

Viewers of ABC's Good Morning America selected Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America. Whether or not you agree, just this single view from one of the Stocking Drive scenic overlooks proves Sleeping Bear is a spectacular place. D800, F9 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

For a few short, but very intense minutes, the light show tonight down at the end of Ludington Avenue as incredible. With the first snow of the year today, and high winds, I had been keeping an eye on the weather all day long. Five minutes before sunset, the sun dropped below the thick storm clouds and the colors were amazingly vibrant and beautiful. I love Ludington and I am glad I get to raise my kids in such a wonderful community!

Summer is Near - panoramic