Panoramic Images

The Lincoln - panoramic

Winter Has Arrived - panoramic

The rugged Lake Superior shoreline at Whitefish Point is a golden place to be on this August evening. Uprooted elsewhere by the power of Lake Superior waves, these trees have been carried by wind and wave energy to this prominent point and driven ashore. Seeing the forces of nature at work is one of the most fascinating aspects of being an outdoor photographer. D800, F22 at 1/6, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 140mm

Nothing says Ludington better than the carferry Badger and Ludington lighthouse. On this July evening the Lake Michigan Carferry passes the Ludington North Breakwater Light en route to its dock after ferrying passengers and vehicles from Wisconsin.

I spent years on Coast Guard boats watching Lake Michigan waves curl and break. Their power and beauty demanded my attention then and commanded me to photograph them.

Two nights ago, was beautiful along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The intense sunset, high winds, and big waves filled me with adrenaline. On my forth shot, everything came together just the way I had pre-visualized.

I have never seen so many Canada geese goslings in one parade as this morning in the Tobico Marsh State Game Area at Kawkawlin, Michigan, between Bay City and Pinconning. Their two parents, or adopted parents, guide them through the waters of the big marsh near the Lake Huron shoreline. The geese are among dozens of game birds and songbirds seeming to pop up everywhere during my hike through the marshland set aside for them. D800, F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

The grand porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island affords hotel visitors and guests one of the grandest views imaginable of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. Today I am most impressed with how the light and shadow are playing on the columns extending across the porch. D800, F7.1 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 70mm

Hallelujah Sky - panoramic

Big Clouds - panoramic

I wonder what the view from the Manistee River High Rollaway looked like in the 19th century when lumberjacks were rolling logs down it. I know for sure the view looks splendid roughly a century and a half later. This lookout near Buckley south of Traverse City belongs on every Michigander's fall color tour bucket list. D800, F22 at 0.3, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 34mm

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

Even a ship a thousand feet long is dwarfed by the several-mile-long Mackinac Bridge. The 1,000-footer, the Indiana Harbor, passes precisely through the center of the bridge's huge uprights, dwarfing the motor vehicles traveling across the bridge to and from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. F7.1 at 1/400, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 112mm

Pulled by one tug and trailed by another, the historic Lake Michigan cruise ship SS Keewatin passes by Ludington in tandem tow en route to its new home in Canada. The 105-year-old Keewatin was docked for many years in Douglas, Michigan, where it served as a maritime museum. F2.8 at 1/800, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Three of nine baby skunks spotted in a farmyard south of Ludington parade past me after playing and hunting for food on a late spring morning. My vantage point provides a clear view of the widely varying black and white patterns of their coats. F4 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 700mm

After I wait an hour for a break in the clouds, magic light falls upon the beach and beach house at Ludington State Park. Time to shoot! F22.0 at 1/6, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

Baby skunks come nose to nose while playing in a farmyard on a June morning. The skunks are among nine babies born this month at Larry and Jo Sholtey's farm along South Lakeshore Drive south of Ludington. The playful youngsters have been providing excellent entertainment for the Sholteys and their guests. F4 at 1/500, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 700mm

The Lake Michigan Carferry, SS Badger passes by the Ludington North Breakwater Light upon reaching its homeport. The historic carferry can transport more than 500 passengers and dozens of vehicles on each of its crossings between Michigan and Wisconsin. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 750mm

I never get bored or tired of photographing the SS Badger coming in or out of the Ludington harbor. Lake Michigan was as calm as I have ever witnessed today and that makes for smooth sailing on the carferry as it crosses to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. F8 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Carl Sams, the famous wildlife photographer from Milford, Michigan, took the best bald eagle photograph I have ever seen. It show an adult eagle, wings completely straight, flying directly into the camera during a blizzard. I liked the image so much that I bought my dad a 40-inch panoramic canvas of it for our cabin. I have always wanted to make an image similar to Carl's. This is as close as I have come. The eagle in this photo is only a few years old and does not have the pure white head yet. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 1600, 600mm lens at 840mm