Rachel's Images

As Brad and I were driving back to Hart to pick up the kids, we drove past St. Mary’s Lake. I decided to swing through by the boat launch. What a welcome treat!

I had my first experience hunting at Legends Ranch in Bitely, Michigan tonight. Although I didn’t see a shooter for me, it was a wonderful experience. I left the ranch and drove the 40 minutes back to Custer to pick up the kids from the farm. By the time I got them home it was almost 9:30 PM. I had to decide quickly on what my photo was going to be so I could get them in bed.

One of my favorite views is from this spot on First Street. You can see the huge base of the basswood tree at the end of my parents’ drive in the distance. You know you are “home” when you spot the tree. Tonight was particularly memorable.

Todd and Brad have explored Legends Ranch with their cameras more times than they can count. This year was the first time that I joined along. Brad and I were working at capturing different lake views on their grounds when I noticed a huge buck resting near the water’s edge. Quietly, I worked on my composition before he moved.

We were exploring a different part of Legends Ranch today when a falcon flew above us. Luckily, I was ready with my camera.

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.

I was hoping for clear skies to photograph the Halloween “Blue Moon,” a rare treat for a spooky day. It is supposed to be the first full moon on Halloween in 76 years. The weather had other plans, and the cloud cover didn’t allow for a view. Once we got back home, David’s costume was a fun photo to make.

We try to carve pumpkins every year. By having a longer exposure and zooming in and out during it, it gives the jack-o-lantern an extra eerie glow.

Often, the kids spy the color in the sky before I do. They will come running, yelling to grab my camera. I love that at a young age they can see and appreciate a good photo opportunity.

Bespop’s pond always reminds me of an African sunset or sunrise. Tonight, it was especially calm, and the reflections were wonderful. The piece of wood in the foreground always reminds me of a swan.

After work I made a drive to the Ludington State Park to enjoy the shoreline for a bit. This huge piece of driftwood was a great accent piece and counterpart to the jetty.

I checked out the new splash pad in Copeyon Park. It isn’t running now, but I think my kids will enjoy it next summer! The geese were active on the lake while I was there. I caught this one in magic light.

In amongst the chaos of life, there are some mornings that can calm your soul. Even if only for a second. This was one of those mornings. After the kids got on the bus, I drove to the far back of the property on the farm. I wanted a different view of the Pere Marquette River and knew the moss here would make for a great foreground.

The American Flag at a local bank caught my eye as I drove past it this evening. I shot several test shots in order to capture the movement of the flag, but to keep the stars and flagpole sharp. In this shot, I loved how you could see the entire flag, yet it just showed movement at the right edge of the flag.

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.

Patterns and photographs can be found anywhere. Even if it takes more looking. This design on Kasey’s bag has always intrigued me.

The kids were raking leaves up at my aunt’s house. It was the perfect fall day for jumping in a huge leaf pile! David Benjamin jumped in, and then covered himself up to scare his little brother Joshua. I couldn’t resist making this image.

The low clouds were a seamless backdrop to the dune grass at the Ludington State Park this afternoon.

Three years ago, we had an orphan heifer calf. The kids helped bottle-feed her. She was named after my daughter, Kasey. To differentiate between the two, we call her Kasey Calf. This year was her first-year calving. She had a little heifer today. The kids decided to name it Pumpkin.

We are HUGE Michigan State fans. My boys’ bedroom is painted green and white, with a large Fathead vinyl print of Sparty on one of the walls. They also have State-themed sheets and bedspreads.