Rachel's Images

The setting sun laid layers of color on the gentle, rolling waves of Lake Michigan at the first curve in the Ludington State Park.

 For years I have wanted to visit Cherry Point Farm’s lavender labyrinth located in Shelby, Michigan. On July 21st, I decided to head south a little bit and soak up the lavender. While it wasn’t peak timing, I was still able to make an image that I loved, and the experience was well worth the short drive. I look forward to taking my kids back to share the labyrinth with them!

 

Waking up to a frosty wonderland, I was on the lookout for a subject to showcase its beauty. These frozen pine needles on Budzynski Road were just the thing.

 

 

I love black-and-white photographs. Driving around near Free Soil, this part of the North Branch of the Lincoln River was the black-and-white dream I was looking for.

 

Brad called me on my drive into work this snowy morning; he had spotted a bald eagle by the Pere Marquette River Flats. I headed straight there, switched to my big lens, and adjusted my settings before walking across the highway. I was able to get one shot off. That fast, I made the best wildlife shot I have ever captured and a memory to last a lifetime.

 

 What better way to spend a beautiful fall day than traveling across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger on our way to shoot the vibrant color in the Upper Peninsula. Todd and Debbie Reed, Brad and Betsy Reed, Sarah Genson and I decided to have a fall get-away to the UP. It was a bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, and smooth sailing way to start our journey. We then traveled through Wisconsin towards the Porcupine Mountains. We knew we wanted to make a stop at Bond Falls, and the closer it got to dark, the more worried we were that we would miss shooting the sunset there. We made it, got our waterproof clothing on and hurried to the falls. It was a stunning experience and a great way to end our first day of shooting!

The Orchard at my parent’s farm may not be what people typically think of when they hear the word “orchard”. A lot of them assume we have several acres of trees, and although it might be small compared to many, it’s ours. The lilac bushes that surround the orchard might not be world class, but they’re ours. The tire swing hanging in the middle of these might seem ordinary to others, but not to us. My family has made many memories while playing baseball in the orchard, hide and seek in the lilacs, and of course being pushed on that tire swing. They’re one of the first things you see when turning into the driveway after a long day of traveling, and once your headlights hit them, you can breathe a sigh of relief because you’re “home”. Now, as my siblings and I have our own children, they too know that feeling, and are busy making their own memories in the orchard, lilacs, and Papa’s tire swing (as my two kids call it). These memories will last forever, and will continue to grow for generations to come. 

 

A water drop is about to fall from a small branch and my macro lens made an ordinary scene look extraordinary.

 

 

My friend, Aubry, texted me that she had just seen two bald eagles perched on a branch near Crossroads Church on US-10 between Custer and Scottville, Michigan. I loaded up my kids and headed that way. We ventured out in the snowy field to each make our own images of these two beauties.

 

 

I’ve always appreciated this large tree on Sugar Grove Road. Today, with the snow falling, the atmosphere it created was the perfect added ingredient.