Sail Boats

Seagulls

Bathed in evening light, a sailboat graces the east end of Pentwater Lake. The view is from Long Bridge, which links the opposite shores of the lake.

June Has Arrived - Panoramic

The golden light of October in Michigan is a photographer's dream. With dark clouds, brilliant fall color, and magic light, this small sailboat in Sutton's Bay looked picture perfect.

Pentwater Morning - Panoramic

Pentwater Morning

In stillness, another summer day dawns in Pentwater. The village provides the backdrop for a view of the popular boating harbor from the west shore of Pentwater Lake.

Driving the scenic route home to Ludington tonight from the Muskegon State Park on Lake Michigan, I drove by White Lake long after sunset. I was shocked to see the beautiful afterglow in the distance. I pulled off the road, grabbed my camera, and made this image. Digital cameras see in the dark. It was much darker to the eye than this photograph appears.

Bass Lake boats bathe in magic light on a September morning. I spotted this scene weeks before making the photograph. The lighting had been ordinary on several wild goose chases to the spot. It is rewarding to finally see the quality of light a particular picture needs. It makes up for the frustration I feel over countless pictures that are in my visual library, but remains only mental images, because the right conditions have not yet appeared in front of my camera lens.

The beach house at Ludington State Park has recently been renovated by the State of Michigan. It looks more beautiful than ever. I waited a half-hour for the tall ship Peacemaker to get in just the right spot on the horizon to make this image.

Boaters love to set course for Charlevoix, especially during the annual Venetian Festival. To capture the flavor of summer in Charlevoix I set out to photograph across Round Lake toward downtown during the blue light of dusk. Fortunately the night was so still that the sailboat moored in front of me was staying almost motionless, enabling me to use a long enough shutter speed to record the movement of two of the festival amusement rides.

Tall Ship and Ludington Light Vertical

Kayakers enjoy the Michigan outdoors on West Bay in Traverse City while sailboats stay at their moorings until their crews have the time to get them back underway. Even an occasional voyage on Michigan waters tends to restore my soul. I am sure others feel reborn too when they set sail.

For just a moment, from my vantage point on Grand Traverse Bay, sailboats underway fit perfectly into the spaces between the sailboats tending from their mooring buoys. My previsualization of what could happen has happened. My visual poem is complete; nothing left to do but to click the shutter. D800, F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 160mm

The sunrise this morning over Harbor View Marina is gorgeous. I have heard the saying "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning!" but I don't think this sailor has anything to worry about. F22.0 at 5.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I admire the craftsmanship and the beauty of Jeff LaPrad's wooden vessel as it sails past me onto Lake Michigan into another spectacular Ludington sunset. I have seen the handmade sailboat before and longed to be able to photograph it closer to my vantage point. Tonight I am on the end of the South Breakwater and the view is picture perfect. F3.2 at 1/800, ISO 400, 80-200 mm at 200 mm

Fast Tango passes close by Ludington while competing in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. I like the look of this moment in the viewfinder as the North American 40 and another sailboat race toward Mackinac Island. F4.0 at 1/5000, ISO 400, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

The sailboat Tranquility sails out of Ludington harbor toward Lake Michigan on one of the many tranquil evenings so far this summer. Even the clouds look tranquil tonight. F4.0 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

The late afternoon sun made the Lake Michigan shoreline dance today in South Haven. I enjoyed watching this sailboat catch the wind and dart across the horizon. F22 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 70-200mm lens at 200mm