Spring

Water from Bas Lake, carving a path of least resistance, curves through the sand on its downhill flow to Lake Michigan.

The Lincoln - panoramic

For several years now the incredibly large overturned stump on the northwest shores of Lost Lake inside the Ludington State Park has been a favorite place for photographers and hikers to explore and document. Today I decided to use my macro lens and show the beautiful wood grains and textures of the dying wood. The wind, rain, and sunlight have bleached the wood and turned it a gorgeous blond color.

I have to laugh and smile looking at the face I see on the trunk of this birch tree. We take some pictures just for the fun of it. F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

The Lincoln

I think it is so cool how the dune in the foreground of this photograph looks like a porcupine. This is a new vantage point my dad and I discovered today at the Silver Lake State Park. I am certain we will be back here many times in the future with our cameras and I can't wait. F8 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

It is shocking to me that my dad and I have never been to this spot at the Silver Lake State Park before. We have driven our trucks within 100 yards of here, but we have never taken the time to get out of the vehicles and explore the other side of the creek at Ruckel's Bridge. Finding hidden treasures like this is a photographer's version of winning the lotto. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

There are so many beautiful orchards in Michigan to drive past; it would probably take the entire blossom season to see them all. This one within a few miles of Lake Michigan between Hart and Shelby, Michigan looks as picture-perfect on this May morning as any I have ever seen.

Waves of Anticipation - cropped vertical

Tulips appear to extend to infinity at Windmill Island Gardens in Holland, Michigan. Visitors from across Michigan and around the world flock to Tulip City each spring to see countless blooms, other Dutch heritage attractions, and Tulip Festival events.

This sight greets me as I crest a hill on Scout Road while searching for blossoming fruit trees between Shelby and Hart. This scene definitely merits a photograph.

Tulips and the De Zwaan Windmill are two of the spectacular ways Holland, Michigan celebrates its Dutch heritage. Today I search for just the right tulips with which to frame the centuries-old windmill. I set up the tripod low to the ground to make several foreground tulips stand out and surround the tall windmill.

Waves of Anticipation

These grand old maple trees look particularly attractive to me wearing their maple syrup pails in the morning light. I am sure my friend from high school days, Stanley Peterson, won't mind me stopping in the front yard of his beautiful farm on Benedict Road to make this image. F22.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

What we feel and what we at first see through our camera lens often bear little similarity. Identifying feelings causes me to realize I need to haul out my largest telephoto lens to match the painterly, impressionistic feeling I am getting from this tulip garden in downtown Holland. Now all I have to do is organize my composition and focus only on my chosen star tulip so the viewers of my finished image will easily make their way through the maze of flowers in front to the one on which I want them to focus their attention.

Windy Night at Sleeping Bear

With everything shut down, Betsy, Sean, the kids, and I all decided to take a hike at the Lake Michigan Recreation Area between Ludington and Manistee. After we all played in a stream and made a bridge to cross, we found this unique looking stump on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Getting off the couch and getting outside is always so rewarding!

Engine 1223 looks like it could still be steaming along the tracks but is actually a static exhibit in Grand Haven. The 1941 Pere Marquette Railroad locomotive built in Lima, Ohio, reminds me of the heydays of trains in Ludington when the Pere Marquette Railroad operated here. F10.0 at 1/25, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 13 mm

In the Fall of 2011, I stood in the water in this same spot and photographed a double rainbow over the Mackinac Bridge during a rainstorm. This morning is a very different type of atmosphere. The foggy, still morning and muted pink and blue colors are picture perfect. F22 at 3 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

Golden Moment