Spring

Sweet cherry blossoms form a perfect circle that makes them look picture perfect to me. The fruit farmer is not as happy about this picture as I am. It is March and the sweet cherries south of Ludington are blossoming three weeks ahead of schedule, putting them at great risk of frost damage. F9 at 1/200, ISO 400, 105mm lens at 105mm

Spring has come early this year and caused an early-blooming Eastern Redbud ornamental tree to bloom in March. The early arrival brightens my day as I head home on Iris Road south of Ludington. F6.3 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Finally, a little rain to go with all that sunshine and warmth that has been good for the soul and for growing. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Waves generated by a fresh spring breeze rush ashore along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of the Ludington city beach. The seasonal cottagers at Epworth Heights have not yet arrived and are missing a spectacular day on the waterfront. F8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 100mm

365 Week

Rays of light break through bands of altocumulus clouds. Brad and I teach our photography workshop students: "Clouds are your friends." I am thinking of these clouds as best friends as I stand on the Ludington beach on a late March evening. F7.1 at 1/640, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Brad and I say, "Clouds are your friends." After waiting two hours on Easter at the base of the Father Marquette monument in Buttersville, a bright spot in the fast-moving clouds lines up perfectly with the cross to bring together the symbolic Easter picture I had envisioned when I first saw dramatic cloud formations heading across Lake Michigan. F4.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

The jetties at Ludington State Park are always fun to photograph, especially when the waters of Lake Michigan are rough. Today the sun broke through the clouds for a few fleeting minutes and I had just enough time to get into position to make this photograph. F9.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Wednesday Carferry in Fog

Bands of altocumulus clouds remind me of a giant striped beach umbrella as they form a canopy over the Ludington beach on a spring evening. F5.6 at 1/640, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

I always know spring is near when I see these little blue flowers bloom every year in Nick and Kate Krieger’s yard. I photographed them in 2010 for our 365 Project and was honored to be able to photograph them again for the 366 Project ten years later.

Swans at Epworth

Some of my favorite pictures are the ones I did not plan to take. After making some images along with my West Shore Community College students of Roger and Marcia Hansen's beautifully restored barn at Cherry Hill Farm, several of us are drawn to an open-sided pole barn where hay is stored. I like how the bales look like Nabisco Shredded Wheat. F5.0 at 1/40, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

Ludington is famous for its sunsets, having been rated by numerous magazines and newspapers as one of the best places in Michigan and the Midwest to view a sunset. Sunsets like this one from Crosswinds at the Ludington harbor entrance are all the ammunition this lifelong Ludington resident needs to support the argument that my hometown is a most magical place to watch the sun appear to sink out of sight into Lake Michigan.

Fog is a photographer’s friend. This tree is in a residential part of Ludington and has several houses and a factory nearby. But with the dense fog this morning, the tree looks like it could be all alone in a huge field.

It is nice when you get more than three distinct layers in one photograph. I count four layers in this scene. The quality of the light is what made this image possible. The great clouds were an added bonus as well.

I think I have discovered who has been stealing all the bird feed from my shed. This fat little guy was too cute to not photograph tonight in my backyard.

My friends, Mike and Kerrie Cooper, live on a small farm south of Ludington that is surrounded by fruit trees. I used their dark red barn as a backdrop in order to make the blossoms on this tree stand out. F4 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 600mm lens at 600mm

As I behold the beauty of just a portion of one branch of a sweet cherry tree on Lister Road south of Ludington, I cannot imagine a more beautiful work of art than what nature and the growers at Hackert Orchards have created. F8 at 1/250, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

We went on another family hike today. This time we explored the pedestrian section of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. It was a windy day at the top of the dunes, but that made for great designs in the sand. I lay on my stomach to make this image.