SS Badger

The carferry Badger slips quietly through the early morning mist on its way out of the slumbering Ludington harbor. I was glad to be out early to appreciate the view from a field along the north channel wall.

A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow applies to photography. One summer evening, shortly after telling my wife it was "rainbow weather," we had walked into P.M. Steamers Restaurant when I heard a patron exclaim there were two rainbows. I bolted out the door and raced a couple of blocks to get to a good vantage point to feature the carferry Badger beneath the rainbow. I shot for about two minutes before one rainbow disappeared and the other became less vivid. Good timing makes good pictures; so does always carrying the camera, and postponing dinner.

Highway to Heaven

Carferry

Ludington Sculpture Park and Badger

Badger Light

Ludington's Queen of the Great Lakes

One of the 20/20 Vision concepts we teach in our photography workshops is micro composing. With my camera on a tripod, I worked hard lying on my stomach on a frozen puddle to make sure every icicle was in just the right place and not merging with important elements of the Badger.

Stearns Beach Days

Dream Voyage

Stearns Beach Days - Panoramic

Badger at Sunrise From Ferry Street

Displaying more lights than a Christmas tree, the carferry Badger stays very alive even while docked in Ludington Harbor between Lake Michigan crossings. The coal-fired steamship carries passengers and automobiles between Michigan and Wisconsin.

When a fast-moving Lake Michigan storm front comes through, I am always on the lookout for the sky spectacle that may follow. Tonight my weather knowledge pays off. This view of the SS Badger heading out of Ludington harbor greets me as I hustle to the waterfront after photographing a storm front at Pentwater. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 20mm

Nobody is going to believe this is real. I can't believe what I am seeing. The clouds, the rain, the haze, the sun, the big waves, the Badger, and the color! Surreal. These were the thoughts running through my head the evening of August 20, 2009 as I was shooting this photograph during one of our weekday summer workshops. I was just glad our students were there to verify that this dream actually happened.

Nobody is going to believe this is real. I can't believe what I am seeing. The clouds, the rain, the haze, the sun, the big waves, the Badger, and the color! Surreal. These were the thoughts running through my head the evening of August 20, 2009 as I was shooting this photograph during one of our weekday summer workshops. I was just glad our students were there to verify that this dream actually happened.

Having 35 years of local knowledge is the only reason I was able to make this photograph. While standing on Conrad Road between Ludington and Scottville, I hypothesized that if I were near the Buttersville campground that I would be able to line the rainbow up with the Ludington North Breakwater Light. Just as I arrived at the campground beach, the SS Badger was heading out the harbor. One second after shooting this photograph the rainbow disappeared. F13 at 1/400, ISO 400, 70-200mm lens at 170mm

My kids and I enjoyed photographing a huge cloud over Ludington tonight. The Badger was getting ready to head out into the storm and were able to get fairly close to her at the dock from my dad's boat. I loved the split tones in this image with the dark side and the light side.

Shadows to the Light