Storms

The sand hitting my face feels like shards of glass as I make my way to the water's edge at Stearns Park to photograph the Ludington North Breakwater Light. The winds over Lake Michigan at times exceed 60 miles per hour. Magic light, white clouds and dark blue sky behind are my backdrop. Now I just need a huge wave. Bingo! F5.6 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

My dad and I have found that the best way to photograph lightning is using the longest exposure possible for the given situation. This photograph is a 30-second exposure at F8 and an ISO of 100. It was shot on a sturdy tripod that could withstand the 30 miles-per-hour winds. This fierce thunderstorm headed north very quickly and it took out power in Manistee, Michigan.

The dune grass natural area at the north end of the Ludington city beach looked super real bathed in magic light but the storm clouds over Lake Michigan approaching from the northwest looked mysteriously unreal. The unusual juxtaposition between a view so real and yet unreal intrigued me on an August afternoon. I love catching weather fronts just before they get to my camera position.

Bizarre Sky

Yesterday my dad and I stood on the north shore of Grand Haven for almost six hours and photographed during the storm. The waves were running 15 feet with an occasional 18-footer. This was the largest wave we saw all day hit the lighthouse and it was well over 20 feet tall. The spray went over 100 feet in the air. I named the photo "Fuel Injected" because after shooting, on the drive back home to Ludington last night, my dad said that having all that wind in his face for so long made him feel alive and fuel injected.

Photos do lie! This photo looks like it was a warm night on the Ludington City Beach. In reality, a storm was blowing in and the wind was bitter cold. It was a great night of shooting the sunset with friends.

July Blast

At 5:05pm tonight when I left work from our downtown Ludington photo gallery, I looked up at the sky and knew I needed to go shoot the sunset and waves a few blocks away. I parked next to the south concession stand inside of the Ludington City Beach and walked to the edge of the water inside the pier heads. The wind was kicking and the sunset was incredibly intense. After only a few minutes of shooting, I knew I had made my shot. The drive to continually push on a get better as a photographer was ingrained in me by my father. He was right next to me shooting and making his own art. Life is good!

Out of Hand

Lighthouse Storm Ludington

Generic Lightning

365 Week 36

365 Week 36

Waves blast skyward upon striking the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse during a fall gale. I have waited patiently for the magic storm light to show up and intensify the view.

I watched in awe for two hours as wave after enormous wave slammed into the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse on February 24, 2019. I have rarely witnessed or photographed bigger or more frequent waves exploding against the seemingly invincible structure. Many of my several hundred exposures show water flying up to 100 feet in the air and the lighthouse nowhere to be seen. Persistence paid off when I finally caught one huge descending wave still higher than the lighthouse as the next one shot skyward above the lighthouse during its ascension. I had never seen two waves tower above the Ludington lighthouse at once. I was fortunate to artistically document the rare moment.

I was mesmerized by the clouds tonight and loved how they all seemed to be radiating out from the sun. I noticed how it looked like the sun had a giant set of wings. After realizing that, I tried for over 20 minutes to capture a wave that would look like a reflection of the clouds. The last wave I shot before the rain started pouring had the shape of wings I was looking for.

Lake Superior Storm Black and White

Lake Superior Storm