Summer

Mac Woods Silver Lake Dunes

Mac Woods Silver Lake Dunes

Ludingtons Newest Lighthouse Styx Restaurant and Bowling Alley

Aerial Photos of Ludington

 

I used a waterproof housing for my camera to make this unique photograph of the 140-foot USCGC Neah Bay. The Neah Bay is a Coast Guard ice-breaker and has a special low pressure air hull lubrication system which allows it to crush through over 20 inches of ice. F8 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11mm

In 1984 my dad bought a used 13-and-a-half-foot Boston Whaler Super Sport. Our family has had so many incredible adventures on this boat. It still looks like new and the old 25-horse power Evinrude outboard motor starts every year with just a few pulls. Now my kids are enjoying making memories on the same boat. Besides family fun, salmon fishing, and pan fishing, the main use of our Whaler today is for photography. With its triple hull, the boat does not tip to the side, even when three grown people are standing on the same side.

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.

Have you ever been walking in a beautiful woods and felt like the trees were talking to you? While I walked to Inspiration Point inside Ludington State Park, I felt like if I just stopped walking and listened with my eyes, I would be able to hear the trees' stories. I tried to record their stories with my camera.

4th of July Cruise

Like a picture out of its past, Big Point Sable Lighthouse keepers' quarters glow with lights, as they did when operated by the Coast Guard until the 1970s. Volunteers now occupy the dwelling, conducting tours and working on maintenance and restoration. Another time exposure of Big Sable Light at night was part of the first photo story I ever shot, for a photography class in college in 1969.

Aerial Photos of Ludington

 

On my way home from Ludington State Park I have just enough time to shoot the sunset after finishing a photo tips program Brad and I put on at Big Sable Point Lighthouse. What a summer for sunsets this continues to be. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

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.

Crosswinds is always a great vantage point for photographing the Badger as she heads in or out of the Ludington channel. The soft pastel colors of the sky matched the tones of the flowers and grass in the foreground. I then tried to micro-compose where the tips of the dune grass fell in this scene, along with the small fishing boat.  I also timed it so the green light was on inside of the Ludington North Breakwater Light.

Kinney Road Tree in Fog

On Guard to guide mariners safely past a treacherous point that juts into Lake Michigan, Big Point Sable Lighthouse has stood the test of time since 1867. The Coast Guard stopped operating the lighthouse in the 1970s. Vandals nearly destroyed the vacant dwelling before volunteers teamed up to begin restoring the tower and keepers' quarters to their original grandeur. Today, Big Sable Light stands as testimony. People with a dream, goal, and willingness to give of their time, talents, and money can accomplish great deeds. Abraham Lincoln, who approved the light's construction, would applaud this achievement.

Aerial Photos of Ludington

I love going down to the beach on calm summer mornings in Ludington. As I was getting out of my truck to go for a run, I heard the Badger blow its horn, letting boaters know that it was about to leave the dock. I delayed going for a run and grabbed my camera and tripod instead. I climbed the small dune just west of the playground and waited for the Badger to get between the pier heads to capture this image.