Summer

I had previsualized my shot for tonight days before I clicked the shutter. I knew I wanted to include both the Little Sable Point Lighthouse and Comet NEOWISE in my shot. The colorful afterglow was an added bonus!

For years our family has stopped on US31 near the Susan Creek Nature Preserve along Lake Michigan between Petoskey and Charlevoix to look for Petoskey stones. This vantage also provides a great view of the lake, and tonight I am witnessing one of the most cobalt blue skies I have ever seen. I am so glad that I have my camera, tripod, and waterproof shoes so I can capture the moment. F11 at 1.3 seconds, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Alarm clock goes off at 5:45 A.M. and I roll out of bed. Get dressed, grab a quick bite to eat and fire up the truck. Heading to Pentwater for the Junior Women's Club Annual Art Fair. The sunrise is amazing. Stop on Old US 31 near the Pere Marquette River Flats and am finally awake enough to make this photograph. F9.0 at 1/500, ISO 250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Waiting until after midnight so Rachel and I could shoot our next photos of the day for our 366 Project was a great decision. We were blessed to not only be able to shoot photos that had the Comet NEOWISE and the Milky Way in them with Little Sable Point Lighthouse, but also the Northern Lights! It was an extraordinary night along the Lake Michigan shoreline near the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.

The rocks are what most intrigued me during a 2008 shoreline hike at Sleeping Bear Point. I love the color blue, so I was also therefore drawn to the blue look to the rocks in the shadowy twilight. It took me longer than it should have to understand that the natural world often looks richer in dimmer light than brighter light. With adequate exposure, magic often appears on film or sensors in very low light.

Neighbors on the Buttersville Peninsula have left a pleasing arrangement of beach chairs in front of their home. The soft blues of the evening sky and Lake Michigan complements the chairs. I am getting that tropical feeling that makes me want to relax in one of the chairs with a Shock Top beer. Instead I savor the view while making the picture. F22.0 at 2.5, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm

What a way to start my day. It is 5:58 a.m. as I am eased awake by the soft glow of the moon as it sets over Lake Michigan at Buttersville Park between Ludington and Pentwater. This is one of those gentle "wine shots" that are great to savor with a cup of coffee while the tripod holds my camera. F16 at 2 seconds, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 23mm

Less than five minutes after photographing the moon setting in the western sky, I turn my attention to the eastern sky to watch the sunrise paint the clouds with light and color over the carferries SS Badger, at left, and SS Spartan. I am blessed to live within 500 yards of where my tripod is standing. Life is good on the Buttersville peninsula with Lake Michigan to the west and Ludington harbor to the east. F16 at 1/5, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 21mm

I am eye to eye with a rare Karner Blue butterfly. The imperiled butterfly lives for only about two weeks and is about the size of a quarter. The U.S. Forest Service Baldwin office has allowed me to assist seasonal biological technician Justin Bragg as a Karner Blue counting volunteer today. F10.0 at 1/200, ISO 800, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

Today my dad and I were invited by Dr. Heather Keough of the Federal Forest Service to help count the Karner Blue Butterflies that live in the Manistee National Forest. The Karner Blue Butterflies are an endangered species. Dr. Keough and her team are trying to re-grow the Michigan savannah so that the rare creatures can reproduce naturally. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

A young buck stands at attention above the railroad tracks near the Manistee Industrial Park. When I first spotted him and his brother, they were standing right on the train tracks. Lucky for me, they moved onto the flower-covered ridge and I was able to use the tall grasses as my foreground element. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Tonight, I took Julia with me to one of my dad's and my photo workshops at Big Sable Point Lighthouse and told her if she was well behaved during the seminar then I would take her to the top afterwards. Julia made sand angels while my dad and I talked to the workshop attendees. Julia loved her first view from the top of "Poppy's Lighthouse!" F16.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

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As my wife Debbie and I are on our way to our anniversary dinner at the Glenwood Restaurant in Onekema we make a stop at one of our favorite northern Michigan shops, MacBeth & Co. A sign on a portion of their building, which formerly housed the Onekema Square Deal Feed Store, catches my eye. The sign, like the building, feels old. F5.6 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm