Summer

I hope everyone gets an opportunity someday to see Michigan farms and homesteads from above. The view today of this majestic farm in Eastern Mason County near the Pere Marquette River made me proud to be a Michigander. F9 at 1/400, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Farmer Ralph Oomen pauses by his truck after looking over a 100-acre field of zucchini in a West Michigan field. Ralph and his brother Ken of Oomen Brothers Farm in Hart, Michigan, grow 1,500 acres of vegetables. F11 at 1/80, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 16mm

If you have had the opportunity to see Michigan's Manistee National Forest from the air, you know how unbelievably dense the forest actually is. Today, I was drawn to the beautiful patterns created by the different shades of green on the trees below. F8 at 1/400, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Queen Anne's Lace and other wildflowers look like an impressionist painter's dream to my eye as I watch them sway in the morning breeze along a Michigan roadway. August is the best time to see and appreciate mile upon mile of wildflowers along Michigan's highways and byways. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

My dad and I have photographed several bald eagles this year on different Tuesdays, but this was the first day we actually set out to specifically photograph the majestic animal at the Ludington State Park. In two short hours, we successfully photographed five different bald eagles. I never tire of seeing these massive birds populating the woods in Michigan. F5.6 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm

A mature bald eagle approaches touchdown in a white pine tree along the west shore of Hamlin Lake at Ludington State Park. I am so glad to see more eagles thriving in Michigan in recent years. F6.3 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

The SS Badger is a beautiful steamship from any angle. Today was the first time that I got to photograph her underway from an airplane. I was impressed by how elegantly the 410-foot carferry cut through the waters of Lake Michigan. F7.1 at 1/640, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Swamps are beautiful! One of my outdoor photography heroes, Clyde Butcher, has shown people through his photographs that the swamps of the Florida Everglades are filled with beauty. Today, I have set out to showcase some of the beauty of Michigan swamps and marshes. Shortly after sunrise I discover this wildflower scene that plays on my visual senses like notes of a musical score. F11 at 1/80, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

Purple loosestrife catches my eye in a marsh along old Pere Marquette Highway. Upon closer inspection, I discover evening primrose and decide to focus on the yellow flowers instead and use the purple loosestrife as a complementary backdrop. F4 at 1/100, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Flowering bull thistle grabs my attention before its sharp, prickly leaves and stems can tear into my legs as I walk through a swamp. I find it fascinating that something so beautiful in nature can so quickly cause harm to a person or animal. F5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

The word swamp does not have a good connotation for a lot of people. But those who venture into one of Michigan's many swamps and marshes have the opportunity to discover plenty of beauty. This swamp bling catches dew, sunlight, and my eye. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

This morning I have headed for the marshlands of Northern Michigan to see what I can find blooming. In a meadow at the edge of a marsh near the Pere Marquette River I spot goldenrod and then see a lone butterfly land on one of the flowers. I quickly and quietly approach to get as close as my large telephoto lens will focus to maximize impact and minimize depth of field. F5 at 1/500, ISO 200, 300mm lens at 300mm

Nothing brightens my photographic day more than finding sunflowers in the Michigan countryside. We got tipped off about a stand of sunflowers growing at the Stakenas farm on US31 north of Scottville. The afternoon backlighting gives the sunflowers translucent brilliance and definition. F8 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

Warren Weaver finishes cutting another row of hay with his giant John Deere chopper on an August afternoon. The Stakenas farm is one of the biggest farming operations in West Michigan. The Stakenas family has been farming their land north of Scottville, Michigan for several generations. F8 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

While taking back roads up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore tonight, we drove by this old McCormick-Deering tractor. I had my dad turn the Suburban around so I could hop out and make this photograph. Both the tractor and the massive old maple tree are timeless beauties. I wonder which one is older? F10 at 1/125, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Local knowledge and connections are invaluable when it comes to outdoor photography. One of the Stakenas boys from Scottville passed word onto us that they had some beautiful sunflowers growing on their land across the road from their farm on US31. Luckily for us, the first attempt turned out great because of the gorgeous light hitting the sunflowers. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 600mm lens at 840mm

Other visitors and I savor the stillness and soft glow of an August evening on Sleeping Bear Bay. This spot near the old Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station in Glen Haven is one of my favorite locations in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. F5 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

By stopping down my telephoto lens to an aperture of F22, I was able to get great depth of focus for this scene along the shores of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Northern Michigan. Having such a small hole in my lens for light to pass through and shooting at a low ISO of 100 allowed me to have a longer shutter speed of 1/10 of a second. It is amazing how fast water can move in 1/10 of a second. F22 at 1/10, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Much of the shoreline up by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is covered with smooth, colorful rocks. I enjoy watching the crystal clear fresh water of Lake Michigan dance over the array of colors and shapes created by the rocks below the surface. F9 at 1/320, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 170mm