Winter

Exploring the interdunal ponds at the Ludington State Park is always a fun adventure. The evening light tonight helped put life back into this scene of a dead tree.

I am running out of daylight when my 365 Picture of the Day appears right before me at the intersection of Iris Road and South Lakeshore Drive south of Ludington. To my eyes, this gated view looks heavenly. F22.0 at 25.0, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

A fresh snowfall makes the historic Glen Haven Canning Co. building stand out even more than it already does along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The 365 Project is still forcing me to explore new roads and areas of my "backyard" that I have never seen. Today I took a closer look at the old elevator at the train yard in Ludington. I was greeted with magic light and a beautiful reflection. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

Boldly beautiful; that is my response to the restored exterior of the historic Glen Haven Canning Co. building at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. A view through one of the many windows gives a glimpse of the equally restored interior that now serves as a maritime museum.

Looking like a sun worshipper, the face of a giant ice formation juts toward the sun along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Ludington State Park. The nature-made ice sculpture warms my heart on an ice-cold day. The beauty I find at almost every turn during winter in Michigan gives me a sunny attitude.

My brother and sister-in-law used to live on Johnson Road in Custer. I would travel it regularly. Since they moved many years ago, I realized I don’t drive here very often. I took this route home and to my luck, came upon magic light coating a heron.

Muskegon History

We love including diagonal lines and shapes in our photographs. Angles were everywhere as the ice was breaking up on a sunny March afternoon on Betsie Bay in Frankfort, Michigan.

I made this image last night at the Sable River Outlet in the Ludington State Park. It was a beautiful night. Not a ton of color, but the clouds and contrast from the storm light were amazing.

On my way to West Shore Community College, I cannot pass up taking a closer look at the frosty branches along the Pere Marquette River. I know it won't get any better than this today. I like the S-curves and dynamic angles of this branch. I like the matching repetitive pattern of the background branches that I keep out of focus to create layers. F3.5 at 1/5000, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Most of the time I really do not like the looks of snow fences, especially in my photographs. However, the shadows they cast on the sand and snow can be a fascinating subject to photograph. F11.0 at 1/30, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 34 mm

Part of Me

Standup paddle surfer Larry Bordine gets launched over the top of a wave as he attempts to paddle his way further out into Lake Michigan before surfing back to shore.

The Jebavy bridge, over the Lincoln River, is not the safest place to photograph, but it sure is beautiful. Tonight, I shot the sunset from the bridge and got the clouds reflected in the river.

Surfer Saeth Gronberg rides a Lake Michigan wave past the Frankfort, Michigan lighthouse on a sunny winter afternoon.

This was the last photo that my Fuji S5 Pro camera took. On the very next shot, I slid down the ice-covered slide. I went faster than anticipated and landed on top of my camera and tripod. It was one of the dumber things I have ever done, especially while photographing! My new used Fuji S5 is coming in the mail tomorrow. F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Standup paddle surfer Larry Bordine cruises past the ice-covered Frankfort, Michigan breakwater . Larry is among the hardy Michiganders that make surfing a four-season adventure on Lake Michigan.

Frost coats almost everything along the Pere Marquette River this morning. I make a picture of a frost-covered bush with the river as background. Then, following the "twice-as-close rule" Brad and I teach, I start looking for closer pictures. Just a few footsteps closer to the river I find it. Queen Anne's Lace laced with frost looks like a Crown Jewel. F22.0 at 1/160, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Prince of the Forest