Winter
Spirit Tree
I feel the spirit of these woods at Hartwick Pines State Park so strongly I am compelled to make an annual pilgrimage to Grayling to revere this place as much as to photograph it. Some of these native white pines tower 300 feet over my head. The view from lying on the ground at the base of one of these monsters is priceless.
Storyteller
A first glance, this photo appears like it might have been shot at the Grand Island Ice Caves or some other large ice formation. However, it is actually only a few feet off the ice shoreline at Point Betsie Lighthouse. I lay down on my side and put my camera directly on the ice and by getting super close to the formation with a wide-angle lens, I could make it appear much larger than it was.
Rugged Cross
For me, being out in nature is a way to get close to God. Looking out at the woods from inside the log chapel at Hartwick Pines State Park is a more obvious way for me to find God in nature. Being at Hartwick Pines to take in the snowy woods when no one else is here enhances the experience. My favorite poet, Robert Frost, would have loved being here today. I think he might have had similar feelings about this special Michigan place.
Adorned
Norwalk Lutheran Church has long been one of my favorite photography muses. I have studied the country church for years, knowing that one day I would be able to make a good image. On this snowy day the country church between Manistee and Bear Lake looked picture perfect. After making some storytelling images that included automobiles passing by on US31, I decided to make this simpler image without any vehicles. I have learned over the years that often less is more.
Friends Forever
Last night after work I tried to go visit my friend Jamie Spore, but she was still not home after several weeks of medical issues stemming from her spina bifida. When I texted her to inform her I was down at the end of Ludington Avenue and that I was going to shoot the sunset for her. Little did I know that it would turn into one of the best sunsets I had ever seen. This one is for you, Jamie!
Winter on the Platte
After checking out and photographing a beautiful winter view from one side of a bridge over the Platte River south of Honor, I shift to the opposite side and am greeted by this even more splendid view of one of Michigan's most beautiful streams.
January Jewels
Look what the Snowbirds in Florida were missing on one of those magical Michigan winter mornings. Luckily I had stayed behind to see these jewels of frost during a drive through the Michigan countryside