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The lighthouse keepers at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse near Alpena, Michigan were gracious enough to stay open late to allow my dad and me to climb to the top of the 113-foot tower overlooking Lake Huron. Michigan has 149 lighthouses lining its shorelines and the view from the top of the New Presque Isle Lighthouse has to be one of the most unique. The point of land that the lighthouse sits on is almost completely surrounded by water. F16 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I am feeling envious as I watch a Coast Guard self-righting motor lifeboat head out of Grand Haven harbor for training in the big waves generated by Superstorm Sandy. I was privileged to drive Coast Guard motor lifeboats in big seas on Lake Michigan for 30 years before retiring from the Coast Guard Reserve in 2005. I miss the roller coaster rides on these 47-footers and the 44-footers that preceded them. F5.6 at 1/1600, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 175mm

Hunters Point Park on the Keweenaw

Manistee Light

365 Week

Peaceful Evening

Peaceful Evening - Panoramic

Gerlach Workshop in Munising

Today was a difficult day. When my tasks at work are very systematic and methodical, it is hard to shut that off and let my creative eyes SEE possible compositions. It is past sunset and I have not clicked the shutter yet. I stop at the Custer bridge, grab my camera and tripod, and hope that I can make an image I would be proud of. I carefully took several shots, and then sat there in the silence.

My local knowledge of good locations to photograph a sunrise at Ludington State Park paid off on this April morning. I had only to adjust my camera position laterally by a few feet to align a gap in the trees on the Island Trail with the sun. Nature did the rest.

Hurtling forth and plummeting down, breaking waves capable of overpowering almost anything in their path rush toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. On this November day, no one and no vessel dared to challenge them.

Snacking its way to Lake Michigan, water from Bass Lake catches sunlight on a September evening.

I have been watching several months for just the right light to photograph the sailboats lining the Ludington Yacht Club peninsula on Pere Marquette Lake. One August evening, storm clouds and the golden light of an approaching sunset made the scene extraordinary. A rainbow added the crowning touch.

The scene before me reminded me of mountains I have seen and skied down with my sons in backcountry areas of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. These "mountains" are actually sand dunes in the southern part of Ludington State Park. On this day, I enjoyed the mountainous look that an unusually heavy snowfall had helped create.

In photography and in life, getting close to someone or something brings out feelings you have never felt before. That's the kind of strong feelings I seek when I am fortunate enough to be on the Lake Michigan shoreline with my camera on an evening like this.

My uncle, Rod Marble, and a few other woodworkers helped the late Jim Roussin build this beautiful wood boat. As a young boy growing up in Ludington, I would always get excited seeing the Liberty underway. I am not sure when she was last in the water, but I hope to see her afloat soon. F8.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

I had to smile the moment this snowman greeted me with a smile on his face in the alley near our photo gallery this morning. He definitely appears to be enjoying winter. I love winter as much as when I was a child building my first snowman. F3.5 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 86 mm

Mary Shoup was an amazingly upbeat person. Even after suffering from polio and its nasty side effects for most of her life, Mary continued to smile and make it her mission to make others happy. Her life was cut short, but when I saw this wild iris growing in Hamlin Lake on the Island Trail at Ludington State Park, I was reminded of what a beautiful person Mary was.

After getting several notices on our phones the last few days that the Northern Lights might be out on Sunday night and early Monday morning, my dad picked me up from my new house in Ludington around 9pm. We drove to Point Betsie Lighthouse just north of Frankfort, Michigan. Shortly after getting on location and figuring out where we wanted to shoot, my dad and I noticed a large white pillar of light appearing to the left of the lighthouse. A few moments later, the colors of the Northern Lights appeared. Luckily, my camera was taking an almost three-minute exposure during this time. By the end of the long exposure, the pillars were gone and the colors faded quickly. My dad and I stayed until 2am hoping they would come back. Once the clouds rolled in, we headed home with giant smiles on our faces because we were pretty sure we each got at least one nice photograph!