Before the Morning Worship

Lake Sixteen Sunset

Taken at a recent engagement session at Lake Sixteen in Lake Orion. More images to come, sorry, busy season has kept me away from this blog more than I like.

Sylvan Lake at Rest

Frisbee Golf on Lake Michigan

North Bar Lake

One of the sandy stairways that takes you from North Bar Lake to Lake Michigan in the sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore.

Absolutely No Boat Launching

Seasonal signs are fun to play with. I'm quite sure this sign is doing it's job right now.

Sunset Photography

The sunset was amazing this evening. My daughter and I went for a bit of a drive to capture it as it fell over Lake Orion. Here are a few of the shots we took while watching it. Sunsets are great to capture, but I prefer the silhouette shots.

Adding a bit of a strobe makes my girl look like she's floating and looks like she's photo shopped in front of this sunset.

Sleeping Bear Bluff

Sleeping Bear Bluff

This swimmer was wandering in the water of lake Michigan. In the distance is part of the sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore. I liked the composition of this one a lot because it highlights the beauty of the dunes and the vastness of lake Michigan. This picture would be nothing without the swimmer wandering in the water. I gave him room to walk in the frame in order to convey the distance and give a natural feel to the shot. Wow that was a mouthful, but these things are really what I was thinking when I took this shot.

I borrowed a friend's Nikon D80 and lens for this shot.
Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 105 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Empire Memorial Lighthouse

Empire Memorial Lighthouse

This lighthouse is located in Empire Michigan and was built in 1991 as a memorial to Robert H. Manning, a life-long resident of Empire and avid fisherman. I've seen many shots of this lighthouse but none from this direction. Taking the unique shot of something that no one else has done is quite a challenge when traveling, but I think it makes the adventure that much more fun. Everyone can take a picture of this building from a slight distance, so the challenge is to find that unique perspective. That is what I love about photography.


Camera: Nikon D80
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Sometimes you just need to do a back flip

Backflip Anyone?

When my son and I are on a sand dune, the first thing that comes to mind is doing a back flip. Here's a shot captured of us doing just that. This particular sand dune is 450ft high.

Warning: Steep Bluff

Warning: Steep Bluff

Vacationing in Michigan is sometimes referred to as going "up north." This year was no exception because we traveled to the Sleepy Bear Dunes National Lake shore. This is an amazing place if you ever get the chance to see it. The sand dunes are suprisingly high and a thrill to climb. Ok, the thrill is gone after about 100 feet, but it is fun to run down. This is the sign warning climbers about the 450 ft hill.

Vacation Photos

Vacation Photos

Empire beach is a beautiful setting off of lake Michigan. The water can be cold at times, but this week was just right.

Morning Myst

Morning Myst

I took this photo just one week ago, so it fits my blog rules of taken within the week. I took this at about 7am while on a drive and it was one of those moments where I had to stop the car and get out the trusty Nikon D80. The sun was hitting the dock with some really warm light and the morning fog was just hovering over the pond.