Sturgeon Bay, July 2010. It's a pretty drive, north of Harbor Springs, on M-119. There's a long stretch known as the "tunnel of trees" that is especially beautiful during the fall. If you go past Good Hart and Cross Village, M-119 takes you to the Sturgeon Bay. This area is a bit remote and isolated. There was no one here but me on this morning in July. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Muskegon, August 2011. Pere Marquette Beach on a windy day. It's not noticeable, but a wind surfer entered the frame while I made this photograph. The long exposure, and a little post-processing, obscures that interference. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Point Betsie Lighthouse, October 2016. Low water levels permitted me to back away from the lighthouse on the shoreline. This allowed me to show more of the lakeside part of the lighthouse along with Lake Michigan. The Point Betsie Lighthouse is not far off M-22, a little north of Frankfort. Exposure time: 60 seconds.
Warren Dunes, April 2017. Oftentimes I see something on the shoreline I want to photograph, but a wave will eliminate it before I can get set up and finish. I got this photograph before a wave erased what was there. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Hagar Park, April 2018. This park is north of St. Joseph. It was windy and cold. The wind blew so hard that it pushed the waves onto the shore further than normal. This created a thin layer of water that makes the driftwood refection appear to shimmer. I didn't stay long. Exposure time: 20 seconds.
Empire, November 2018. North Bar Lake is a small lake north of Empire next to Lake Michigan. Normally, a stream flows from the small lake into the larger one. On this day, the flow of water was obstructed by a sand bar. Water, nevertheless, fights back. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Manistee South Breakwall, April 2016. Taken during the evening hours on a warm spring day. The wide angle lens exaggerates the depth of field, converges the lines of this breakwater, and creates long triangles. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Union Pier, April 2017. On a trip to Indiana I brought my camera and tripod, and I stopped at Townline Road Beach for some quick shots. It was a warm day with hazy sunshine. There was nothing of interest other than this sand bar and a pool of water near the shoreline. I didn't think much of this shot until I did some cropping. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Old Mission Point, May 2017. As water levels on Lake Michigan increased, some of the vegetation near the shoreline became part of the lake. The vegetation drowns, and it leaves a skeleton. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Muskegon, October 2010. An intense low pressure system brought record low barometric pressure readings. In other words, it was really windy. This is the North Muskegon Breakwater. No filter was used. Exposure time: 1/90 second.
Point Betsie, December 2016. Just west of the Point Betsie Lighthouse. It's usually a challenge to get close like this with a wide angle lens. The waves splash against the wall, and the wind (almost always present) sprays the lens (and the photographer). It's tolerable in the summertime (to a point), but not in December (the cold spray freezes on you). This was a rare calm day. Exposure time: 90 seconds.
Arcadia, August 2015. At one time these wood structures at Arcadia Beach were completely on the shore. I believe they are gone now, victims of Lake Michigan's high water level and the fight against erosion. Exposure time: 45 seconds.
Muskegon, October 2020. This large log was nearly washed ashore. A long exposure would not work - the strength of the waves moved the branch such that a long exposure would blur it. So I waited for a moment when there was less wave action, and I took the picture at a faster shutter speed than I usually use. Exposure time: 1.5 seconds.
Port Sheldon, September 2010. These wood posts are at the south end of Kirk Park in Ottawa County. I silently cursed this seagull as it perched itself atop a post. After viewing this on my computer, I liked what it added. I learned a lesson: Don’t always fight what is there. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Holland, August 2015. I photographed this large branch at Tunnel Park. The weather was calm. There was hardly any wave action so the heavy branch remained fairly stationary. Exposure time: 40 seconds.
New Buffalo, April 2017. An evening shot during a stop at the New Buffalo Beach on my way to Chicago. This shows the Galien River emptying into Lake Michigan. Exposure time: 30 seconds.
Holland, August 2018. A thunderstorm was forecasted. I perched myself on the north side of the channel that runs between Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan. It wasn't much of a storm but I captured one lightning bolt. I got rained on, but not electrocuted. Exposure time: 60 seconds.
Grand Haven, September 2010. A rainy Saturday at the Grand Haven State Park Beach. A favorite place when our kids were young. Exposure time: 64 seconds.
Saugatuck, September 2019. A long sand bar at Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Exposure time: 30 seconds.