Steven October 14th, 2010
One of our goals during our vacation into Michigan was to visit many of the waterfalls that are found in the Upper Peninsula. We even stayed an extra night in Munising MI just for that reason. There are a total of 17 waterfalls in the Munising area, we were able to take in four of them on this trip. The first one we came to was Munising Falls.
Munising Falls is a pretty little waterfall that can be found in Pictured Rocks National Lakesore. The waterfall is 50 feet high and located in a lush area filled with plants and trees. The falls pour over a very colorful sandstone cliff and into an amphitheater like depression they’ve carved over time.
There is a nice trail to the falls and a boardwalk platform to stand on to view the falls. You aren’t allowed to go off of the boardwalk, so composing a unique image is a little tricky, but it still can be done. 
I was very surprised by the beauty of Munising Falls. The photos I had seen of it really didn’t do it justice. Those same photos also made it look smaller than it actually is. the falls are great to photograph because they’re in shade most of the day. This image was shot on a bright, sunny day, but you’d never know it because of the shade. It helps to have a tripod for shooting this waterfall because of the shady location.
Just down stream of the falls, the creek flows through some beautiful forest that was peaking in fall color on that day. We were lucky to be there on the day we were, it led to some great images of a Michigan autumn day.
——————————————-
Steven August 26th, 2010
I’ve loved this statue of the lost fisherman in Port Washington, WI ever since I first saw it. I’ve tried many times to get a good photo of it, but they just never seemed to work for me. Either the lighting was wrong, the background was wrong, or any number of other things were wrong.
Then, while at the Maritime Heritage Festival earlier this month, I finally got my shot. I was walking up to the monument when it occurred to me that a close up of the fisherman with the tall ship Bounty in the background would be perfect. It wasn’t as easy as that though. First off there were a lot of people walking around and to get a photo without any of them in it was an arm tiring, patience trying challenge. I also had to contend with some flag poles to the right that prevented me from having the composition I really wanted.
I knew immediately that it was going to be either a black and white or sepia image. After trying both, I liked the sepia version best. I did do a little “photoshopping” to this image. There were some people on the far shore that I removed. I also removed the rubber dingy hanging off the side of the Bounty. These are just small changes that help to create the feel I’m looking for in the image, (Rubber dingys just don’t say “old timey” to me).
All in all I’m very pleased with how this image turned out. I feel it’s a good tribute to all fishermen and sailors who’ve been lost at sea.
Purchase Prints or Usage Rights for this Image
———————————-
Steven April 5th, 2010
April Photo of the Month: Painted Lady Butterfly on Flowering Plum, Bishop CA
This month’s photo is an oldie but a goody. It’s a scanned slide that was taken in April of 2000. One of the highlights of the year in the Owens Valley is the migration of the Painted Ladies in March and April. The butterflies come up the valley from the south and in good years can number in the millions. In bad years though you may not see a single butterfly. The year I took this was a very good year.
The tree is a flowering plum and was not only full of beautiful pink flowers, but was also full of Painted Ladies. I’d say there were at least 20 – 30 butterflies flying around the tree. Even with that many, it was still difficult to get a nicely composed shot. Of all the shots I took that morning, this one was the best.
I rank this photo in my top 10 of all time. I just love the colors in it.
Steven November 19th, 2009
This image was shot on the eastern side of Lake Michigan near the Grand Haven Lighthouse in Grand Haven, Michigan.
I had been photographing the surfers who where surfing near the pier at Grand Haven, (Yes that’s right, surfing on Lake Michigan. Read my post, Lake Michigan Surfers for proof.) waiting for the sunset to happen. When the sunset finally came it wasn’t much. There weren’t any clouds in the sky and the haze was killing the nice light on the lighthouse.
One thing that did stand out for me was the golden reflection in the water. It was really beautiful.
I ended up shooting many pictures of the sun setting into the lake and the light reflecting off of the waves, but I think my favorite images from that evening were the ones where I focused just on the reflected color in the water. I feel they show nature’s simple beauty and the peacefulness of a Lake Michigan sunset.
