Nature through my eyes

Lake Erie Metro Park

2011-06-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today I was finally able to get out to the Metro Park. After fighting off TONS of mosquitos I was able to snap a few good shots. I was very excited to get a Barn Swallow that was nice enough to sit still for a while. Hope you enjoy!

Ludington

2011-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

After an extended absence from photography, I was finally able to get out and get a few shots. Hope you enjoy!

Engagement

2010-10-16T20:35:00.001-07:00

So I should have posted this one a couple of months ago. This is the Chapel in the woods at Hartwick Pines State Park. It is the place that I proposed to Kari.

Fall Colors/ Ocqueoc Falls

2010-10-12T12:59:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from this past weekend up north. The colors were as good as I have ever seen them, and the weather matched them. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Finally Fall

2010-09-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

This is a tree right outside of Fairvew, MI. that my sister has been enamoured with. So I have decided that I will stop and take photos of it whenever I drive by it. The day this shot was taken there was a very strong wind, and I didn't think that I would be able to get a shot because it was overcast. After I was a couple of miles down the road, the sun came out and I turned around and went back to take a few shots. This is the best of the bunch. Hopefully I will be able to get a shot of it in full color before the leaves fall off.

Little Sable Lighthouse

2010-09-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

This week I have been spending some time near Ludington working. I finished work a little early today and was able to get down to take some pics of Little Sable Lighthouse. I have been here before, but was not able to get a decent shot. I think these turned out ok. The faun is from Lake Erie Metro Park. I was lucky enough to have this little girl walk right out in front of me, she posed for a couple of shots then walked off. Hope you enjoy!

Wildflowers!

2010-07-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

While walking at Lake Erie Metro Park today I was really surprised and happy to find a huge area planted with wildflowers! There were thousands of them, all providing great opportunities to photograph bees, butterflies and the flowers themselves. It is really nice to see habitat being created like this! Hope you enjoy!

Lotus

2010-07-25T17:39:00.001-07:00

These are pics of the lotus blossoms at Lake Erie Metro Park. I was lucky enough to get out there and take a few shots before they disappear until next year. I have never seen them before and was amazed at how big they are. Hope you enjoy!

A few close ups.

2010-06-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Well it has been quite a while since I have really had a chance to get out and take some photos. These are from around our cabin. I thought it would be interesting to get a closer look at some of the animals that we take for granted. I think they turned out pretty good. I hope you enjoy them!

A few reminders of Spring/Summer

2010-02-20T15:48:00.001-08:00

So I have been in photography hibernation so far this winter. I have been pretty busy and unable to get out and shoot. So I decided to post a few pics that I took while down in Lawrenceville, Illinois this past summer. I can not wait for spring to get here so I have a few more shooting options. Hope you enjoy!

Fall is Here!!

2009-10-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to spend some time up north this weekend at our cabin. The colors are about 75% changed and some of the trees look like they are on fire. It's a great time to get out and take some photos. I took these right as the sun was rising over the trees, the lighting was almost perfect. I hope you enjoy!!

Ocqueoc Falls

2009-09-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

I went up north this weekend for Labor Day and had a little time to myself. So I decided to head over to a place that I have not been since I was a little kid. Easy to say (Ock-E-ock) hard to spell falls. There were only a few people there so I was able to get quite a few shots. I think this one is one of the best. Hope you enjoy!!

Goooodmorning

2009-08-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have not been out to shoot since Kari and I bought a house at the end of June. So I finally had a day where I could get up VERY early and head on down to Erie. I waited for the sun to peek over the horizon and took a few shots. Hope you enjoy!

2009-05-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

These are shots that I took while Kari and I were walking around Erie Metro Park. What a cool place, there are tons of different bird species, flower species, and some of the most unique marshland habitat in the state. If you haven't been there you should go check it out!

More Erie Metro Park Wildflowers

2009-05-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Cedar Waxwings

2009-05-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for these birds to show up. They finally showed up today. They eat the berries that grow on the tree in front of my office. These birds do not start to build nests until they know these berries will be there for them to eat. Hopefully over the next week or two I will be able to get some better pics. Hope you enjoy! And leave a comment if you like them.

Lake Erie Metro Park WIldflowers

2009-05-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today Kari and I took a walk around the Marshlands Museum and Nature Center at Lake Erie Metro Park. While we were fighting off the mosquitos I was able to take a few pretty cool pics of the wildflowers. I was only able to identify one though, so if you have any ideas as to what the flowers are let me know!

First Portrait Attempts

2009-04-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today I was lucky enough to be able to meet a new member of the Creager family. Creags was good enough to bring her by so I could try my hand at portrait photography, I think they turned out pretty good. Hope you enjoy!

Kensington Metro Park Birds

2009-03-24T18:20:00.001-07:00

2009-03-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Kensington Metro Park this afternoon after work. I intended to check the place out and then come back later to explore it a little better. My plans changed when I was fortunate enough to meet a fellow photographer named Dan. After a short discussion he offered to take me to see Sandhill Cranes! I was very excited because I have always wanted to get shots of them. Along the way he showed me several great trails that had tons of very friendly birds. Here are a few shots from today. Thanks Dan!

Bluebird

2009-03-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

This is the first time that I have been able to take a photo of a Bluebird, I was suprised to see a pair of them while I was sampling in Howell today. It's not the best pic but it shows how bright the colors are on these little birds.

Thank you Kari

2009-03-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken by Kari while we were in Erie Metro Park. A great shot by a great person! Good Job Kari!

Birds

2009-03-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

These are some of the birds that I have been able to photograph over the last couple weeks. Hopefully as spring marches on I will be able to get some of the more colorfull birds.

The Moon

2009-03-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at taking a photo of the moon. I took it at Riverside Park in Ecorse, there was a bit too much light pollution, and shivering by me but I think it turned out ok. I can not wait until the next full moon to get back out and try it again!

North Pier Lighthouse

2009-03-13T19:22:00.001-07:00

This is the North Pier Lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan. While I was there sampling, Chris and I were able to get out after working very long, VERY cold/windy days to get some great shots of the lighthouse. The conditions were horrible, but it's funny how you don't feel quite as cold when you have something like this to look at.

Mallards

2009-03-09T17:47:00.001-07:00

I finally was able to get some decent shots with my new 70-300mm lens! I am very excited, after several failed attempts I was starting to doubt that I would ever get some good shots. Hope you enjoy!

Light box/Valentines Day Gift part II

2009-02-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

These are charms for Kari's bracelet. They are very tiny, after some cropping the photo turned out pretty good.

First Light Box Photos

2009-02-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

I found an article about making a homemade light box. After 20 bucks and 30 minutes of build time I was up and running. My first subjects were these roses from the local florist. I think they made a great present for Kari!

RIverfront Park Benches

2009-01-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

Today it is a mild ZERO degrees outside so I thought I would go down to the river. I was told there was steam pouring off of the river, which there was. But I could not get a good pic of it. Instead I found these two benches.

Heritage Park

2009-01-11T12:30:00.001-08:00

Here is a black and white version of the church pic.

These photos were taken with my new camera!! Kari bought me a Nikon D60 for christmas. It is the nicest thing I own....really. I am not fully up on using all of it's functions yet, but I am learning. Here are my first outdoors pics with it. Let me know what you think!

Elizabeth Park Bridges...Take 2

2008-12-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Swans

2008-11-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

I was able to take these photos while I was groundwater sampling in Belding. The swans did not seem to mind me being there. Nice to have some company while sampling!

Oak Leaves

2008-11-18T21:26:00.001-08:00

The leaves have all changed color and fallen from the trees, except for the oak which will hold their leaves most of the winter and into the spring.

More Birch Trees

2008-11-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely 23 degrees and overcast when the sun finally broke through and allowed me to take some pictures.

Upnorth

2008-11-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

These two photos are from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail.

These two photos were taken along the path to the Miners Castle overlook.

This photo is from Hartwick Pines State Park.

I was lucky in catching this little bird just as he was taking off.

I have had my eye on this little school house since early summer. I could not wait to see it with the fall colors. I was not disappointed.

Kari and I were returning from performing some yearly maintenance on my deer blind when she noticed this shot. So I backed up and took a few pictures. Good job Kari!

The Lake

2008-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken at my favorite place in the world...the lake up north.

Elizabeth Park Bridge

2008-11-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

These photos are of the foot bridge at Elizabeth Park. I waited for a morning following a good snow fall and headed to the bridge to get some pics.

Georgia

2008-11-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

After a very long day of work we decided to take a little unsheduled vacation time and get some photos.

Denali National Park

2008-11-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken in 2007 during my visit to Denali National Park. I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to camp here for a few days and check out the park. The one thing I found out is that the park is SO immense that it was very hard to capture it on film. Here are a few that turned out ok.

Yosemite National Park

2008-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

I took these photos in 2006 when I was working in California. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to head up to Yosemite for a few days. I only had a very simple 100 dollar camera, but I was able to take a few decent shots. I couldn't decide if I liked the bottom pic in color or sepia so I published them both!

Dutch Harbor Cemetary

2008-11-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Landscapes of Dutch Harbor

2008-11-09T14:30:00.001-08:00

I found this seashell when I was beachcombing by Summers Bay.

This is a photo of the spit that I took while heading up Mt. Ballyhoo.

This photo is a view from the top of Ballyhoo. I really liked the single flower clinging to the edge of the cliff.

This picture was taken at Summers Bay. After some lessons by Chris on how to use my camera and the use of his tripod I was able to capture a few good pictures of the water breaking on the rocks.

Wildflowers

2008-11-09T14:22:00.001-08:00

These are some of the wildflowers that I found while exploring the island. Dutch Harbor is a strange place, one day I would find a cluster of flowers fully in bloom and the next day they would be gone.

2008-11-09T14:16:00.001-08:00

This photo is one of the wild horses on the island. They are very friendly and used to people.

I was driving up Haystack Mountain to check out the views on this clear day. I was lucky enough to be able to catch a crab boat heading out to sea.

This is the Russian Orthodox Church in Dutch Harbor, it is one of the oldest churches in Alaska.

I was found this starfish when I was fishing for salmon behind the airport.

Eagles

2008-11-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

The eagle above was on one of the stacks of crab pots that were stored on tank hill above the site that I was working at. This one let me get within 10 feet.

The eagle above is drying off his feathers after a rain, he is the other half of the pair of eagles that made the nest below.

During my first trip to Dutch Harbor last year I spent some time watching the pair of eagles make this nest. When I came back I was surprised to see two babies...definitely not the majestic eagle appearance that everyone is used to.