stairs to Lake Michigan beach
96 stairs to pure heaven, the Lake Michigan sugar sand shoreline.

Oh yeah! This is the sight that lots and lots of lucky Michigan vacationers will enjoy this summer. This particular photo was taken in Manistee, Michigan however, this is a common sight at beach houses along the shoreline. An infinity of stairs leading to and infinity of luxurious Michigan beach. Gotta love it!

I had to run up these same stairs after taking this scary photo of a huge storm before it hit the shoreline.

On another note, I’ve got to comment on Tom Izzo deciding to stick with Michigan State University tonight. Yeah! The man has integrity and I’m sure glad that we still have him on our side. Thanks Tom for sticking around!

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Solomon's Seal and Flowering Plum Trees

I took this photo around a month ago when my flowering plum tree dropped it’s petals after a storm. This is my happy place to relax and smell the fresh Michigan air.

Another one of my happy places is the Frederik Meijer Gardens, which is celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. I’m planning on going there soon and taking photos of the Chihuly: A New Eden Exhibit, it’s truly amazing with his work at 15 sites.

Beautiful HDR photo of Milham Park in Kalamazoo MI
One fine spring day in Milham Park.

Kalamazoo is the home to lots of special places and Milham Park is way up there on the list. My friend Jill told me about historic Milham Park and I’m sure glad she did. It’s 49 acres of creeks, stone bridges and hedges, geese, paths and just a serene, beautiful place.

Windmill Island Holland Michigan
Windmill Island just before dusk.

It’s Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan and Windmill Island is one of the featured attractions for good reason.

It’s a beautiful and leisurely paved walk to the island which is surrounded by marshes with cattails and red winged blackbirds.

Although tourists and vacationers travel from around the world to visit the island during Tulip Time, it’s an attraction that stands on its own and is well worth visiting any time of the year, especially spring, summer and fall.

Click here to purchase print of photo.

Tulip Time photo Holland, mi
May 1 - 8, 2010 Tulip Time Festival in Holland, MI

Tulip Time in Holland, MI is a big deal for a lot of folks, so I thought it was about time I check it out. The Tulip Time Festival actually starts next week, but the tulips are already looking stunning and I thought this would be a great way to get some shots before the crowds arrive.

I took this HDR photo at Windmill Island. It’s an enchanting, beautiful place that is well worth the visit.

Click here to purchase print of photo.

It's time to put this boat in the water!

I wanted to share some of the websites/resources that have helped me learn about HDR photography, and also those that inspire me. HDR photography is fun, relatively easy to learn and has only a few extra expenses. Following, are links to websites that I enjoy:

Resources:

HDR Soft is in my opinion, the best HDR program out there.

Topaz Labs is pretty great too!

Inspiration:

Stuck in Customs is the gold standard for HDR

HDR Spotting has great photos that are constantly updated

Photomatix user gallery, guess who’s in it

Online tutorials are available on the Stuck in Customs, Photomatix and Topaz Labs websites.

I especially would like to give a thanks to Trey Ratcliff of Stuck in Customs, his generosity in sharing techniques and his photography are beyond amazing.

Lake Michigan is Waiting for You to Come for a Visit this Summer.

An email I got a couple of days ago from Dustin, who served in the Marine Corps for five years, made me think about how hard it must spend holidays like this so far from your loved ones. Today I’m dedicating my post to all of you serving in the military. You are loved and appreciated here at home. Thank you for your sacrifices, you are not forgotten.

Since so many of you are overseas in the desert, here’s a nice cool drink of the Northern Michigan shoreline.

The Public Beach in Manistee, Michigan

This is what I’m waiting for at this point. The beautiful Michigan summer, winter, be off with you!

DJ Bearie shredding it in the backwoods of Michigan.

According to Mr. Obvious, snowboarding in Michigan is popular. This winter we’ve been doing especially well in the snow department, so it’s a great time to hit the hills. Here’s a few places to go snowboarding in Michigan:

Pando Winter Sports Park: Has small hills and great for the experienced snowboarder. It also has one of the best tubing operations in west Michigan.

Cannonsburg Ski Area: A nice place to go out and get a quick run in.

Crystal Mountain: Have a great terrain park and a lot of hills.

Shanty Creek: Great snowboarding with a good mix of jumps and riding.

Boyne Mountain: Is known for their terrain park.

Nubs Knob: Has lots and lots of hills and is known more for the skiing than snowboarding.

If I missed someone, or you have something to add, please add a comment!

Time to get inside and cozy up by the fireplace.

Yep, that’s what Lake Michigan is link in the winter. I took this photo in January near the Grand Haven Pier in the Grand Haven State Park. It was so cold, that if I had a mustache, it would have frozen and broken off.