Welcome to My Michigan (The Mitten)
I took a fifteen year break from photography to spend as much time as possible with my family. Now that the kids are out of school and I find myself with more free time I have decided to join the digital age and pick up where I left off.
For me photography is a labor of love. It helps me see everything in a new light and a new way. Everyday events become forever memories. Insects, flowers, animals and birds become magical and mystical. My eyes see a whole new world around me, sometimes alien but always beautiful. This is what I love to do, winter, spring, summer and fall, immersed in the great out of doors with a camera in my hand.
Come and join me on my expeditions. And just maybe, like many others, you will come away "Smitten by the Mitten".
Thank you for stopping by.
Jim
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Falling Whirlybirds
Here I am on a lovely summer afternoon lying in the shade of a Maple tree watching the seeds spiral down. This is a great way to waste time. ;)
Fifty
That is the average number of times a Ruby Throated Hummingbird beats it's wings per second. It just bogles my mind. Isn't Nature amazing?
Morning Dew
It was foggy last night so there was a heavy dew. I got up early to catch a picture of the sun rising in the early morning dew.
To Bee or Not Two Bee.
Here are two more macros from last weekend. I look at these and think Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, these two bees have lots of hair.
Diamond in the Rough
Some things that we consider ordinary and drab are really quite beautiful if we just stop and take the time to look closely.
Take some time to smell the flowers. As you walk the paths of life.
Take some time to ease the tensions. From the challenges and the strife.
Take some time to hear the birds sing. As they usher in the dawn.
Though the day be just emerging. Too soon it will be gone.
Take some time to watch a sunrise. Now and then a sunset too.
Just be sure that seeking pleasure. Isn’t all you ever do.
Take some time to count your blessings. Though you feel they’re not that great.
You will find they’re more abundant. Than you thought, at any rate.
- written by Leon Hansen
Inferno
This is a macro of a sunflower. I was trying for torches on fire and I think it turned out pretty good.
Hovering Over the Sun.
I caught this Hover Fly over a sunflower. Lucky shot! Actually it is just about to land.
Unusual Sculpture
On the 4th of July we visited Mackinaw City and I was amazed at how realistic this sculpture looked. It was so lifelike that I actually walked into a light post while staring at it.
Imagine my surprise when the statue got on his bicycle and rode off.....
Mackinaw City SweetSpot
I really like how colorful the signage is for this Sweets Shop in downtown Mackinaw CIty. They have something to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us.
Firefly Fireworks
There is something magical about fireflies. I'm sure most of us can remember catching fireflies on a warm summer eve and putting them in a glass jar beside the bed. I can remember falling to sleep mesmerized by those tiny flashing beacons. It was magic!
This image is a combination of layering 10 individual photos on top of each other.
Fireworks On the Beach
Fireworks on the beach may not be as impressive as those in the city, but they have a lot of character. Sitting by the camp fire with family and friends, small talk mixed with the soft sound of swishing waves, children running around with sparklers, roasting marshmallows for smores, eating popcorn and looking up at the milky way in a pitch black sky. You just can't find this special character at the big time shows.
One, Two, Three, Four....
There is nothing quite like a clear summer night in northern Michigan. Can you count the stars in the Milky Way? These photos are looking southeast over Hammond Bay in Presque Isle county. The bright glow in the center of the first image is light pollution from Rogers City.
