Daybreak No. 3

LAKE OF THE CLOUDS, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135 at 88mm
1/160 sec. f8
ISO 400

Deborah Abbott captured this view of another photographer atop the escarpment above the Lake of the Clouds. It was the third consecutive dawn we spent at the site, hoping that a dramatic screen of clouds would form in the distance to add color and interest to the scene. It didn't, but we didn't come away empty-handed, either.

Daybreak No. 2

LAKE OF THE CLOUDS, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/25 sec. f8
ISO 400

Another "barenaked," or nearly cloudless, break of day at the Lake of the Clouds was saved by low fog in the hills that added a touch of Georgia O'Keeffe style to the composition.

Daybreak No. 1

LAKE OF THE CLOUDS, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135 at 68mm
1/40 sec. f8
ISO 400

Deborah Abbott captured this view of the celebrated Lake of the Clouds just before the sun peeked over the horizon. I opened up the shadows in Lightroom and slightly saturated the red, yellow, orange and blue to make the composition more dramatic.

Hybrid transportation

MULES NEAR ONTONAGON, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f8
ISO 2000

These two beasts belonging to Upper Michigan hobbyist-mule skinner Dale Venema posed for their portrait by a country road. They are often put to work dragging freshly felled logs through the woods and giving small children sleigh rides at Christmastime.

First sunset of autumn

SUNSET ON LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135 at 18mm
1/320 sec. f8
ISO 500

Rather than setting into the lake, the sun descends over a spit of land at this time of year. The wind is high and the lake is rough—typical conditions for early fall.

Red-tailed Hawk

JUVENILE RED-TAILED HAWK NEAR SILVER CITY, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/1250 sec. f8
ISO 200

This one was hard to identify, but a study of the bird books and consultation with experts led me to the conclusion that it's a young example of the red-tailed hawk, very common in Upper Michigan. The light eyes suggest that it might even be one of this year's hatch. I spotted it atop a power pole while driving past on State Highway M64 during midafternoon on an overcast day, stopped the car and shot from its window. Taking a camera with long lens in the car sometimes bears fruit.

Valves

OLD FIRE ENGINE VALVES, ONTONAGON, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 31, 2013

Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135 at 107.5mm
1/250 sec. f8
ISO 400

The bronze piping and fittings on a restored 1929 Stoughton fire truck belonging to the Ontonagon Volunteer Fire Department glowed in the morning sunlight before the town's annual Labor Day festival opened.