Featured alumni photo reminds us of our own happy visits to the dunes! Our Featured Alumni Photo: Boardwalk Over Dune. In this photo by Great Lakes Photo Tours alumnus, Kristen Kernstock, an empty ‘dune dock’ at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s scenic overlook (accessed from the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive), drifts quietly over a sand [...]
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Red Trillium – Harbinger of a Michigan Spring
Trilliums of Michigan – Red Trillium Red Trillium of Michigan: After Snow Trillium (T. nivale), “Red Trillium” (T. erectum) is the next trillium species in the Great Lakes region to begin its bloom period. As a result, it’s sometimes referred to as “Wake-robin”. From mid to late April into June, this striking flower of the [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, red trillium, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowersSleeping Bear Dunes Winter Photography Weekend
Photography Enthusiasts Experience the Wonders of a Michigan Winter Sleeping Bear Dunes Winter Photography Weekend: Not many people venture to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on a snowy winter weekend to learn nature photography skills, but several adventuresome individuals did just that. They were participants in the Leelanau White Eco-Photo Weekend sponsored by The Homestead [...]
Read More bob grzesiak, Ileana Habsburg-Snyder, Leelanau Peninsula, Leelanau White Eco-Photo Weekend, Mark S. Carlson, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, The Homestead, Winter, Winter Dunes Eco-Photo Excursion, Winter Pastoral Peninsula Eco-Photo ExcursionMichigan Photographers…The Allure to Capture Spring
Spring! Wildflowers hidden in the woods…so alluring for naturalist photographer. Michigan Photographers…The Allure to Capture Spring: For the Naturalist Photographer, change is always an inspiration and I’m not referring to the rattling in your pocket, but rather the change in seasons. By April in the Great Lakes region, particularly Mid-Michigan, photographers are drawn to the [...]
Read More Central Michigan, Eco-Photo Excursions, Mark S. Carlson, Mystery Excursion, Seasonal Photography, Spring, wildflowersFeatured Alumni Photo: D.H. Day Barns Winter Landscape
Featured alumni photo is a wide-angle lesson in art. Our Featured Alumni Photo: D.H. Day Barns Winter Landscape. At our first location of the Pastoral Peninsula, Winter Eco~Photo Excursion 2013, participant, Susan Moore of White Lake, Michigan, captured the epitome of our Leelanau White Weekend’s rural magnetism. Her sweeping wide-angle composition is a lesson in [...]
Read More featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Susan MooreWildflowers & Waterfalls – Trail to Spring in the Smoky Mountains
Walk a trail bounded with springtime wildflowers…serenaded by waterfalls. Springtime Smoky Mountain Wildflowers & Waterfalls: If you’re a nature lover and you think of springtime, what’s the first thing that comes to mind, singing birds, a few raindrops, wildflowers? If you were thinking wildflowers, then where could you find over 1,600 flowering plants in one [...]
Read More Eco-Photo Tours, Great Smoky Mountains, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Smoky Mountains, Spring, Waterfalls, wildflowersNature Photography Tips: Photographing Into the Sun
Photographing into the sun to create a star effect. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: Usually photographers refrain from looking towards and including the mid-day sun in their photograph. Unless they over-ride their meter’s mechanical instincts to ‘close down’ or ‘under expose’ the scene, they have good reason to avoid such situations. However, every [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, photographing the sun, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, winter photographyTrilliums of the Great Lakes
Michigan’s Favorite Wildflower Trilliums of the Great Lakes: If you live near the Great Lakes, then you know how significant springtime is to our morale, especially after a long, cold winter. The anticipation of warmer weather and sunshine always excites nature lovers from the region, for they know the promise of what comes with it [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, trillium, wildflowersLeelanau’s Pastoral Peninsula in Winter White
Winter on the Leelanau Peninsula presents a magical attraction for outdoor photographers. Leelanau Peninsula Winter Photography: Nestled quietly within the sparkling blue waters of Lake Michigan and snug in the mitten as the Little Finger Peninsula, Leelanau County exudes an inviting solace come winter. From the south, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore introduces a vast [...]
Read More Leelanau Peninsula, Mark S. Carlson, Pastoral Peninsula, Seasonal Photography, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, winter photographyWinter Nature Photography Adventure to Sleeping Bear Dunes & Leelanau Peninsula
Winter Nature Photography Adventure: Capture the magic of winter during the ‘Leelanau White Eco-Photo Weekend’ at Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Leelanau Peninsula, February 23 & 24, 2013. Winter Nature Photography Adventure: Travel with the Great Lakes Photo Tours team, Mark S. Carlson, naturalist photographer and digital photography expert, Bob Grzesiak to windswept dunes marbled [...]
Read More bob grzesiak, Eco-Photo Excursions, Ileana Habsburg-Snyder, Leelanau Peninsula, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, winter photographyFeatured Alumni Photo: Green Frog Peering from Puddle
Featured alumni photo taken on a rainy day in autumn. Our Featured Alumni Photo: Steve Stage gets the honor of being our featured alumni photographer. Steve was a participant to Timberland Swamp this autumn. This emerging green frog, digitally captured by photographer Steve Sage, subliminally tells the story of a warm, late autumn day. A [...]
Read More autumn, featured alumni photo, Frogs, nature photography tip, Timberland SwampNature Photography Tips: Photographing Winter Scenes and Snow
White snow and winter scenes can be tricky to photograph. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: When photographing winter scenes and the white snow is the dominate element in the picture, getting the proper exposure can be tricky. Often times, your automatic exposure setting will under expose or darken the snow too much to [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, snow, winter photography